Judge Profile:

Judge Jerome B. Abrams Dakota County Dakota County Courthouse Phone: (651) 438-8100 Academic Appointments Adjunct Associate Professor of Law, University of Minnesota (Law 6811, Seminar: Complex Litigation) Adjunct Associate Professor of Law, William Mitchell College of Law Judicial Leadership Minnesota District Judges Association- Board of Directors Minnesota Supreme Court Civil Justice Reform Task Force- Member American Board of Trial Advocates, Minnesota Chapter- Executive Committee Scott County Criminal Justice Steering Committee- Chair 2008-2011 Minnesota Tribal Court Forum- First Judicial District Liaison American College of Business Court Judges- Board of Directors First Judicial District Executive Management Committee Minnesota Annual Conference of Judges Planning Committee 2012 Presentations Products Liability Annual, Minnesota Institute of Legal Education, 1987 Current Issues in Insurance Coverage Law, Minnesota Institute of Legal Education, 1988 Advising Human Service Providers, Minnesota Institute of Legal Education, 1991 Product Liability in the U.S.: Is It Your Worst Nightmare? Market USA, Copenhagen, Denmark, 1992 Architect/Engineer Malpractice, Lorman Education Services, 1996 How to Conduct an Effective Jury Trial, MSBA CLE, 1997 Bad Faith Litigation, Minnesota Institute of Legal Education, 2000 Emerging Insurance Disputes: Bad Faith, Minnesota Institute of Legal Education, 2003 Masters in Trial, American Board of Trial Advocates Foundation, 2005 MDLA Insurance Law Institute, Insurance Claim Practices, 2007 Mealey’s Scope of Coverage Conference, Washington, DC, 2007 Legal Issues for Minnesota Professional Engineers, HalfMoon Seminars, 2007 What Civil Judges Want You to Know, National Business Institute, 2008 Terse, Pithy, and Other Ways to Please the Court, MDLA Insurance Law Institute, 2008 Tips for Civil Practitioners, 8^th District Bar Association, 2009 Going Through the Motions, Minnesota Association for Justice, 2011 Insurance Coverage and Practice Symposium, DRI, New York, NY, 2011 Minnesota E-Discovery Working Group, MSBA CLE, Feb. and July, 2012 Judicial Trial Skills Evaluator, University of Minnesota, 2012 Complex Case Management, Minnesota Annual Conference of Judges, 2012 Recognizing the E-Discovery Realities in Your Case, Minnesota Annual Conference of Judges, 2012 Litigating Attorney Fee Claims-a New World After United Prairie v. Haugen, MSBA CLE, 2013 The New Rules of Civil Procedure, Minnesota Association for Justice, 2013 Publications Sophisticated Purchaser Defense: You Get What You Pay For. Products Liability Commentary and Cases, Callaghan, 1986 MN CLE Desk Book, Business Torts (2007) (Chapter Author) Miller-Shugart Revisited – Requiring Allocation in Consent Settlements. For the Defense, 2008 Vol. 50, No. 5, May 2008, 52 Failure to Allocate? Nobody Pays: Using Miller-Shugart Settlements In Cases of Questionable Insurance Coverage, 4 Wm. Mitchell J. L. & Practice 2 (2010) Electronic Discovery Primer (MSBA, 2013, Minnesota E-Discovery Working Group Joint Authorship) Bar Admissions State Courts, Minnesota 1981, Wisconsin 1985, pro hoc vice other states Previous admissions to multiple Federal Courts, both trial and appellate Qualified ADR Neutral, Minnesota Supreme Court Professional Affiliations American Board of Trial Advocates (since 1996) Minnesota State Bar Association Education B.A., Beloit College, 1977 J.D., William Mitchell College of Law, 1981 Employment First Judicial District Court Judge Since January 2008, State of MN Abrams & Smith, P.A., 1997-2008 Austin & Abrams, P.A., 1988-1996 Austin & Roth & Associates, 1982-1987 Schoenberger Legal Clinic, Self-Employed, 1981-1982 Private Practice Experience Numerous trials and appeals in state and federal courts, including appellate practice before the Minnesota Supreme Court and the 8^th Circuit Court of Appeals Mass tort case experience: Asbestos, DES, World Trade Center, Breast Implants Products liability trial experience Environmental liability case experience Complex commercial case trial experience Expert witness – reasonableness of attorneys' fees Medical, legal, and accounting malpractice trial experience Coverage and insurance bad faith trial experience U.S. and foreign arbitration trial experience Negligence, FELA, and Jones Act trial experience Recognition as Private Practitioner Martindale-Hubbell Rated: A-V Listed: Who’s Who in American Law Listed: Who’s Who in America Leading American Attorneys (American Research Corp.) “Super Lawyers” (Minnesota Law & Politics) Multi-district Assignments In re: Parish Marketing and Development Corporation Mechanic’s Lien Foreclosure Litigation (Minn. Sup. Ct. Order A08-120, February 14, 2008) In re: M.W. Johnson Construction, Inc. Mechanic’s Lien Foreclosure Litigation (Minn. Sup. Ct. Order A09-454, March 31, 2009) In re: Minnesota Intoxylizer 5000EN Source Code Litigation (Minn. Sup. Ct. Order A09-2109, January 11, 2010); affirmed 816 N.W.2d 525 (Minn. 2012)

