Brad’s primary focus is on workers’ compensation defense in Minnesota. He represents insurers, self-insured employers, and third-party administrators in all aspects of workers’ compensation claims. In this interview, Brad talks to me about his experience in this industry and his key learning in life.

Starting Out In The Workers’ Compensation Domain

Initially, after law school, Brad practiced civil litigation at a law firm. His work primarily involved claims of construction defects and property damage due to code violations. He was not specifically focused on personal injury or workers’ compensation but had a chance to experience it by accident.

Working as an associate at a law firm, Brad worked on workers’ compensation cases with the partners and began to enjoy it. One of the things that attracted him to this domain was the ability to make a difference right away, even as an associate.

‘I thought it was an interesting, kind of unique area of law, with its own system, rules, and procedure.’

Another motivating factor for Brad is that this domain is largely outcome-focused which means attorneys on both sides are trying to figure out how to come to the most equitable solution. Even in cases of a difference of opinion, the focus on both sides is trying to figure out what the best solution is for the person involved.

Current Business Structure and Organization

Talking about the firm’s clients, Brad mentions that have a gamut of them. Their biggest clients include self-insured large employers such as multinational corporations, and insurance companies who insure different employers directly, as well as handle claims for the state which insures small businesses that employ one or two people. Currently, the firm employs around 100 people with a client base of several hundred.

Standout Moments As A Business Leader

Brad recalls several pivotal moments such as his first trial and the first time being out before the court of appeals. He also values other milestones such as getting to know the law, getting to know the other attorneys in the bar, and growing his knowledge base to a point where he began to feel comfortable with his subject matter.

Regarding the firm, Brad feels a great sense of pride in its accomplishments. The law firm is the oldest workers’ compensation law firm in the state and is over 100 years old. Further, the firm has maintained its niche practice and almost exclusively does workers’ compensation defense. Recent years have seen exponential growth with the addition of two law firms with a vast majority of attorneys doing workers’ compensation.

‘We are the largest workers’ compensation law firm in the state of Minnesota right now and one of the primary leaders.’

Overcoming Business Challenges

Brad states there are challenges very unique to workers’ compensation as opposed to another area of law where one is dealing with companies on both sides and the subject may be financial issues or property issues.

With workers’ compensation, things can be quite challenging because somebody is injured or they feel that their life has been upturned and it is very personal for them. This can make things very emotional and heated, and that is not as easy to deal with.

‘If somebody is going through a sort of a personal crisis in their own life, that is really different as compared to a lot of other areas of law.’

Business Plans For The Future

Moving forward, the focus is on continuing the growth and expanding the work footprint.  The last few years have already seen the firm grow significantly and presently the idea is to build on that and expand the client base.

Talking about the marketing methods that have worked, Brad mentions that word-of-mouth has worked primarily for them. They also go to different seminars such as the national workers’ compensation conference in Las Vegas and the Minnesota workers’ compensation symposium and interact with clients there, as well as do webinars and personal conferences.

Top Philosophies and Core Values In Business

Brad believes in being fair and honest as much as possible with everybody involved. This does not mean there won’t be disputes, but trying to be fair and reasonable will help get a lot better outcome with the other parties. This will also facilitate the way for a professional and courteous relationship with the other side and help one go much further in this field of law than they otherwise would.

Advice For Newcomers Entering The Field Of Workers’ Compensation

Brad advises law students not to overlook workers’ compensation as a career. This domain does not get much attention and often when law students are deciding on their career path, they tend to skip this field.

‘I think it is a great area of law, it is interesting, fast-paced, and there is a ton of twists and turns in it. It is definitely never boring, it is exciting.’

For people looking at getting hands-on experience in litigation without having to wait for years, Brad advises getting into this field.

2 Key Learnings In Business

1. Be mindful of your reputation because once you do something that tarnishes it, it’s very difficult to get away from that. The best thing to do is right away present your most professional skilled self which will be immeasurably helpful in your career.
2. Be open to new opportunities. People often get pigeonholed into a certain area of law, but being willing to try new things may help you just find an area of law that you will love.

Key Benefits Of Services At Aafedt, Forde, Gray, Monson & Hager

One key benefit is that the firm takes a collaborative approach. The firm actively tries to tailor their representation to what the clients want because every client has a different philosophy. Some clients like to be aggressive while others like to try and seek more of a measured outcome.

‘We are happy to take the lead and do things the best way that we know how but if someone has a different philosophy or different approach, we are very open to working and tailoring our litigation approach to whatever the client wants.’

Vision For The Future Of The Industry

Brad hopes to see some areas of the laws get updated. He feels that some of the laws that are in the books have been there for a while with a lot of room for improvement.

The legislative process takes a long time and often times a legislature has different priorities, but it would be great to get to a place where both sides of the aisle are making meaningful reforms to make the process better and more efficient and get rid of a lot of the roadblocks that are there currently.

For companies and professionals looking to remain successful in this domain, Brad advises staying updated on the workers’ compensation law because although the statutes might not change, there are big changes in the law from year to year and they can have profound impacts on different companies.

 ‘I think workers’ compensation is often an area that is overlooked by companies and there can be tremendous cost savings from simple things that are done or that could be easily changed. That is why it is so important that companies have a workers’ compensation professional that is up-to-date on these things and can give them timely guidance.’

Leadership Lessons Learned In Life

Brad states that one of the best leadership lessons he has learned is to make sure that people feel like they are being heard. A lot of times as long as people feel that they are being heard, they are going to be much happier, even if the outcome is not something that they were necessarily advocating for or happy with.

One of the main things is listening to the team’s concerns and addressing them. This does not mean necessarily giving them the outcome that they want, but hearing what they have to say and if the outcome they want is not possible, explaining why that is.

‘I think that a lot of times that solves most of the problems because even if there is a disagreement if they feel like you know what they are saying, they walk away feeling a lot better.’

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