Tom Conlin

I keep a quote on my desk that really resonates with me: “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.” Proverbs 31:8. This is what I am driven to do every day. I have made it my life’s work to use my voice to help those who need it most, helping clients reclaim their lives as fully as possible after an injury or loss and improving safety in our community at the same time.

Why hire Conlin Law Firm?

Everyone who needs a lawyer wants a great lawyer. And since—in the personal injury field—the price of a great one is the same as the price of a bad one, there is no reason not to hire a great lawyer. Question is, how to find one?

One way is to find lawyers who are recognized by other lawyers as the best of the best. Tom Conlin is a Fellow in two elite trial-lawyer associations: The International Academy of Trial Lawyers, and the American College of Trial Lawyers. Membership in both organizations is by invitation only. The Academy is limited to only 500 active trial lawyers in America and an even smaller number from around the world. The College is restricted to the top 1% of trial lawyers in any given state. Both organizations present invitations only after a candidate has been comprehensively vetted for courtroom excellence, integrity, and civility, including interviews of the judges the lawyer has appeared before and the lawyers who have represented the opposing parties in the candidate’s cases. Fellowship in these organizations provides assurance that in hiring Conlin Law Firm, you are hiring the best of the best.

Mr. Conlin has also been recognized as a Super Lawyer in Minnesota every year since 2008. He has also been perennially listed in Best Lawyers in America, and a Top Attorney in Minnesota. He is also a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, and is certified by the MSBA as a Certified Civil Trial Specialist.

We can list more accolades and recognitions, but that’s not what drives Mr. Conlin. Every day, Mr. Conlin is intently focused on doing what is necessary to fully understand his clients’ cases, to expose the false arguments on the other side, so he can win for his clients in court or in settlements. While money is a poor substitute for what has been taken from his clients by someone else’s negligence, it’s all we have since there is no magic wand to turn back the clock, and it can help families and individuals get back on their feet after a devastating injury or the loss of a loved one. A great trial lawyer must be a great listener, and must be dogged on getting to the truth, following the trail of truth wherever it leads.

Selected Case Results

Condon v. St. Alexius Medical Center: $3,500,000 verdict, North Dakota Medical Malpractice. Represented a 30-year-old woman who suffered a stroke after the defendant surgeon cut into the innominate artery during a biopsy procedure. A Bismarck, ND jury returned a verdict in the amount of $3.5 million.

Vail v. S/L Services, Inc.: Oilfield injury to employee. the North Dakota Supreme Court considered certified questions from the District Court regarding employer’s immunity from liability for negligent injury to an oilfield employee, establishing that ignorance of the law does not preclude a finding of a willful violation of N.D.C.C. § 65-04-33, and allowing injured employee’s suit against employer to proceed.

Brunsting v. Lutsen Mountain Corp: Ski injury case. Leading case in the Eighth Circuit regarding Federal Rule of Evidence 803(2) (excited utterance). After win in the Eighth Circuit, case settled.

Pro Bono Legal Services for the Survivors of the I-35W Bridge Collapse. Provided free legal services as part of a consortium of lawyers to the over 100 survivors and the 13 families who lost loved ones on August 1, 2007 when the I-35W Bridge in downtown Minneapolis collapsed into the Mississippi River. In total, more than $77 million was recovered, consisting of a compensation fund from the State of Minnesota, additional compensation from the construction company which placed thousands of pounds of construction material on the bridge the day it collapsed, and a $40 million settlement of claims from the company hired by the State to provide engineering services on the bridge. An additional $1.5 million in attorneys’ fees was recovered, donated in its entirety to the construction of a memorial.

$4.2 million settlement: Defective Snowmobile. Represented a man who suffered a spinal cord injury when the steering of a snowmobile broke because of defect in manufacturing and design. The Recovery obtained will provide for his future care needs and pay for necessary modifications to make his home safe.

$2.55 million settlement: North Dakota Oilfield Injury. Represented an oilfield worker who suffered a brain injury due to the negligence of a commercial driver at a tanker cleaning facility. Recovery paid back past medical costs and provided for future medical expenses and loss of income.

