Client-Recommended Attorneys, Adjusters and Experts
Client-Recommended Attorneys, Adjusters and Experts



Hanft Fride, A Professional Association

Best's Recommended Insurance Attorneys - General Defense


130 West Superior Street, , Suite 1000, Duluth, Minnesota 55802

Established: 1899

Practice Areas

  • Insurance Law
  • Trial Practice
  • Business Law
  • Professional Malpractice
  • Employment Practices Liability
  • Product Liability
  • Tort Litigation
  • Workers' Compensation
  • Real Estate
  • Wills and Estate Litigation


About Us

Established in 1899, Hanft Fride has broad transactional and litigation practices. Our active trial practice encompasses professional liability, labor, employment, workers' compensation construction law, commercial, real estate, products liability, probate/trust, and personal injury matters.


Client Information

Insurance Clients


Personnel Information

Retired


  • John D. Kelly

Litigation Attorneys


R. Thomas Torgerson

Duluth, MN

Years of Experience: 35

Admitted
  • Minnesota, 1985
  • Wisconsin
  • U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota, 1985
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit, 1992
  • U.S. District Court, Western District of Wisconsin, 1999
  • U.S. District Court, Western District of Michigan, 2012
Memberships:
  • American, Minnesota State and Eleventh District Bar Associations
  • State Bar of Wisconsin
  • Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association
  • Defense Research Institute
Education:
  • University of Wisconsin, B.A. (with distinction), 1981
  • University of Wisconsin, J.D. (cum laude), 1985

Born: 1958


Robin C. Merritt

Duluth, MN

Years of Experience: 34

Admitted
  • Minnesota, 1988
  • Wisconsin, 1995
  • U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota, 1990
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit, 1991
  • U.S. District Court, Western District of Wisconsin, 2002
Memberships:
  • American, Minnesota State and Eleventh District Bar Associations
  • State Bar of Wisconsin
  • Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association
  • Defense Research Institute
Education:
  • Carleton College, B.A. (cum laude), 1985
  • University of Minnesota, J.D. (cum laude), 1988

Born: 1963


Scott A. Witty

Duluth, MN

Years of Experience: 17

Admitted
  • Minnesota, 2006
  • Wisconsin, 2012
  • U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota, 2008
  • U.S. District Court, Western District of Michigan, 2012
  • U.S. District Court, Western District of Wisconsin, 2015
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit, 2015
Memberships:
  • Minnesota State and Eleventh District Bar Associations
  • Defense Research Institute
  • Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association
Education:
  • Gustavus Adolphus College, B.A. (magna cum laude), 2003
  • Hamline University School of Law, J.D. (cum laude), 2006

Born: 1981


Associates


Jesse W. Smith

Duluth, MN

Years of Experience: 2

Admitted
  • Minnesota, 2022
Education:
  • University of Minnesota Twin Cities, B.A., 2018
  • University of Minnesota Law School, J.D., 2022

Born: 1996


Natalie M. Moriarty

Duluth, MN

Years of Experience: 2

Admitted
  • Minnesota, 2022
Education:
  • University of Minnesota Duluth, B.A., 2017
  • Mitchell Hamline School of Law, J.D., 2022

Born: 1994


Amalia B. Ellison

Duluth, MN

Admitted
  • Minnesota, 2024
Education:
  • University of Minnesota, B.A., 2023
  • New School for Social Research, M.F.A., 2007
  • Rutgers University School of Law, J.D., 2022

Born: 1980

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