Nick focuses his practice in the areas of transportation and logistics, professional liability, products liability, and complex torts. Nick is passionate about providing excellent client service, counsel, and representation through all stages of civil litigation. Nick defends several national and regional motor carriers in a variety of claims, and he is active in the firm’s accident rapid response team. Nick also currently manages nationwide litigation for a local Fortune 500 life insurance company involving ERISA, life insurance, and accidental death and disability claims.
Prior to joining Larson • King, Nick practiced at a civil defense law firm in Minneapolis, handling transportation liability, professional liability, catastrophic personal injury, and wrongful death matters. Before focusing his practice on civil matters, Nick gained voluminous trial and litigation experience with the Polk County and Dallas County Attorney’s Offices in Des Moines, Iowa. Nick first and second-chaired numerous Class-A felony jury trials, conducted daily bench trials and motion hearings, and managed a county-wide misdemeanor docket. For his efforts, Nick was awarded the 2018 Excellence In Prosecution Award from the Iowa Association of County Attorneys.
Nick graduated from Drake University Law School with Honors and a Certificate of Public Service. He was also a Note Editor for the Drake Journal of Agricultural Law, a National Finalist for the ABA Moot Court Arbitration team, and a regional semi-finalist for the TYLA National mock trial team. During his undergraduate studies at Luther College, Nick played NCAA Division III varsity baseball. He was active in Luther’s sports radio program, where he provided play-by-play for collegiate sports, as well as co-founding and hosting a weekly sports radio talk show. He was also the president of a community service fraternity.
Nick is proud of his Japanese-American heritage. He is an active member of the Minnesota Asian Pacific American Bar Association and serves as the co-chair for the Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association’s Diversity Committee. Outside of practice, Nick enjoys visiting his hometown of Des Moines, Iowa, traveling with his wife, hunting, fishing, and following his favorite professional sports teams. Nick is also a member of the Minnesota Deer Hunter’s Association and participates on a local clay shooting team.
LAW SCHOOL
Drake University Law School, J.D. with honors
Drake University Certificate of Public Service
Note Editor, Drake University Journal of Agricultural Law
National Finalist, ABA Moot Court Arbitration Competition
Regional Semifinalist, TYLA National Mock Trial Competition
CALI Excellence in Trial Advocacy Award
CALI Excellence in Pretrial Advocacy Award
COLLEGE
Luther College, B.A., Communications Studies & Business Management
ADMITTED
Minnesota; North Dakota; Iowa; Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Court: North Dakota and South Dakota; U.S. District Court: Minnesota, North Dakota, Northern District of Iowa, and Southern District of Iowa; Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Tribal Court
MEMBER
Minnesota Defense Lawyer’s Association (MDLA)
Co-Chair – Diversity Committee
Minnesota Asian Pacific American Bar Association (MNAPABA)
Legal Leadership Network (LLN)
Founder, President, and Membership Committee Chair
Co-Host & Producer of The Network Podcast
Defense Research Institute (DRI)
Litigation Skills Committee – Steering Committee
Trucking Law Committee – Steering Committee
Professional Liability Defense Federation (PLDF)
Healthcare Malpractice Claims Committee
Transportation Lawyers Association (TLA)
AWARDS
2021 Deb Oberlander Award
Iowa County Attorney’s Excellence in Prosecution Award
Drake University Certificate of Public Service
Greater Des Moines Mastery of Community Leadership Award
CALI Excellence in Trial Advocacy Award
CALI Excellence in Pretrial Advocacy Award
SEMINARS & PUBLICATIONS
Presenter: Mediations Inside & Out: How are you proactively negotiating claims?; Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association (MDLA) Mid-Winter Conference (April 2022).
Moderator: Let’s Talk About It: An Open Discussion About Recent Trends in Litigation Management; In-House/Insurance Counsel Open Forum; Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association (MDLA) Mid-Winter Conference (April 2022).
