Steven Ellison, Esq.
Legal Writer
Articles written
56
Legal Writer, FindLaw.com
Steve is an experienced lawyer who writes legal articles for FindLaw.com.
Steve went to Iowa State University and received a bachelor’s degree with honors, Phi Beta Kappa, in English before going to the University of Minnesota Law School. He was on the law review and graduated magna cum laude, Order of the Coif. After graduation, he clerked for Chief Judge Harry H. MacLaughlin of the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota.
Steve then entered private practice. He focused on complex civil litigation, including class actions, product liability litigation, and contract disputes. He spent nearly 15 years in Chicago and became a litigation partner in a large global law firm. He then returned to Minneapolis and, after nearly five years with two Twin Cities firms, opened his own firm. He continued to focus on complex civil litigation, but added family law, intellectual property, and employment law to his practice. He has litigated cases in state and federal courts all across the country and has first-chair trial and appellate experience.
In addition to his legal practice, Steve has been an Adjunct Professor of Legal Writing at DePaul Law School in Chicago and the University of Minnesota. He mentored students for many years in moot court classes and competitions. He has spoken at many continuing legal education seminars about issues relating to the practice and profession of law.
Community Service
Steve believes that service is fundamental. He served on the board of the Chicago Legal Advocacy for Incarcerated Mothers, an organization that provides legal and educational services to help maintain the bond between imprisoned mothers and their children. He has represented mothers in abuse and neglect proceedings. He has specialized training in representing women who have survived domestic abuse. Steve has received commendations from the Minnesota Supreme Court for pro bono work he has done on behalf of members of the Red Lake Nation and a domestic abuse survivor.
Steve has varied interests. He loves Dante, Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Milton, and reads them for fun. He has run the Chicago Marathon twice and holds a black belt in a Korean martial art. Steve is a voracious reader, loves video games, and enjoys spending time with his wife of more than 30 years and their four children.
Latest Articles
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The Trump Inquiries, in a Nutshell
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Sixteen for Social Media? Congress May Say So
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Will Biden's Student Loan Program Survive the Supreme Court?
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Is the Trump Grand Jury Foreperson Screwing Everything Up?
Emily Kohrs, the forewoman of the Georgia special purpose grand jury charged with investigating election interference by former President Donald Trump and his allies, has been on a media tour since the grand jury issued its final report. Her quirky, almost giddy interviews in which she promised that indictments are on the way have shocked and angered some Trump supporters and elated many of his detractors. But is what she did wrong?
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Alec Baldwin Dodges a Legal Bullet
Sometimes big city lawyers are worth their billing rates. At least, that's what Alec Baldwin will be thinking when he writes his a check. Prosecutors have downgraded the involuntary manslaughter charges against Alec Baldwin arising out of a shooting on the set of 'Rust.' Baldwin's lawyers discovered that they had made an elementary charging mistake.
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Am I Liable if My Kid Gets in Trouble on a Spring Break Trip?
Spring break is an annual rite of passage for many college and high school students needing to unwind during the school year. About 1.5 million students will spend their week traveling to popular seaside locations like Cancun, Panama City, and South Padre Island, where they will bask in the sun, frolic in the water, and, statistics show, consume copious amounts of alcohol. Alcohol goes hand in hand with poor choices. Many parents will learn of the consequences of those choices by scrolling through their kids’ Instagram accounts. Others will hear about them when their kid confesses that they did something stupid. And some will learn about it when they get a call home from their child, who is sitting in the local police station in handcuffs.
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Elon Musk Wins Again, Found Not Liable for Tesla Tweets
Last Friday, billionaire Elon Musk won a securities fraud class action brought by some Tesla investors who complained that his bad tweets caused them to lose millions. Musk managed to pull this victory off with both hands tied behind his back.
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Nothing to See Here, Folks! Kohberger's Lawyer Withdraws from Representing Victim's Mother
In November 2022, four University of Idaho students — Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Kaylee Goncalves — were murdered in their off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho. Law enforcement is charging Washington State University criminology student Bryan Kohberger with four counts of first-degree murder and felony burglary. Pennsylvania authorities arrested the murder suspect and are extraditing him to Idaho. He could face the death penalty for the quadruple homicide. The court in Idaho appointed Kootenai County Public Defender Anne Taylor to represent Kohberger. But it later turned out that she was already representing Kernodle's mother, Cara Northington, on unrelated misdemeanor drug charges. So Taylor filed a substitution of counsel and withdrew from Northington's case and is continuing with the Kohberger case.
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Will Alec Baldwin Go to Jail for Involuntary Manslaughter?
Prosecutors in New Mexico say they will charge Alec Baldwin with two counts of involuntary manslaughter arising out of the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the movie "Rust." Baldwin denies any responsibility for the tragic death. We aren't privy to the prosecutor's investigation. If news reports are true, they initially seemed to be short of the evidence needed to prove Baldwin committed a crime beyond a reasonable doubt. But then Baldwin had to go and talk to the police and the press. Now, chances are at least even that he will be spending time on probation or even in New Mexico's version of Club Fed.
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'What You Need to Know' About Morality Clauses
You'd have to be living under a rock not to have heard of the recent scandal at ABC's “GMA3: What You Need to Know," the third hour of its popular morning show, “Good Morning America." ABC News recently took co-anchors T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach off the air after photos came out of the two of them demonstrating a little too much PDA around New York City. Turns out they have been having an affair. Holmes and Robach have since lawyered up and are preparing for a fight. The Disney-owned ABC News hasn't announced its plans for the pair's future with the network. But chances are even that ABC News will let the co-hosts go based on company policy and the “morality clauses" in their contracts.