Poor communication, wasted resources, and lack of professionalism…read more Given the amount they charge for their retainer, one would expect them to be competent lawyers, but that is not the case. I relied on them to manage my case diligently, yet there were delays and broken commitments.

After receiving divorce papers by a process server I knew I needed an attorney to view them before…read moreI signed my life away. I literally went onto Google and entered in "Divorce Attorneys" with my area I lived in and Sheridan & Dulas came up 1st. I decided just to call and if I didn't like them then I'll find someone else. The receptionist set me up with Attorney Andrew Hunstad, I sat with him for my free 1 hour consultation and needless to say by the end I retained him. He is honest, truthful, knowdependable, always responds asap, and has made my divorce case the best experience I've ever had with an Attorney. With absolutely no thought I could get what was fair from the divorce, Andrew made sure I got what was fair and I'm extremely pleased and thankful. Hands down, Sheridan & Dulas is the #1 place to go to for your divorce case. If you're able to, ask for a consultation with Andrew Hunstad... you won't regret it!!

My experience with Ryan has been awful to say the least. He failed to report prosecutorial…read moremisconduct to the courts/judge (prosecutor lied and made false statements) he told me the prosecutor is allowed to do so and that it was perfectly legal. He failed to go over the discovery with me. I was instructed to go over it for myself at his office computer. I had no idea what I was doing and expressed how dissatisfied I was with the process. Instead of going over the discovery with me he just kept telling me he saw the discovery/ evidence and that it had so much evidence against me. But yet he still would not take the time to go over the discovery with me. Then comes the sentencing aspect of my case. I got an email from him 2 weeks before my sentencing saying that we should meet to get ready for sentencing. He said he couldn't meet in person that it had to be a phone call meeting. So I called him and he started telling me that he submitted a sentencing memorandum already! He did not talk to me about it, he did not consult with me and it was already in the books! In the weeks/months leading up to sentencing he never explained what a sentencing memorandum was nor how important they can be to a persons case/sentencing. He also did not tell me there was a deadline on when it was due. He told me several months prior that he would send me a template to get character letters ready for the judge. I did not receive that template or any instructions until after my memorandum was already submitted (without my approval). Not only was my memorandum inefficient but it had a false statement that he put on the memorandum. He had zero supporting documents and left out extremely important facts and medical records from my memorandum. After expressing how dissatisfied I was with his memorandum and his legal work in general he sent me an email claiming that he requested my medical records several times over the course of several months, and that I never had them sent to him, which was untrue. I indeed did have my medical records sent to him several months prior! 8 months to be exact! I advise anyone who needs serious legal counsel to consider my experience before hiring Ryan and his legal team.

I have referred many clients to Ryan over the years, and his paralegal previously worked with me,…read moreso I have an inside perspective on Ryan's professionalism and strengths. Ryan is immensely skilled and knowledgeable in criminal defense. Ryan brings 110% effort, with full engagement to achieve success for his clients. Ryan has a reputation for being one of the best criminal defense attorneys in Minnesota. I have the highest regard for Ryan and no hesitation recommending him to others.

Appelman Law Firm is just a 'plea' law firm. They look to settle vs fight. Never looking to find…read moreerrors in your stop, interaction or arrest. You won't receive certification dates from an Intoxilyzer, or probable cause for the stop or interaction- What ever the city/state submits against you, this law firm will not fight it. They will plea it. - Granted, Avery Appelman and the firm's staff is extremely kind and friendly, however, Avery Appelman is a plea attorney. Public records, look at the last time he went to trial and won. He won't go the distance for you but instead insist you take a plea agreement. Easy money for his firm.

