Steven L. Reyelts

Areas of Trial Practice

• Admiralty Law
• Dram Shop/Liquor Law Liability
• Litigation & Appeals
• Personal Injury
• Insurance Defense Law
• Insurance Coverage
• Products Liability
• Alternative Dispute Resolution
• Wrongful Death
• Employment Law

Litigation Percentage

• 85% of Practice Devoted to Litigation
• 15% of Practice Devoted to Mediations/Arbitrations

Bar Admissions

• All Minnesota State Courts, 1978
• US District Court for the District of Minnesota
• US District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin
• US Supreme Court

Certifications/Specialties

• Minnesota State Bar Association
• Minnesota Supreme Court ADR Neutral
• Wisconsin Association of Mediators
• Association for Conflict Resolution (Wisconsin)

Education

• Aden Bowman Collegiate Institute, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
• Concordia College, Moorhead, Minnesota Summa Cum Laude
• University of Minnesota Law School, 1978

Representative Cases

• Vagle v. Pickands Mather & Company
• Schulte v. Corner Club Bar, et al.
• Miner v. J&J Miller, Inc., dba Copasetic Lounge
• Fitzsimmons v. Lakeview Castle, Inc.
• Brown v. Duluth Steam Cooperative Assoc.
• Lundquist v. Brook Saloon, Inc.

Pro Bono and Bar Activities

• 11th District (Duluth) Bar Association – Past President
• Minnesota State Bar Association – Past Member, Board of Governors
• American Bar Association – Past Member, Standing Committee on Lawyers Public Service Responsibility
• Volunteer Attorney Program – Past President, Past Board Member
• Minnesota Continuing Legal Education – Past Member Board of Directors
• Minnesota Supreme Court – Past Member, Legal Services Commission
• 1989 Minnesota Pro Bono Publico Award
• 2002 ABA Reece Smith Award

Career Overview

Steve Reyelts is a Founding Partner of Trial Group North, PLLP in Duluth, Minnesota.

Steve was born in California and raised in Western Canada (Edmonton, Vancouver and Saskatoon).  He is a graduate of Aden Bowman Collegiate Institute in Saskatoon, a Summa Cum Laude graduate of Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota and a 1978 graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School.  Steve has been defending civil cases for over 42 years, with a practice that includes extensive work in liquor liability defense, professional liability defense, construction law, admiralty law and commercial, auto and homeowners coverage issues.  Steve has been a lecturer at various Continuing Legal Education seminars, for Bar Association Groups, for Insurers, along with regular appearances on PBS television program “Lawyers on the Line”.  Steve had made presentations for the Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association and the Twin Cities Claim Association.  (He is a member of both organizations.)

Steve is the former President of the Eleventh District (Duluth) Bar Association and a former member of the Board of Governors of the Minnesota State Bar Association.  He has served on the Standing Committee on Lawyers Public Service Responsibility for the American Bar Association.  He recently served two terms as a member of the Board of Directors of Minnesota CLE.

Steve also has an active ADR practice, handling more than 30 cases per year as a Mediator and Arbitrator through Reyelts Resolutions.  He has been named a Top 40 Mediator in the State of Minnesota by the Minnesota Journal of Law and Politics.

Steve was a member of the first class of “Rising Stars” named by Law and Politics in 1992 and has received the designation of Super Lawyer for over 20 years. He enjoys the highest rating (AV Preeminent) by Martindale-Hubbell. Legal Knowledge 5/5… Analytical Capability 5/5… Judgment 5/5… Communication 5/5… Legal Experience 5/5.

In addition to his private practice, Steve has engaged in significant pro bono work throughout his career.  He served on the Minnesota Supreme Court Legal Services Commission and has been President of the Volunteer Attorney Program in Duluth.  He has been the Volunteer Attorney of the Year on local and state levels.  He was awarded 1989 Pro Bono Publico Award by the Minnesota Legal Services Coalition.  He was awarded the Reece Smith Award for outstanding national leadership in providing legal services to the poor at the 2002 ABA Equal Justice Conference in Cleveland.

Steve had tried cases throughout the State of Minnesota and Wisconsin. He is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin, U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota and all Minnesota State Courts.