Meet Dan Rosen, partner-in charge of our Minnesota office

By March 23, 2018

Last April, Kluger Kaplan opened its newest office in Minneapolis and welcomed is Partner-in-Charge Daniel N. Rosen to the firm to spearhead this expansion. Nearly one year later, we caught up with Dan to learn more about his experience since joining Kluger Kaplan and his path to becoming one of the top complex commercial litigators in the Midwest. 

Dan RosenQ: How has joining Kluger Kaplan enhanced and supported your practice?

A: Kluger Kaplan has a depth of resources that I have rarely seen in my career. Previously, I was a principal at a small law firm.  Our firm performed at a very high level, but my practice outgrew the limitations of a small firm. At Kluger Kaplan I am supported by everything a trial lawyer could want—most importantly, a team on which every associate and every partner is smart, experienced and hard-charging. Being backed up by those resources and skills gives me the confidence any advocate needs going into litigation.

Q: How did you decide to enter the legal profession?

A:  You might say it’s in my genes. My father was a great trial lawyer with a unique enthusiasm for advocacy.  He’d teach me the skills of being a trial lawyer even when I was still a kid (seriously).  So, when the time came to choose my career, it was a natural decision.  My father died only five years into my career as a lawyer, but I was gratified that two weeks before he died, he was able to see me win my first million-dollar jury verdict.

Q: How did your experiences as a US Navy officer during the Gulf War help prepare you for your legal career?

A: A young naval officer is given huge responsibility. I was in command of 35 people. Half of them were older than I was, and most had been in the Navy far longer than I.  They were of course obligated to follow my orders, but to draw out the highest level of performance, the trick was to get them to want to follow my orders. So I had to learn the art of persuasion.  It’s the same with a jury.  If you want to win, it’s not enough to have statutes and cases on your side; you need to make them want to find for you.

My Navy experience also taught me the need for fast reactions and attention to detail, which is drilled into young officers.    Both are critical disciplines for a trial lawyer.

Q: You were recently appointed to a second four-year term on the Minnesota Campaign Finance & Public Disclosure Board. Why are you honored to serve on this board?

A: The board is bipartisan, and I was honored that when Minnesota’s Democratic governor needed a Republican he could count on for fairness, he appointed me. In my recent tenure as chairman of the board, I worked hard to build consensus in addressing matters that were naturally charged with partisanship.    I believe we were successful and I am glad about that because the integrity of our elections and our democracy depends upon bipartisan cooperation in ensuring that our campaign finance system is clean and transparent.

Serving on the Minnesota Campaign Finance & Public Disclosure Board has put me in a very strong position to help elected officials and donors –– state or federal –– who find themselves under the gun for violation of campaign finance law. The knowledge base and expertise that I have developed in the field is not commonly found in the legal profession but is a critical one.