Mr. Killen specializes in the practice of professional liability law for physicians and attorneys. He also specializes in product liability defense and general trial practice exclusively for corporate and insurance defendants.

He has served as president of the Eleventh District Bar Association and on the Board of Governors of the Minnesota State Bar Association. He currently serves on the Board of Minnesota Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company.

Mr. Killen is a member of the Eleventh District Bar Association, the Minnesota State Bar Association, the American Bar Association, a fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and a member of the International Association of Insurance Counsel, the Federation of Insurance and Corporate Counsel, the American Board of Trial Advocates, the American Society of Hospital Attorneys and the Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association.

He is admitted to practice before all Minnesota courts, the federal district courts, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.

Mr. Killen graduated from the University of Minnesota with a B.A. degree and earned a law degree from the University of Minnesota in 1955, the same year he joined the firm.

sseiler@duluthlaw.com

Mr. Seiler specializes in business law, estate planning and pension and profit sharing matters. He also practices in the areas of both nonprofit and for profit corporation, general partnerships and limited partnerships, involving among other things, the financing, sales and purchases of businesses. He also specializes in representing a large variety of health care organizations. He has been a frequent lecturer in the area of estate planning.

Mr. Seiler is a member of the Eleventh District Bar Association, the Minnesota State Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the American Health Lawyers, the Arrowhead Estate Planning Counsel and the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. He is admitted to practice in all of the courts in Minnesota.

Mr. Seiler received his undergraduate education at the University of Minnesota and graduated from Drake University Law School in 1969, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Drake Law Review and a member of the Order of the Coif. He joined the firm in 1969 as well.

jnys@duluthlaw.com

Mr. Nys specializes in a business practice representing individuals, commercial businesses and financial institutions in the areas of banking, bankruptcy and general business law. He advises clients on a broad range of matters from assisting small business owners on day-to-day problems to structuring multi-million-dollar financing and purchase/sale transactions. He is the principal specialist in the firm on bankruptcy law, representing both creditors and debtors in the more sophisticated areas of liquidation and restructuring.

He is a past president of the Minnesota State Bar Association and is a life fellow of the American Bar Foundation. He served on the Minnesota Lawyers Professional Responsibility Board for six years.

He is admitted to practice before all Minnesota and Wisconsin courts, as well as the Federal District Courts in those states, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. He is a member of the Eleventh District Bar association, the Minnesota State Bar Association, the American Bar association and the State Bar of Wisconsin.

Mr. Nys graduated magna cum laude from Dartmouth College and graduated from Stanford University School of Law with a J. D. degree in 1973, the same year he joined the firm. While at Stanford, he was the managing editor of the Stanford Journal of International Studies.

sfecker@duluthlaw.com

Mr. Fecker’s practice emphasizes the representation of private, non-profit and public sector employers in the negotiation and administration of labor contracts, employment law and personnel law. He has negotiated several hundred labor contracts on behalf of management using both traditional bargaining methods and interest-based bargaining.

His legal experience has also involved union organizing campaigns; unit clarification proceedings; contract administration and grievance representation; representation of employers in wrongful termination, unfair labor practice, declaratory judgment and civil rights actions; interest and grievance arbitration; drafting and reviewing personnel policy manuals; pay equity systems and appeals; unemployment compensation; and defense of sexual harassment, age, race, marital status and disability discrimination claims.

He has represented the St. Louis and Lake Counties; Regional Railroad Authority in the reestablishment of the Lakefront Line and the currently-in-progress construction of the Mesabi TrailTM between Grand Rapids and Ely.

Mr. Fecker is a member of the Minnesota State Bar Association Labor and Employment Law Section, American Bar Association Labor Law Section, Minnesota Public Employer Labor Relations Association and National Public Employer Labor Relations Association.

Mr. Fecker graduated from Creighton University, cum laude, in 1969 and from the University of Minnesota Law School, cum laude, in 1975.

rzallar@duluthlaw.com

Mr. Zallar concentrates his practice in the areas of commercial and residential real estate, estate planning and probate. He also has an extensive business and employment law practice with an emphasis on negotiation, mediation and arbitration of labor contracts and employee grievances. He has served as an arbitrator and mediator in all areas of his practice.

Previously Mr. Zallar was an Estate and Gift Tax Attorney with the Internal Revenue Service.

