Members | National Association of Distinguished Counsel

Biographical Information

Mr. Norton received his BA Degree from Gustavus Adolphus College, in St. Peter Minnesota in 1981. He received his JD Degree from Hamline University, in St. Paul Minnesota in 1985. He practiced in law firms of various sizes, in house for a corporation, as a solo practitioner and law firm owner over the last 32 years. He has focused his practice upon family law since 1996. He is a member of the Minnesota State Bar Association and is past-Chair for the Family Law Section Legislation Committee. He is a member of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, the Global Collaborative Law Council and a member of Christian Legal Society. He is an active church member, a member of the Rotary Club of Plymouth Minnesota and a parent of adult children and grandchildren. In the recent past he has run for a seat on the Hennepin County District Court Bench and in that vein practices Alternative Dispute Resolution as an Early Neutral Evaluator and Mediator. He practices Collaborative Law in low conflict families where a single neutral can be retained by both parties to help decide technical issues of finance and custody. He also practices traditional litigation for higher conflict cases such as those involving domestic violence, where agreements are either impossible, inappropriate or cost prohibitive as compared to the court rendered decision as a resolution mechanism.

Admission Dates & Jurisdictions

Minnesota Courts 1986

U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota 1986

U.S. Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals 1986

US Supreme Court 2014

Education

Education:
Hamline University School of Law, St. Paul, Minnesota 1985 JD
Gustavus Adolphus College, Saint Peter Minnesota, 1981 BA
Minnetonka High School, 1977 Diploma

Professional Experience

In 1986, after being admitted to practice law in Minnesota, Mr. Norton began his own solo practice in Wayzata. Later moving to Minnetonka, he began focusing on general civil practice, including family law. He later joined the law firm of Sween, Salazar & Barry as an associate and continued in these practice areas. The W.W. Holes Manufacturing Company subsequently hired him to serve as General Counsel. After one year with the company, he advanced to Vice-president of Customer Relations/General Counsel. In 1995 Mr. Norton resumed his civil practice of law, now focusing on family law, joining Paul Ross, as Ross & Norton PLLP in Chaska. Then, Mr. Norton joined one of the state’s premier real property law firms, Jensen, Anderson, & Sondrall PA in Brooklyn Park on January 1, 2002, with a practice focused upon family law and civil litigation. On March 1, 2007 he moved his practice out of the firm and into solo practice in Maple Grove to provide client centered legal services. In 2012 he joined Henningson Snoxell Ltd. practicing in Maple Grove, and continuing his Family Law focus while adding Mediation services including Social Early Neutral Evaluations and Financial Early Neutral Evaluations. In October 2014 he moved his practice out of the firm and into solo practice again and is now located in the Carlson Towers in Minnetonka doing Family Law and alternative dispute resolution.

Mr. Norton has experience in litigating and settling cases in over 35 counties in Minnesota with the majority of cases in Hennepin, Anoka, Carver, Scott, McLeod, Wright and Dakota counties.

As a youth, Mr. Norton decided his career objective was the law. He began his legal career in 1976 working as a file clerk and messenger for Williston, McGibbon & Kuehn, in Chicago, IL during the summers. He then served as a file clerk for Bergman Knutson Street & Ulman and then as a clerk & messenger for Rider Bennet Eagan & Arundel. This beginning was all before he attended law school. During law school he built upon this experience working as a Paralegal Specialist at the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the U.S Attorney, in Minneapolis.