Presenter: Restrictions of a COVID Jury Trial; USLAW Spring Client Conference; Transportation and Logistics Session (March 2022).
Presenter: Preservation of Company Records and Claims Involving Accident Avoidance Technologies; USLAW Transportation and Logistics Exchange (February 2022).
Presenter: Client Presentation, Defending Damages & COVID-19 Litigation Strategy Roundtable (December 2021).
Seminar Chair: MDLA Diversity Seminar, Evolving Together: The Importance of Diversity and Inclusion in Practice (October 2021).
Presenter: Anchoring & The Reverse Reptile Technique; Defense Research Institute (DRI): Litigation Skills Seminar (July 2021).
Panelist: Defending Cases in the COVID-10 Era & Beyond; Professional Liability Defense Federation (PLDF): Healthcare Committee Mini-Seminar (June 2021).
Panelist: Triple Toe Loop or Triple Lutz? Complex Maneuvers for Level One, Roadside Inspections; Transportation Lawyers Association (TLA): Annual Meeting (June 2021).
Faculty: Certified Leader in Practice Program; Legal leadership Network (LLN): Leadership Certificate Program (June – October 2021).
Presenter: Anchoring & Counter-anchoring: Offensive Strategies That Guide Claim Resolution, ClaimsXchange Annual Meeting (September 2020).
Presenter: Offensive Use of Plaintiff’s Litigation Strategies for the Defense Lawyer, North Dakota Defense Lawyer’s Association (NDDLA) Trial Tactics Seminar (October 2020).
Co-Host & Producer: The Network Podcast, Legal Leadership Network (LLN) (June 2020-Present)
Presenter: Mediation and Trial Strategies in the COVID Era, American Legal Connections (ALC) (June 2020).
Force Majeure Compendium (Chapter: Minnesota), USLAW Network (June 2020).
Business Re-Openings in Minnesota: What All Businesses Must Consider, Legal Leadership Network (LLN) Newsletter (May 2020).
Presenter: Effective Witness Preparation Techniques: A Comprehensive Guide, The Knowledge Group (April 2020).
Survey of Law Potpouri – Minnesota, Professional Liability Defense Quarterly, V.12(1) (March 2020).
Panelist: Lawyers in Leadership, Mitchell Hamline School of Law, Foundations of Practice Program (March 2020).
Presenter: Why Have The Exposures Gone Through The Roof?, USLAW Trucking & Logistics Exchange (February 2020).
Presenter: Turning the Table: Anchoring Damages & The Reverse Reptile Technique, Defense Research Institute (DRI): Litigation Skills Seminar (March 2020).
Minnesota Defense Lawyer’s Association: Trial Tactics Seminar (Summer 2019).
Presenter: Behind The Curtain: What Do Judges And Clients Really Think About Your Motions? – Minnesota Defense Lawyer’s Association: Midwinter Conference (January 2020).
Don’t Get Blindsided: An Update On The Renewed Stop Underrides Act, V. 22, Issue 1, DRI: In Transit (October 2019).
Navigating Legal Concepts: Employees vs. Independent Contractors – How to Identify and Analyze; Client Presentation (September 2019).
Presenter: Turning the Table: Anchoring Damages, Reverse Reptile Technique, and Handling Difficult Witnesses At Trial, Minnesota Defense Lawyer’s Association: Trial Tactics Seminar (August 2019).
Witness Preparation: Finding Comfort In The Uncomfortable, Vo. 15, Issue 5, DRI: Raising The Bar (May 2019).
Towing and Storage Liens: What To Do When Your Towing Bill Looks Like “Highway Robbery”, Vol. 22, Issue 1, DRI: In Transit (April 2019).
Two Car Accidents, One Case: Tips and Argument for Bringing a Motion to Sever, Vol. 25, Issue 1, DRI: Trials and Tribulations (March 2018).
Against the Grain: Why Middle-Sized Farmers Should Stray From Mass Distributors And Sell Directly To Consumers, Drake Journal of Agricultural Law (Fall 2018).
