Cory Whalen Named to Prestigious Trial Lawyer Groups

Cory Whalen, a shareholder at Sieben, Grose, Von Holtum & Carey, was recently certified as a life member of both the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum.

The Million Dollar Advocates Forum is recognized as one of the most prestigious groups of trial lawyers in the United States. Membership is limited to attorneys who have won million and multi-million dollar verdicts, awards and settlements. The organization was founded in 1993 and there are approximately 4000 members located across the country. Fewer than 1% of U.S. lawyers are members.

Forum membership acknowledges excellence in advocacy. Members of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum must have acted as principal counsel in at least one case in which their client has received a verdict, award, or settlement in the amount of one million dollars or more.

Members of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum must be Life Members of the Million Dollar advocates Forum and must have acted as principal counsel in at least one case which has resulted in a multi-million dollar verdict, award, or settlement.

I congratulate Cory on this certification as he joins John Carey, Paul Downes, Harry Sieben, Art Kosieradzki, Paul Schweiger and myself as a member of this organization.

Jim Carey
Attorney At Law
Sieben, Grose, Von Holtum & Carey
800 Marquette Avenue, Suite 900
Minneapolis, MN 55402
612-333-9750

Minnesota Lawyer names Jim Carey a "2011 Attorney of the Year"

The award, given to only 25 Minnesota attorneys, tops a banner year for Sieben, Grose, Von Holtum & Carey.

Congratulations to our president, Jim Carey, on his Attorney of the Year award from Minnesota Lawyer. What a year it’s been for the firm! Earlier this year U.S. News & World Report named Sieben, Grose, Von Holtum & Carey one of the Best Law Firms in America.

Last summer, Thomson Reuters’ Super Lawyers magazine named nine lawyers from the firm to its list of top lawyers (only five percent of lawyers in America are given this honor). In that same issue, three of our lawyers -- John Carey, Harry Sieben and Jim Carey -- were named to the elite list of top 100 lawyers in Minnesota (out of 26,000 lawyers in the state). Super Lawyers also gave Rising Stars awards to four of our younger lawyers: Cory Whalen, Michael Miller, Jeffrey Montpetit and Jeffrey Sieben.

And if that’s not enough, seven of our attorneys were named to Best Lawyers in America.

All of these honors are great, but Jim’s Attorney of the Year award is something special. Jim and 24 other lawyers will be honored at an award dinner on February 23 at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Minneapolis.

In typical fashion, Jim takes the award in stride, saying it doesn’t compare to the awards he’s won on behalf of his clients. We couldn’t agree more. We appreciate being recognized by our peers and the legal media. We hope these honors and awards give our clients assurance that they’ve hired the right lawyers. But it’s end result -- the difference we make in the lives of injured individuals -- that really matters to us.

Harry Sieben
Attorney At Law
Sieben, Grose, Von Holtum & Carey
800 Marquette Avenue, Suite 900
Minneapolis, MN 55402
612-333-4500

New Article Spells Out Insurance Industry’s 3-D’s:

Deny, Delay and Don’t Pay!

It’s no secret that insurance companies are in business to make money, but the lengths some insurance companies go to in order to increase profits is alarming. This article helps to spread the message that insurance companies are not concerned with treating the injured fairly. Rather, they are concerned solely with increasing their bottom lines at the expense of those who are truly hurt, and deserving of fair and reasonable compensation.

See the article: www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/13/insurance-claim-delays-industry-profits-allstate-mckinsey-company_n_1139102.html

If you have been denied, your claim delayed or the insurance company just won't pay, please contact our office. From the day we opened our doors 60 years ago, our attorneys have the commitment and willingness to take the tough cases and the readiness to go to trial to see that our clients receive the justice they deserve.


Jim Carey
Attorney At Law
Sieben, Grose, Von Holtum & Carey
800 Marquette Avenue, Suite 900
Minneapolis, MN 55402
612-333-9750

Social Host Liability in Minnesota

With the holidays upon us, many people will be hosting parties and serving alcohol to guests. Could party hosts be liable for the actions of their guests?

In Minnesota, host liability is limited to situations involving minors as guests. There is no civil cause of action against a social host who provides alcohol to those who are 21 years of age or older. Please see one of my recent settlements relating to this topic: http://www.knowyourrights.com/verdict/709/Jeffrey_S_Sieben

Liability for providing alcohol to minors is spelled out in the Social Host Liability Act (Minn. Stat. section 340A.90). The Act holds that adults who provide or serve alcohol to a minor can be held liable if the minor injures or kills another person. It is not necessary for the adult to actually serve or supply the alcohol. It’s enough if the host has control over the premises and is in a position to prevent the underage drinking but knowingly and recklessly permits the consumption.

The biggest changes in the area of social host law of late are in the criminal arena. Cities and counties are now passing criminal social host laws making it illegal to provide a location for a party and know that underage drinking is taking place.

The obvious takeaway is that parents of teenagers need to be especially vigilant and proactive when it comes to drinking in the home.

Jeffrey Sieben
Attorney at Law
Sieben, Grose, Von Holtum & Carey, LTD.
800 Marquette Avenue, Suite 900
Minneapolis, MN 55402
direct: 612-333-9713
jeffrey.sieben@knowyourrights.com

Distracted Driving’s Latest Twist: The Distracted Cop

Minnesota state trooper Gregg Gerhartz knows the perils of distracted driving. He learned the hard way.

A few years ago, Gerhartz suffered significant injuries after being struck by a semitrailer truck during a traffic stop on Interstate 94. The accident was caused by a distracted driver.

On November 11, he was reminded again about the dangers of distracted driving; only this time it was Gerhartz who was the distracted driver.

Gerhartz’s squad car ran a stop sign and collided into the side of a Chevy Blazer driving down a rural highway near Sauk Centre. The crash injured Ernest Uhlenkamp and his wife, Bernice.

Moments before the accident, Gerhartz had been entering information on his squad car’s laptop computer following a traffic stop.

This case makes clear that distracted driving isn’t limited to texting teenagers or minivan-driving soccer moms on cell phones. As squad cars are increasingly loaded up with high-tech equipment such as laptops, police radios and cellphones, law enforcement officers also can become distracted behind the wheel.

Technology is a blessing and curse for road safety. On the one hand, technology has made today’s vehicles safer than ever. On the other hand, technology has helped create what U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood calls the “deadly epidemic” of distracted driving.

For more information about accidents caused by distracted drivers,contact me for a free consultation.

Cory P. Whalen
Attorney At Law
Sieben, Grose, Von Holtum & Carey
800 Marquette Avenue, Suite 900
Minneapolis, MN 55402
612-333-9782