He has served as a director and chair of Minnesota Continuing Legal Education as well as a director for the United Way, Lighthouse for the Blind, Duluth Heights Community Club, Duluth Playhouse, Wildey H. Mitchell Family Foundation and the City of Duluth Civil Service Board.  Mr. Zallar is a current board member of the St. Luke’s Foundation.

Mr. Zallar is a member of the Eleventh Judicial District Bar Association, the Minnesota State Bar Association, the Wisconsin State Bar Association, the American Bar Association, Arrowhead Estate Planning Council and Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity. He is admitted to practice before all courts in the states of Minnesota and Wisconsin as well as the United States Tax Court and the United States Supreme Court.

Mr. Zallar graduated cum laude from the University of Minnesota – Duluth in 1972, and received his J. D. degree, cum laude, from William Mitchell College of Law, St. Paul, Minnesota in 1975.

Robert J. Zallar

online at

visit superlawyers.com

rpearson@duluthlaw.com

Mr. Pearson practices in the area of business and financial transactions and represents business owners. He has substantial experience in commercial transactions, mergers and acquisitions, financing, banking, trust and estate planning for business owners. He also practices extensively in the areas of commercial leasing and shopping center transactions and represents owners, developers and retail tenants in a wide variety of matters.

Mr. Pearson serves as a director of several private companies as well as the Duluth Airport Authority. He has also served on the St. Louis County Planning Commission, the City of Duluth Parks and Recreation Commission and on the Main Injector Neutrino Oscillator Search Advisory Committee to the Town of Breitung. He has been involved in a number of non-profit organizations including the Board of Directors of the Lake Superior Zoological Society.  

He is a member of the Eleventh District Bar Association, the Minnesota State Bar Association and the American Bar Association. He is admitted to practice before all Minnesota courts, the federal courts in Minnesota, The United States Tax Court and the United States Supreme Court.

Mr. Pearson graduated egregia cum laude from St. John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota and received his J.D. degree, cum laude, from the University of Minnesota School of Law in 1978, the same year he joined the firm.

jwade@duluthlaw.com

Mr. Wade, a native Duluthian, practices in the area of civil litigation. He has tried numerous jury and bench trials in the state courts of Minnesota and Wisconsin, as well as cases before the Federal District Court and workers’ compensation cases. He has handled appeals in both state and federal court systems. Mr. Wade has represented companies and individuals in construction, business, professional malpractice, personal injury, insurance defense, employment discrimination and estate contests. In addition, Mr. Wade, a former military aviator, also practices in the area of aviation, representing air charters, airports, and individuals.

He has been admitted to practice before the state and federal Courts of Minnesota and Wisconsin, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court. Mr. Wade has also been certified as a Civil Trial Specialist by the Minnesota Bar Association and the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Mr. Wade has served as the Dean of the Academy of Certified Trial Lawyers of Minnesota from .

Mr. Wade graduated from the University of Minnesota, Duluth, magna cum laude, and received his J.D. degree from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1978, the same year he joined the firm. He is currently a member of the American Bar Association, the Minnesota State Bar Association, and the Eleventh District Bar Association.

jroby@duluthlaw.com

Mr. Roby specializes in the practice of civil litigation, including employment law, discrimination law, business and general civil litigation and appeals to state and federal appellate courst.   He also specializes in the practice of management labor law. He is certified as a Civil Trial Specialist by the Minnesota State Bar Association and as a Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy.

Mr. Roby serves on the board of directors of First Witness Child Abuse Resource Center. He recently served as president of the board of trustees of The Marshall School, a private college preparatory middle and upperschool in Duluth. He served on the City of Duluth Human Rights Ordinance Drafting Task Force and is a frequent speaker at employment and labor related seminars.

He is admitted to practice before all courts, state and federal, in the states of Minnesota and Wisconsin and is also admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court. He is a member of the American, Minnesota State, and Eleventh District Bar Associations, and the State Bar of Wisconsin, the Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association, and the Academy of Certified Trial Lawyers of Minnesota.    Mr. Roby is one of the first three Minnesota lawyers to achieve Board Certification in the newly-recognized specialty of Labor & Employment Law.  The new specialty, established by the Minnesota State Bar Association, certifies lawyers having significant experience and expertise in the law governing the legal relationships between employers and employees.

