Mike is a member of the Minnesota Association for Justice, and has chaired a number of committees and served on its Board of Governors. He is a frequent lecturer at continuing legal education programs and has written numerous articles and law reviews for legal publications. Mike is also a longtime Adjunct Professor of Law at William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, MN.
Mike is also an avid photographer, and he is happy to share his favorite photographs at this link.
Areas of Practice
- Personal Injury – Plaintiff
- Federal Employer’s Liability Act (FELA) – Employee
- Railroad Injury Accidents Federal Safety Appliance Act (FSAA) – Plaintiff
- Locomotive Inspection Act (LIA) – Plaintiff
- Products Liability Law Wrongful Death – Plaintiff
- Litigation & Appeals
Litigation Percentage
- 100% of Practice Devoted to Litigation
Bar Admissions
- Minnesota, 1981
- U.S. Court of Appeals 3rd Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals 4th Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals 5th Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals 7th Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals 8th Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals 10th Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals 11th Circuit
- U.S. District Court District of Minnesota, 1981
- U.S. Supreme Court, 1984
Education
- William Mitchell College of Law, St Paul, Minnesota, 1981
- J.D., Doctor of Jurisprudence. Honors: Cum Laude
- University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1977
- B.Elec.St., Bachelor of Elected Studies
Published Works
- Medicare Set-Asides: Uncertainty and Confusion, Minnesota Trial Lawyers Magazine, Winter 2007.
- Right to Punitive Damages in Minnesota in the Absence of a Personal Injury, 27 Wm. Mitchell L. Rev 1043, 2000
- No-Fault Tort Thresholds, The Plaintiff’s Perspective, 24 Wm. Mitchell L. Rev. 985, 1998
- Weiner and Steenson, Products Liability, MTLA Cause of Action Manual, 3rd ed.
- Legal Computer Operator Malpractice: A New Tort, Hennepin County Lawyer, Nov./Dec., 1986
- Meeting the Statutory Tort Threshold, Minnesota Trial Lawyers Magazine, Summer, 1994
- Judges Speak Out, Minnesota Trial Lawyers Magazine, Spring, 1995
- Punitive Damages in Minnesota, Minnesota Trial Lawyers Magazine, Fall, 1995
Representative Cases
- Kissoondath v. U.S. Fire Ins. Co., 620 N.W.2d 909 (Minn. Ct, App. 2001)
- Short v. Dairyland Ins. Co., 334 N.W.2d 384 (Minn. 1983)
- Kulavic v. Chicago & Illinois Midland Ry. Co., 1 F.3d 507 (C.A.7 (Ill.) 1993)
- Forster v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., 437 N.W.2d 655 (Minn. 1989)
- Pikop v. Burlington Northern R. Co., 390 N.W.2d 743 (Minn. 1986)
- Garcia v. Burlington Northern R. Co., 818 F.2d 713 (C.A.10 (Colo.) 1987)
- Stevens v. Baltimore & Ohio R. Co., 915 F.2d 1565(Table, Text in WESTLAW), Unpublished (4th Cir 1990)
- Melin v. Burlington Northern R. Co., 401 N.W.2d 418 (Minn. Ct. App 1987)
- Myers v. John Deere Ltd., 683 F.2d 270 (C.A.8 (N.D.) 1982)
- Foss v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co. (as Amicus Curiae), 1996 Minn. App. LEXIS 1286 (Minn. Ct. App. 1996)
- Lindsey v. Louisville & Nashville Railroad Co. (as Amicus Curiae), 775 F.2d 1322 (5th Cir. 1985)
- Lundman v. McKown (as Amicus Curiae) , 530 N.W.2d 807, cert. denied, 516 U.S. 1092 (1996) (Minn. Ct. App. 1995)
Classes/Seminars Taught
- Adjunct Professor, William Mitchell College of Law, St. Paul, Minnesota (Product Liability)
- Frequent Lecturer, Continuing Legal Education Programs
Honors and Awards
- Selected as a “Superlawyer” by Minnesota Journal of Law and Politics, both generally, and as one of the Top Appellate Specialists in the state of Minnesota Order of the Barristers, 1981
- Best Lawyers in America – Railroad Law Section, 2006-Present
Professional Associations and Memberships
- American Association for Justice, 1981 – Present, Member
- Academy of Rail Labor Attorneys
- Minnesota Association for Justice, 1981 – Present, Member of Board of Governors
- Minnesota Association for Justice; Chair, Publications Committee
- Minnesota Association for Justice; Member, Amicus Committee
- Past Employment Positions: Weiner, Jungbauer & Barzak, Partner, 1993-2013
- Weiner & Kvas, Partner, 1991 – 1993 DeParcq, Hunegs, Stone, Koenig & Reid, Associate, 1981 – 1991
Pro Bono Activities