I was emphatically referred to Appelman Law Firm. Eric Doolittle is simply an amazing person…read more Intelligent, focused, good man. He made me feel as though I had an honest friend on my side. Eric was available for me throughout the entire process, and quickly replied to any questions or concerns. Clearing up life's mishaps can be a great learning experience and a chance to step back, evaluate one's actions, and learn from your mistakes, knowing that ultimately you can choose to become a better person. From the moment I met with Eric, he assured me that I would benefit from completing my obligations prior to my court date, and that couldn't be more accurate. Initially, I was so far out of my comfort zone with this whole process. Thank you, Eric, for believing in me, and guiding me through this very unfamiliar journey. I could not have gone through this without your knowledge and support. You are greatly appreciated. AS

I was the opposing party in a Dakota County family-court matter in which Clarence Patterson III…read morerepresented the other side. He never represented me. This review concerns my direct experience with his courtroom advocacy and written positions. I understand that attorneys must advocate firmly for their clients. But in family court, words can alter a person's life before disputed facts are fully examined. At an August 28, 2025 hearing, the transcript records Mr. Patterson saying that I "love to talk about guns," that my "relationship with guns is concerning," warning that people could be "caught in the crossfire," and later portraying me as someone who "needs a gun to solve his problems." I stated on the record that I hated guns, had never owned one, and would never have one. I found it profoundly disturbing to be portrayed through repeated gun-related language when I was expressly denying any interest in owning a firearm. The same transcript records Mr. Patterson referring to "his bipolar disorder" while denying my concern that mental-health labeling was being used against me. I experienced the combined gun and mental-health framing as stigmatizing and dehumanizing--an effort to turn disputed allegations into a frightening portrait of an armed and mentally unstable person. A separate and extremely serious discrepancy involved Dakota County Crisis. A sworn filing in the case stated that a crisis-team member had contacted counsel and that the entire office had been alerted about me. A Dakota County Crisis supervisor later wrote that she had searched the system and consulted with colleague supervisors, found no record or recollection of such an alert, found no documentation of a duty-to-warn event, and stated that the team does not communicate directly with attorneys. In my view, a discrepancy involving a claimed government warning was too consequential to be left unresolved. It deserved a prompt, transparent, and documented explanation. Mr. Patterson also asked the court not to consider approximately fifty exhibits because he said he had not received them. I am not claiming in this review that the service objection itself constituted misconduct. I am describing the consequence as I experienced it: severe allegations were presented while a substantial body of my responsive evidence was not considered at that hearing. The matter ultimately resolved by stipulation before the scheduled evidentiary hearing. The most severe characterizations were therefore not adjudicated through that scheduled hearing. The litigation nevertheless caused profound personal, financial, and reputational harm. I found Mr. Patterson's approach unnecessarily escalatory, stigmatizing, and damaging. I would not recommend him. Strong advocacy does not require turning another human being into a caricature of mental illness and violence. Family-law attorneys exercise enormous power, and that power should be matched by factual precision, restraint, professional judgment, and accountability.

Working with Clarence was an excellent experience. He is knowledgeable, straight forward, hard…read moreworking, and transparent. He was extremely helpful and honest with me. He was reasonably priced and respected my time. Thanks to him, I was able to win in court thanks to him. Even if it had it not ended in my favor, I would have felt appreciative of the way he was able to convert what was an immense level of stress on my shoulders into calm and clarity. I appreciate the work he does.

...if you are looking for a Lawyer who will fight for you tooth and nail, call Dan Adkins. His…read moreLegal Expertise is second to none and he listens to his Clients and will get the results that you are seeking! In my situation he not only got the charge lowered but also was able to get me off of probation in 2 Months! Don't listen to the run of the mill Attorneys, saying there is little or nothing that can be done. Prove them wrong and give Dan a call! I can promise you, he works Legal Miracles! He keeps his Clients at the center and forefront of what he does and he'll FIGHT to the very end to get you the results you ask for! If it can be done, DAN IS THE MAN!! Call NOW!!

Luke. D Back in 2017 I was facing some serious charges in…read moreScott county MN. Alex G McDonald was my appointed public defender. My first opinion was that he was young and maybe inexperienced... i couldn't have been more wrong. This guy was so good at his job and he was friends with everyone from the judge down to the bailiffs. Most importantly though he genuinely cared about me my case. I thank god to this day for blessing me with such an amazing attorney. Thanks for all your help Alex.