Mr. Roby graduated with highest honors from South Dakota School of Mines & Technology and received his J.D. degree from William Mitchell College of Law in 1979, the same year he joined the firm.

nostapenko@duluthlaw.com

Nick Ostapenko focuses his work on health care law and civil trial practice in the areas of medical malpractice, other professional negligence, business and construction disputes, personal injury and cases involving insurance law and insurance coverage issues. He has represented and continues to represent primarily defendants in civil litigation.

He is admitted to practice before all state and federal courts in Minnesota and Wisconsin, the United States Supreme Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, the U.S. Tax Court and the Supreme Court of the United States.
He is a member of the Eleventh District Bar Association (chair, Ethics Committee 1990-1993), the Minnesota State Bar Association, the State Bar of Wisconsin, the American Bar Association, the Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association (president 1998-1999), the Defense Research Institute, and the International Association of Defense Counsel. Mr. Ostapenko also served on the Minnesota Lawyers Board of Professional Responsibility (member 1993-1999; vice-chair 1998-1999).

Mr. Ostapenko received his undergraduate education at the University of Minnesota and his Juris Doctor degree from William Mitchell College of Law in 1979, the same year he joined Johnson, Killen, & Seiler, P.A.  He has been designated as the Minnesota “Super Lawyer” by the Minnesota Journal of Law & Politics for many consecutive years and a recipient of the Defense Research Institute’s Exceptional Performance Citation and the Minnesota State Bar Association President’s Award.  Nick also served for over 34 years in the Army Guard before recently retiring as a Brigadier General.

rleighton@duluthlaw.com

Mr. Leighton practices in the area of civil litigation, involving all aspects of pre-trial discovery, motions, mediations, settlement negotiations, trials, post-trial motions, and appeals in state and federal courts. Over the years, he has practiced in the areas of product liability, toxic torts, environmental law, employment law, eminent domain, construction law, medical malpractice, personal injury, insurance coverage law, tax litigation, railroad law, and admiralty. He has authored articles for the Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association in the area of toxic torts and corporate liability, and has spoken on employment and discrimination law topics at various seminars. Over the last twenty years, his practice has emphasized managing the defense of over 2000 asbestos personal injury/wrongful death cases for several companies in state and federal courts in Minnesota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin.

He is admitted to practice in the state courts of Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. He is admitted to practice before the federal courts in Minnesota and North Dakota, the Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, the United States Tax Court, and the United States Supreme Court. He is a member of the American, Iowa State, Minnesota State, North Dakota State, and Wisconsin State Bar Associations, the Defense Research Institute, and the Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association.

Mr. Leighton received his undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago, and graduated with distinction from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1979, where he served as a Note & Comment Editor for the Iowa Law Review.

jferguson@duluthlaw.com

Mr. Ferguson practices in the areas of business law, commercial transactions, business and consumer bankruptcy, banking and maritime law. He also represents business in employment law matters.

He currently chairs the Eleventh District Bar Association’s Ethics Committee and serves on the Minnesota State Bar Association’s Convention Planning Committee. He chairs the Lawyer Referral Committee for the Minnesota State Bar Association and is a director for their volunteer attorney committee. He is a member of the Maritime Law Association, as well, and is admitted to practice in the state and federal courts in Louisiana, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Mr. Ferguson has his bachelor’s degree from the University of Southwestern Louisiana and his juris doctorate from Louisiana State University. He has practiced law in Minnesota since 1981.

avidyarthi@duluthlaw.com

Mr. Vidyarthi concentrates his practice in the area of commercial transactions and has expertise in the areas of corporate entity formation, both for profit and non-profit organizations. He also practices in the areas of health care law, particularly mergers and acquisitions of health care corporations, and the areas of real estate transactions, including purchases, sales, deferred exchanges and condemnations. Other practice areas include corporate finance, probate, securities and construction transactions.

A member of the Eleventh District Bar Association, Mr. Vidyarthi is also a member of the Minnesota State Bar Association and the American Bar Association.

He graduated cum laude from Carleton College (B.A. 1986) and received his law degree from Northwestern University School of Law (J.D. 1990).

pwojciak@duluthlaw.com

Mr. Wojciak practices primarily in the area of civil litigation and is a member of the Eleventh District Bar Association and the Minnesota State Bar Association. He is admitted to practice before all Minnesota Courts and the United States Court of Federal Claims.

