Steven Bader, Rajkowski Hansmeier

Steven Bader is an associate at Rajkowski Hansmeier. His practice is primarily focused on the defense of personal injury cases, liquor liability claims, construction defect suits, and petitions for no-fault arbitration.  In addition to his insurance defense practice, Steven represents insurance companies in subrogation claims, residential landlords in landlord-tenant disputes, and other corporations and individuals in various types of civil litigation. He is also a criminal prosecutor for the City of Waite Park.

Ken Bayliss, Quinlivan & Hughes

Mr. Bayliss joined Quinlivan & Hughes in 1995 after ten years of service with the Minnesota Attorney General's Office, where he was an Assistant Attorney General in the Tort Claims Division and the Employment Law Division. A long-time shareholder in the firm, Ken practices primarily in the area of insurance defense law, including vehicle liability, premises liability, construction accident liability, and government liability. Ken is a frequent lecturer on topics related to civil litigation.

John Cuttino, Gallivan, White & Boyd

John Cuttino is a shareholder in Gallivan, White & Boyd Columbia, South Carolina office. He has 32 years of experience as a trial attorney in the state and federal courts of South Carolina. John has handled cases in 40 of South Carolina’s 46 counties, in all Divisions of U.S. District Court in South Carolina, and has tried more than 75 cases to verdict. His practice is focused on the litigation of a variety of matters including class actions, design and construction defects, toxic and mass torts, insurance coverage, tort and personal injury, intellectual property, products liability, and professional negligence. John is very active in DRI and is currently the President elect of the organization.

Dyan Ebert, Quinlivan & Hughes

Ms. Ebert is a shareholder at Quinlivan & Hughes. Dyan is active and holds, or has held, leadership roles in national, state and local professional organizations. She is a past president of the Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association and her practice focuses on employment and government liability, insurance coverage, and general casualty law. Dyan represents government entities, corporations, and individuals at all stages of the litigation process, including before appellate courts. Ms. Ebert also represents individuals and businesses in matters involving personal injuries, premises liability, wrongful death, and insurance coverage.

Dr. Justin King, Metro Rehabilitation

With graduate certificates in forensic vocational rehabilitation, rehabilitation counseling, and a doctorate in clinical psychology, Dr. King provides vocational rehabilitation evaluations for attorneys handling cases involving economic loss claims. He has been a guest lecturer at the Minnesota School of Professional Psychology and Saint Mary’s University, and worked as a Psychometrist at the Minnesota Clinical and Neuropsychological Associates and as a Licensed Psychologist at Learning and Language Specialists before taking over Dr. Phil Haber’s practice at Metro Rehabilitation.

Mary Massaron, Plunkett Cooney, P.C.

Mary is a past president of DRI. She is President of the Lawyers for Civil Justice (LCJ) and currently chairs its Class Action Reform Committee. In addition to being a recognized leader of the defense bar, Mary’s skill as an appellate lawyer has been nationally recognized. She is a fellow in the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, a member of the American Law Institute (ALI), and has served as chair of the ABA Council of Appellate Lawyers (CAL), a division of the Appellate Judges Conference, the ABA TIPS Appellate Advocacy Committee, and the Appellate Practice Section of the State Bar of Michigan. A regular before the Michigan Supreme Court where she served as law clerk to Justice Patricia J. Boyle, she chairs the Advocates Guild of the Michigan Supreme Court and serves as co-chair of the Michigan Appellate Bench Bar Conference Foundation. She has handled significant appeals in state and federal appellate courts for governmental and private clients including representing property owners to overturn decades-old precedent involving condemnation, establishing the retroactivity of dealer statute amendments before the Michigan Supreme Court, and overturning multi-million dollar judgments on appeal.

Tony Novak, Larson King, LLP

Tony is a partner at Larson King and practices in the areas of product defense, transportation and professional liability claims. Tony's products practice involves the defense of product design and manufacturing claims in Minnesota and across the country. Tony also defends several national and regional motor carriers in a variety of claims and he is active in the firm's accident rapid response team.

Paul Rajkowski, Rajkowski Hansmeier

Paul is a shareholder and managing partner of Rajkowski Hansmeier. Paul is a past president of the Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association. He practices in the areas of insurance defense, products liability, commercial law, employment law and is a court-approved ADR neutral. He has tried numerous cases to juries and judges throughout Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin.

Mike Skram, O’Meara, Leer, Wagner & Kohl

Michael Skram is a Shareholder at O’Meara, Leer, Wagner & Kohl and serves on MDLA’s Board of Directors.  Mike’s practice focuses on the defense of products, construction, and motor vehicle liability matters. Mike serves as local asbestos litigation counsel for several national companies in Minnesota and Iowa.

Matthew D. Sloneker, Lind, Jensen, Sullivan & Peterson, P.A.

Matt Sloneker represents clients in several areas of civil defense litigation, including liquor liability, personal injury, workers’ compensation, construction defect and products liability. Matt has co-authored several publications, including Investigating and Defending Minnesota Civil Damages Act Claims, a practical guide for investigating and defending claims arising under the Minnesota Civil Damages Act. He currently serves on the Minnesota Defense Lawyers Board of Directors and serves as chair of the Construction Law Committee.

Dr. Nathan Soderborg, Exponent

Dr. Nathan R. Soderborg is a Principal Scientist in Exponent’s Statistical and Data Sciences practice. Dr. Soderborg provides consulting services related to statistics, risk analysis, product quality and reliability, process improvement, and mathematical modeling. Dr. Soderborg has a Ph.D. in Mathematics and is a sought after presenter and author.

Mark Solheim, Larson King, LLP

Mark is a partner at Larson King and serves on the firm's executive committee. Mark areas of practice include litigation of personal injury, wrongful death, product, professional, oil & gas and transportation liability matters.  Mark has served in leadership positions for state and national defense organizations for many years. Mark has served as a Board Member and President of the Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association, as Chair of the DRI Trial Tactics Committee, as Co-Chair of the MDLA Nursing Home & Assisted Living Committee and as Chair of the USLAW Network.

Rich Thomas, Burke and Thomas, PLLP

Rich Thomas defends professionals in negligence and licensing actions and represents clients in insurance disputes. He is a recipient of the DRI State Leadership Award and is regarded as one of the Minnesota’s top litigators. A past president of the MDLA, Rich has committed countless hours to the organization and in addition to serving as a frequent presenter, Rich co-chairs the Law Improvement Committee.

Kay Tuveson, HealthPartners, Inc.

Kay Tuveson is Senior Counsel at HealthPartners, Inc. With 29 years of leadership as in-house counsel, Kay works collaboratively with 1,700 physicians, health care professionals, and management staff to provide legal advice and solutions. Prior to obtaining her law degree, Kay worked for four years as an aide to United States Dave Durenberger. Her time in the U.S.S. was split between Washington, D.C., Bloomington re-election campaign offices, and the Senator’s Minnesota office. Kay was also the MDLA President in 2008 and 2009.