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Paul Jacobsen has been an active mediator since 1995, when he started his own law practice in Brainerd, Minnesota. Before then, he had been a shareholder with the law firm of Briggs & Morgan of Minneapolis, where he litigated complex commercial and construction disputes since joining the firm in 1984.Â
Three-fourths of Paul Jacobsen's practice is in ADR, mostly providing mediations in a wide variety of disputes. He has completed over 1100 mediations, with the vast majority resulting in a written settlement agreement before the end of the mediation.
Mediated over 1100 cases, including construction, commercial, real estate, probate, municipal law, zoning disputes,, elder law and family law. Parties involved includes contractors, owners, designers, individuals, businesses and probated estates. Amounts in dispute have ranged from $10,000 to over $15 million.
Paul Jacobsen takes an active role in moving a case toward settlement. Usually, he spends the first round of a mediation listening to the parties describe the dispute, along with discussing the relative merits of the factual and legal issues involved. If necessary, he engages in "reality testing" with the parties and their attorneys to help everyone understand the strengths and weaknesses of their cases. He listens to the parties' suggestions about how to approach settlement, but is not afraid to explore other ways the parties may not have considered. He is known for his careful listening and for creative suggestions that get past deadlock. He continues with a mediation until settlement or a party threatens to leave (and even then, fruitful discussions continue). Unless the attorneys insist otherwise, he prepares a settlement agreement on the spot and has it signed by all parties before concluding the mediation.
Construction, Commercial, Real Estate, Family Law, Probate.
Please call or email for current hourly rate quote.
Minnesota State Bar Association
Alternative Dispute Resolution Section of the Minnesota State Bar Association
Minnesota District 15 Bar Association
Crow Wing/Aitkin County Bar Association.
Mark A. Severson, Mark@seversonporter.com
Thomas Pearson, tpearson@gqlaw.net
Meets annual requirements for qualification of Minnesota ADR Neutral. Annually attends numerous Continuing Legal Education Seminars on mediation. Has attended, among others, the following seminars: St. Cloud State University, Advanced Mediation Training, 2007; Minnesota CLE, 8th Annual ADR Institute, 2006; MSBA, ADR Institute, 2005; AAA Dealing With Delay Tactics in Arbitration (ACE004), 2005; AAA Arbitrator Ethics & Disclosure (ACE003), 2004; AAA Construction Industry Arbitrator II Training: Advanced Case Management Issues, 2002; AAA Arbitrator Update 2001; AAA Construction Industry Arbitrator Training, 1996; AAA Introductory Arbitrator Training, 1995; Mediation Center and Hamline University Dispute Resolution Institute, General Mediation Training Course and Arbitration Training Course, 1994.
1988-93 William Mitchell College of Law, St. Paul, Minnesota: 1993, 1995 - Co-Adjunct Professor of Law, Government Contracts; 1988-89 - Adjunct Professor of Law, teaching legal writing, research and oral advocacy to first year law students.
1982-1984 University of Minnesota Law School, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Legal writing instructor to first year law students.
1997-2001 Conducted Continuing Legal Education seminars in Minneapolis, Albuquerque and Brainerd to teach attorneys how to use the Internet in their legal practices.Â
2014 Participant in CLE panels regarding Elder Law Mediation
2017 (Pending) Mediation Training to other attorneys
Jacobsen, NetLaw: How Lawyers Use the Internet, (O’Reilly 1997).
Jacobsen, Standing of Condominium Associations to Sue: One for All or All for One?, 13 Hamline L. Rev. 15 (1990); also published in 5 Minn. Real Est. L.J. 49 (1991).
AAA/ABA/ACR Model Standards of Conduct for Mediators
IMI Professional Conduct Assessment Process
Liberty Insurance Underwriters, Inc. $500,000/$1,000,000