Solomon, Patrick J.

Your case is important. To help you achieve a fair and just result, you need an attorney who will hear and understand your story, make sense of all the rules and procedures, and assit you in negotiating or fighting for your interests in a clear, efficient manner.

When you choose me as your attorney, you get the services of a lawyer:

• Who has handled cases of all sizes, from disputes over a few thousand dollars to large, multi-million dollar cases;
• Who will seek creative, cost-effective solutions to your legal problems;
• Who is frank, honest, and analytical;
• Who will be up-front with you about what to expect from your case;
• Who believes in individualized attention, and will take the time to answer your questions;
• With strong written and verbal communication skills that serve clients well in negotiations and the courtroom.

Services

Contract Negotiation and Review

The best way to resolve a conflict is to prevent it from happening in the first place. In many situations, this can be accomplished by negotiating contracts that identify potential areas of future disagreement, and then crafting terms that will prevent those disagreements from flaring up, or at least provide a way for the parties to work through them.

I've spent my professional life dealing with conflicts and disagreements – first as a journalist covering disputes, and now as an attorney whose practice focuses on using litigation to resolve them. One benefit of that experience is an ability to see likely sources of conflict before they arise, and to suggest ways to avoid them or to protect your interests if they prove to be unavoidable. I bring this perspective to assist my clients with a variety of types of contracts, including:

• Employment and independent contractor agreements;
• Non-competition and non-solicitation agreements;
• Leases;
• Business purchase agreements;
• Sales agreements;
• Licensing agreements;
• Settlement agreements; and
• Child custody and parenting time agreements.

You know your business. Well-planned contracts can help make sure your time and energy are focused on running it, and not on trying to resolve preventable conflicts.

Civil Litigation

There are times when you have to go to court to ask a judge and jury to protect your rights and interests. For more than 10 years, this has been the focus of my practice – representing clients in courts in Minnesota and across the country in civil litigation concerning:

• Breach of contract, including purchase agreements, employment contracts, construction contracts, commercial and residential leases;
• Fraud;
• Insurance coverage;
• Lending law; and
• Securities.

Litigation can be complicated and sometimes a little overwhelming. A good lawyer can help demystify that process. Each case starts with an assessment of the dispute and what needs to be proven to prevail at trial. We will work together to gather that proof and prepare it for submission to the judge or jury. Along the way, I will answer your questions about the process, offer frank assessments of the strengths and weaknesses of the case, and suggest ways to reach a favorable result as quickly as possible – including negotiation of a settlement or using forms of alternative dispute resolution such as mediation.

Over more than a decade of practicing law, I have represented countless clients in courts in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and around the country. They have included

• Business purchasers and sellers in disputes over the terms of a sale,
• Individuals and businesses with insurance coverage claim as small as a few thousand dollars and as large as millions of dollars,
• Homeowners in disputes with contractors,
• Businesses and individuals defending against claims of fraud,
• Businesses and individuals who have been the victims of fraud,
• Businesses enforcing non-competition agreements,
• Individuals defending against the enforcement of an invalid non-competition agreement,
• Lending institutions and individuals enforcing loan agreements,
• Securities brokers and securities customers,
• Employees and employers in wrongful termination disputes,
• Contractors seeking payment for work performed,
• Landlords and tenants seeking to protect their rights under a commercial or residential lease,
• Small or medium-sized business in a contract dispute with a client or vendor,
• Employees seeking to recover unpaid wages,

Custody & Child Support

Child custody disputes are often emotional cases. I bring an understanding and calm approach to an otherwise stressful legal process, as well as a sincere respect for the rights and needs of your children. The focus of my family law practice is on helping resolve disputes involving child custody, parenting time, child support, and paternity issues.

Over the last 20 years, I have spent many hours working with and getting to know children from all walks of life and circumstances, not only as a lawyer, but also as a volunteer with Big Brothers-Big Sisters, a swimming teacher, a Sunday school teacher, a counselor, and as a volunteer. In recent years, I have worked often with the Children's Law Center of Minnesota to represent children in the foster care system.

Courts do their best to look out for the best interests of children. My goal, as your lawyer, is to do everything I can to help you help the court understand what "best interests" means for your son or daughter.

Mediation Services

No amount of planning will prevent every dispute. But, when they do arise, disagreements often can be settled through honest and frank discussion. A lawsuit is always an option, but in many cases negotiation is more productive and cost-effective.

I began my professional career as a newspaper reporter and editor. Though I moved to the practice of law after only a few years, one thing that stuck with me was the journalistic training to see multiple sides of any dispute. Combined with my education and experience as a lawyer, as well as specialized mediation training as a Rule 114 Qualified Neutral, that background places me in a strong position as a mediator. I am able to see the dispute as a whole, and help the parties identify the core issues in the dispute – for themselves and the other party. From there, I can help feuding parties find common ground so they can walk away with an agreement that serves everyone’s interests without the cost, delay and stress of litigation.

A comprehensive approach to conflict resolution can help you keep legal costs down and resolve your dispute more quickly than in court. To learn whether mediation might be right for you, please contact me at my Minneapolis office today.