Minnesota Lawyer Honors Three Ciresi Conlin Attorneys

Ciresi Conlin LLP is pleased to announce that Jan M. Conlin, Mathew R. Korte, and Michael A. Sacchet were selected by Minnesota Lawyer as Attorneys of the Year for 2020.

Jan and Mat are being honored for their outstanding trial result in State of Alaska v. Williams Alaska Petroleum Inc., et al. Jan and Mat served as trial counsel against the former operator of a refinery concerning statutory and contractual liability related to groundwater contamination in the City of North Pole, Alaska.  The multi-week trial resulted in judgment in favor of their client and the State of Alaska against Williams Alaska Petroleum, Inc. and The Williams Companies, Inc.  The judgment ordered Williams to pay for over $80 million in past damages plus interest along with future liability for 100% of costs related to PFAS contamination at the North Pole Refinery and the majority of remediation costs for sulfolane contamination.  “Mat and Jan were doing God’s work up in Alaska, fighting to protect the environment,” said Mike Ciresi.  “As usual, they did an extraordinary job to produce this outstanding result.  Jan and Mat are both phenomenal attorneys and deserving of this prestigious recognition.”

Mike Sacchet is recognized for his role in MDL 2885: In re 3M Combat Arms Earplug Products Liability Litigation.  After reviewing nearly 200 applications from attorneys across the country and listening to 64 presentations over a 2-day period, a four-member panel appointed Mike to the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee and named him Chair of the Law, Briefing, and Legal Drafting Committee.  Tirelessly fighting for the Plaintiffs, Mike briefed and argued cross-motions for summary judgment on 3M’s primary “government contractor” defense. The MDL court granted plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment and denied 3M’s motion for summary judgment on the government contractor defense, allowing nearly 200,000 cases to proceed to trial.  “Mike is an unbelievably talented young lawyer who has done remarkable things for the firm in the short time he’s been with us,” said Mike Ciresi.  “I predict he will be one of the great lawyers in Minnesota as time goes by.”