I hired Steve Messick to help me with a family dispute over a trust fund that belongs to my…read moreintellectually disabled sister. I should've known right off the bat that this was a bad idea. While Christine Boulay, his assistant was pleasant, when Steve called me back to discuss the case, he was flat, unenthusiastic, and uninterested. Against my better judgement I retained him anyway as I wanted to get started as soon as possible. At no time did Steve Messick call me to explain the process of the case or what to expect. In fact, as the case moved along over the summer, there were actually incidents of him asking ME what to do!! WTH!? I'm paying you thousands of dollars to help me navigate these shark infested waters, and you're asking me what to do!?! I had to tell him yet again what I needed/wanted, even though he feigned that he already knew... Then, as important dates approached, such as filing a motion in court, the firm would hit me with another huge bill. This happened three separate times, and I found it ironic that these bills would appear right when we were at a critical point in the case process. No coincidence! 100% planned! And poor form!! I also had to constantly stay on top of Christine with case progress. I had to e-mail and call multiple times any time I needed an update on the status of any event, such as if the motion was filed in court, whether or not the opposing party had been properly served, whether or not I needed to attend certain meetings etc. In short, communication was TERRIBLE!!! In the end Christine sent me three different invoices all for the same services, with three DIFFERENT amounts!! When I questioned her about this, she wrote me an extensive e-mail trying to explain away her lack of attention to detail and non-communication! After them trying to send me yet another bill for $1900, I was DONE!! I let them know how crappy this was. Then, without a phone call of ANY kind to resolve the miscommunication, this JERK of an attorney simply filed paperwork withdrawing his services as my attorney...2 WEEKS BEFORE THE HEARING DATE!!! This spells in no uncertain terms: ZERO CHARACTER, and the WORST that most people see in attorneys!! Unless you want to experience all of the above and worse, DONT CONTACT THIS FIRM!!! P.S. I hired a smart, competent, female attorney from a different firm the same day, and told them as well to NEVER refer anyone to Steve Messick!

Messick Law is an extraordinary law firm. Steve Messick honored my needs for a power-of-attorney…read more Instead of trying to force me into a standard-one-fits-all, Steve listened to me and my concerns. He was patient with my questions of the process and the meanings in the document. I learned so much from him. When I said what I wanted, he put it in language that is understandable (to lay people like me) and legal. I found Steve to be compassionate, kind, professional, friendly, and respectful. Steve is the BEST. Plus, interactions with the other staff, for example, scheduling and documents was excellent.

I phoned this law firm, after having called 8 others, with no one bothering to return my calls. The…read morefollowing morning after leaving a message, attorney Todd Gadtke returned my call. While not being able to take my case, as his practice is limited to mainly Lemon law cases, he nonetheless spent 40 minutes speaking with me, regarding my case & options. This... with no compensation whatsoever! Who/what attorney does this? An attorney with empathy, integrity, morals & concern for others, that's who! A good man! Now... this really put a dent in my belief, and that of many others... that most attorneys ride along on the underbelly of a fungus, that inhabits the bottom of slime-dwelling creatures! A welcome breath of fresh air-- a refreshing belief in the remaining good in humanity. If you're looking for someone to represent you with intelligence, loyalty and empathy, look no further than this exceptional law firm! I am honored to wholeheartedly recommend them, as the best of the best!

Sure, we all know the majority of lawyers are parasitic creatures that crawl among us, and…read moreunfortunately, we must interact with said creatures occasionally. Rob Gadtke is no exception. He stumbled his way through my worker's compensation case. This is the best example of the exemplary and compassionate legal representation I received: When I asked about the months' worth of wages I had lost, he said in essence that I was SOL. He would not pursue my lost wages because there was not enough cash in it for him.