The lawyers at Smith, Paulson, O’Donnell & Erickson use a team approach to help businesses, individuals, and families with their legal needs. Our team is made up of six attorneys with over 138 years of combined legal experience.

In this blog, we’d like to take the time to get to know one of our attorneys.

Michael John Patera has been practicing more than 30 years in a variety of areas. After receiving a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from the University of Minnesota, he obtained his Juris Doctorate from the Seattle University School of Law in the State of Washington.

His areas of practice have included business litigation, insurance defense litigation, business formation and organization, estate planning and real estate. His clients have described him as a solver of problems, creative and thorough.

Name:
Michael J. Patera

Position at SPOE:
Attorney

Years with SPOE Lawyers:
Almost 3

How did you decide to become an attorney?
I’m not really sure...

What is the main reason for wanting to work at SPOE?
To change my area of practice.

What is the best part of your job?
The people with whom I work.

What hobbies do you enjoy outside of work?
Animals, cars, and repairing and updating my home.

What’s your favorite thing to eat?
Beef.

What might the average person not know about you?
I am a sucker for animals!

What is your idea of a perfect weekend getaway?
Fly fishing in a river.

Do you have any hidden talents?
Probably not, otherwise they won’t be hidden!

If you could be any person throughout history, who would it be?
Thomas Jefferson.

What is your favorite quote?
“Never, never, never, never give up.”
– Winston Churchill

Over the years, Michael has been active in coaching youth sports and has extensively lectured for professional education in the areas of worker’s compensation and risk management. He currently lives in Buffalo, Minnesota.