$1.8 million settlement in piling injury case. Young engineer suffered spinal cord injury (paralysis, quadriplegia) when road construction worker toppled piling without clearing the area of other personnel.

Brockman v. Sun Valley. Settlement followed by verdict, over $1M: Respiratory Injury from Zamboni Poisoning. Represented 14 topflight amateur players who, while competing in a hockey tournament in Sun Valley, Idaho suffered respiratory injury when someone closed the ventilation, flooding the arena with caustic nitrogen dioxide gas each time the Zamboni ran between periods.
 In the aftermath of the game, one of the players had to be airlifted to Billings, Montana, for treatment. Everyone survived, but all suffered lung injuries. One case was settled for $400,000, after which a federal jury in Boise returned a verdict totaling almost $1M.

Recognition

• Fellow, the American College of Trial Lawyers
• Fellow, International Academy of Trial Lawyers
• Member, American Board of Trial Advocates
• Named to the Minnesota Super Lawyers List (2008-Present)
• Member, Million Dollar Advocates Forum
• Certified Civil Trial Specialist (Minnesota State Bar Association)
• Named one of “The Best Lawyers in Minnesota” by Mpls/St. Paul Magazine
• Recipient of the “Professional Excellence Award” by the Minnesota State Bar Association (2006 and 2009).
• Adjunct Professor, Legal Practicum in Torts, William Mitchell College of Law (2005-2006)
• Recipient of the “Public Service Award” by the Minnesota State Bar Association (2005)

Community Service

• Minnesota Jury Instruction Guides Bar Committee—Products Liability (2014)
• Legal Services Advisory Committee (2005-2011)
• Minnesota State Bar Association, Legal Assistance to the Disadvantaged Committee (2001-2006); Co-chair (2004-2006)
• Minnesota State Bar Association, Assembly, (2004-2009; 2011)
• Hennepin County Bar Association, Board of Governors (2004-2005)
• Hennepin County Bar Association, Affiliation Agreement Advisory Group (2005-06)
• Pro Bono Consortium, I-35W Bridge Collapse (2007-2010)
• Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund Task Force
• Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi, Pro Bono Committee, Chair (1994 – 2003)
• India Association of Minnesota, Board of Directors (1994-1996)

Articles

• Going Pro Se: Children and The Law
  Metropolitan Corporate Counsel (August 2000)
• All Aboard the Preemption Train: How a Lot of Railroad Common Law Liability Went the Way of the Roundhouse
  Minnesota Trial (Spring 2001)

Speeches

• The Malpractice Damages Cap: An uncertain remedy for the catastrophically injured
  North Dakota Association for Justice Spring Seminar (May 2018) (with Stacy Deery Stennes)
• Voir Dire
  MAJ Boot Camp for New Trial Lawyers (2017)
• Top Verdict Outcomes of 2013: feature verdict
  Minnesota Association for Justice seminar (2014) (with Stacy Deery Stennes)
• A New Look at Apportionment of Fault in Dram Shop Cases
  Minnesota Association for Justice Annual Convention (August 2012) (with Stacy Deery Stennes)
• NITA North Central Regional Advocacy Program
  Faculty Member – William Mitchell College of Law, St. Paul, Minnesota (various dates)
• Final Arguments and Voir Dire
  NITA North Central Regional Advocacy Program (May 21, 2003)
• Preemption: Lost and Found
  Minneapolis, MN (November 19, 2002)
• Expert Witnesses
  Minneapolis, MN (June 5, 2002)
• Products That Injure and Kill People – Ethical Considerations in Products Liability Litigation
  New Orleans, LA (April 26, 1997)
• Federal Preemption
  Minneapolis, MN (April 11, 1997)
• New Methods for Proving Damages
  Minneapolis, MN (November 22, 1996)
• Direct Examination of the Expert – Making the Presentation Memorable
  Minneapolis, MN (October 24, 1996)
• Product Liability: Where Does Corporate Responsibility End and Personal Responsibility Begin
  Commentator - Minnesota Public Radio “Mid-Morning” (July 17, 1996)
• Litigation for Legal Assistants and Attorneys
  Minneapolis, MN (November 22, 1994)
• Dealing with the Auto Accident Case in Minnesota
  Minneapolis, MN (September 23, 1994)