Prior to joining the firm, he was a law clerk for the Honorable Kenneth A. Sandvik, Sixth Judicial District.

Mr. Wojciak graduated from St. Cloud State University. He received his law degree from the University of North Dakota in 1998 and joined the firm in 2000.

Paul W. Wojciak

online at

visit superlawyers.com

rchristensen@duluthlaw.com

Mr. Christensen primarily represents individuals and businesses in the areas of business law, real estate and construction law. He also represents clients in business litigation matters.

He is a member of the Eleventh District Bar Association, Minnesota Bar Association, American Bar Association and the Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association.

Mr. Christensen graduated summa cum laude from St. John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota. He received his J.D. degree, cum laude, from the University of Minnesota in 2000, the same year he joined the firm. He is admitted to practice in the state and federal courts of Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Roy J. Christensen

online at

visit superlawyers.com

jdurbin@duluthlaw.com

Ms. Durbin specializes in the areas of labor law, employment law, employment discrimination law, and business law.  Ms. Durbin also does general civil litigation, with an emphasis on representing defendants in health care litigation.  

Ms. Durbin is admitted to practice before all Minnesota state and federal courts.  She is a member of the Minnesota State Bar Association, including the Labor and Employment Law Section, and the Eleventh District Bar Association. 

Ms. Durbin serves on the Board of Directors of the Duluth Regional Care Center, the Board of Trustees of the College of St. Scholastica, the College of St. Scholastica Pre-Law Advisory Board, and the Eleventh District Bar Association Ethics Committee.  She was a charter member of the Northeastern Minnesota Chapter of Minnesota Women Lawyers and a member of the 2004-2005 Leadership Duluth class.  She has served as the President of the Duluth New Lawyers and as a member of the City of Duluth Commission on Disabilities, the College of St. Scholastica Alumni Association, the College of St. Scholastica Homecoming Committee, and the Minnesota State Bar Association Convention Planning Committee. 

Ms. Durbin graduated summa cum laude from the College of St. Scholastica in 1998.  She attended the University of Minnesota Law School, where she was a Justice Harry A. Blackmun Scholar.  She graduated from law school in 2001, the same year she joined the firm.  

Ms. Durbin was selected as a Rising Star by Minnesota Law & Politics magazine in 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, and 2010.  She was also the recipient of the 2008 Young Alumni Achievement Award from the College of St. Scholastica.

ddodge@duluthlaw.com

Ms. Dodge practices in the areas of collections, business litigation and family law (divorce lawyer). Additional practice areas include insurance defense litigation, including personal injury and dram shop litigation, and general civil litigation. She does employment law defense work in the areas of sexual harassment, defamation and retaliation claims, and conducts harassment investigations for employers.

She is a member of the Eleventh District Bar Association and the Minnesota Bar Association and is admitted to practice in Minnesota, Wisconsin and U.S. District Court.

Ms. Dodge graduated cum laude from the College of St. Scholastica, and then she graduated cum laude from William Mitchell College of Law in 1995.

mmiller@duluthlaw.com

Ms. Miller practices primarily in the area of civil litigation, employment law and estate planning. Prior to attending law school, she worked in human resources and employee benefits.

Ms. Miller is admitted to practice before all Minnesota state and federal courts. She is a member of the Minnesota State Bar Association, the Eleventh District Bar Association and Minnesota Women Lawyers.

Ms. Miller graduated summa cum laude from the College of St. Scholastica. She received her J.D. degree, magna cum laude, from William Mitchell College of Law in 2007, the same year she joined the firm.

Ms. Miller received the Outstanding Achievement Award in Employment Discrimination Law from the Labor and Employment Section of the Minnesota State Bar Association in May 2007.

praukar@duluthlaw.com

Mr. Raukar practices primarily on transactional matters, bankruptcy, civil litigation, labor and employment law and appellate practice.  He is admitted to practice before all Minnesota courts. He is a member of the Minnesota State Bar Association and the Eleventh District Bar Association.

Prior to joining Johnson, Killen and Seiler, Mr. Raukar worked as a staff attorney for the Michigan appellate courts where he assisted the courts in resolving hundreds of civil and criminal appeals during his tenure.  Mr. Raukar is a graduate of the University of St. Thomas (B.A., 1999) and received his law degree, with honors, from Rutgers University School of Law (J.D., 2004).