Judge Jerome B. Abrams

Dakota County

Dakota County Courthouse
Phone: (651) 438-8100

Academic Appointments

Adjunct Associate Professor of Law, University of Minnesota (Law 6811, Seminar: Complex Litigation)
Adjunct Associate Professor of Law, William Mitchell College of Law

Judicial Leadership

Minnesota District Judges Association- Board of Directors
Minnesota Supreme Court Civil Justice Reform Task Force- Member
American Board of Trial Advocates, Minnesota Chapter- Executive Committee
Scott County Criminal Justice Steering Committee- Chair 2008-2011
Minnesota Tribal Court Forum- First Judicial District Liaison
American College of Business Court Judges- Board of Directors
First Judicial District Executive Management Committee
Minnesota Annual Conference of Judges Planning Committee 2012

Presentations

Products Liability Annual, Minnesota Institute of Legal Education, 1987
Current Issues in Insurance Coverage Law, Minnesota Institute of Legal Education, 1988
Advising Human Service Providers, Minnesota Institute of Legal Education, 1991
Product Liability in the U.S.: Is It Your Worst Nightmare? Market USA, Copenhagen, Denmark, 1992
Architect/Engineer Malpractice, Lorman Education Services, 1996
How to Conduct an Effective Jury Trial, MSBA CLE, 1997
Bad Faith Litigation, Minnesota Institute of Legal Education, 2000
Emerging Insurance Disputes: Bad Faith, Minnesota Institute of Legal Education, 2003
Masters in Trial, American Board of Trial Advocates Foundation, 2005
MDLA Insurance Law Institute, Insurance Claim Practices, 2007
Mealey’s Scope of Coverage Conference, Washington, DC, 2007
Legal Issues for Minnesota Professional Engineers, HalfMoon Seminars, 2007
What Civil Judges Want You to Know, National Business Institute, 2008
Terse, Pithy, and Other Ways to Please the Court, MDLA Insurance Law Institute, 2008
Tips for Civil Practitioners, 8^th District Bar Association, 2009
Going Through the Motions, Minnesota Association for Justice, 2011
Insurance Coverage and Practice Symposium, DRI, New York, NY, 2011
Minnesota E-Discovery Working Group, MSBA CLE, Feb. and July, 2012
Judicial Trial Skills Evaluator, University of Minnesota, 2012
Complex Case Management, Minnesota Annual Conference of Judges, 2012
Recognizing the E-Discovery Realities in Your Case, Minnesota Annual Conference of Judges, 2012
Litigating Attorney Fee Claims-a New World After United Prairie v. Haugen, MSBA CLE, 2013
The New Rules of Civil Procedure, Minnesota Association for Justice, 2013

Publications

Sophisticated Purchaser Defense: You Get What You Pay For. Products Liability Commentary and Cases, Callaghan, 1986
MN CLE Desk Book, Business Torts (2007) (Chapter Author)
Miller-Shugart Revisited – Requiring Allocation in Consent Settlements. For the Defense, 2008 Vol. 50, No. 5, May 2008, 52
Failure to Allocate? Nobody Pays: Using Miller-Shugart Settlements In Cases of Questionable Insurance Coverage, 4 Wm. Mitchell J. L. & Practice 2 (2010)
Electronic Discovery Primer (MSBA, 2013, Minnesota E-Discovery Working Group Joint Authorship)

Bar Admissions

State Courts, Minnesota 1981, Wisconsin 1985, pro hoc vice other states
Previous admissions to multiple Federal Courts, both trial and appellate
Qualified ADR Neutral, Minnesota Supreme Court

Professional Affiliations

American Board of Trial Advocates (since 1996)
Minnesota State Bar Association

Education

B.A., Beloit College, 1977
J.D., William Mitchell College of Law, 1981

Employment

First Judicial District Court Judge Since January 2008, State of MN
Abrams & Smith, P.A., 1997-2008
Austin & Abrams, P.A., 1988-1996
Austin & Roth & Associates, 1982-1987
Schoenberger Legal Clinic, Self-Employed, 1981-1982

Private Practice Experience

Numerous trials and appeals in state and federal courts, including appellate practice before the Minnesota Supreme Court and the 8^th Circuit Court of Appeals
Mass tort case experience: Asbestos, DES, World Trade Center, Breast Implants
Products liability trial experience
Environmental liability case experience
Complex commercial case trial experience
Expert witness – reasonableness of attorneys' fees
Medical, legal, and accounting malpractice trial experience
Coverage and insurance bad faith trial experience
U.S. and foreign arbitration trial experience
Negligence, FELA, and Jones Act trial experience

Recognition as Private Practitioner

Martindale-Hubbell Rated: A-V
Listed: Who’s Who in American Law
Listed: Who’s Who in America
Leading American Attorneys (American Research Corp.)
“Super Lawyers” (Minnesota Law & Politics)

Multi-district Assignments

In re: Parish Marketing and Development Corporation Mechanic’s Lien Foreclosure Litigation (Minn. Sup. Ct. Order A08-120, February 14, 2008)
In re: M.W. Johnson Construction, Inc. Mechanic’s Lien Foreclosure Litigation (Minn. Sup. Ct. Order A09-454, March 31, 2009)
In re: Minnesota Intoxylizer 5000EN Source Code Litigation (Minn. Sup. Ct. Order A09-2109, January 11, 2010); affirmed 816 N.W.2d 525 (Minn. 2012)