Personal Attention And Compassionate Representation

Susan Bowden Gunst

Photo of Susan Bowden Gunst
Photo of Susan Bowden Gunst

Location:

Oakdale, MN

Phone:

Fax:

651-731-5496

Email:

Susan Bowden Gunst has spent her entire career forcing insurance companies to treat people like they say they do in commercials. She has helped injured people recover medical expenses, wage loss and other damages incurred as a result of car accidents, dog attacks, liquor liability, falls and other injuries as a result of someone else's wrongdoing.

Susan has also helped families that are suffering with the loss of a loved one by holding the negligent party accountable. She has arbitrated, mediated and litigated hundreds of cases with insurance companies. Her vast trial experience includes wrongful death, personal injury and medical malpractice claims. Since 1998, Susan has been aggressively fighting on behalf of her clients to ensure fair compensation for their injuries. She not only has experience in State District Court, but also at the Federal Court level and the Court of Appeals. Her compassionate nature and passion for upholding her clients' rights has proven to be a successful mix both in and out of the courtroom.

A Minnesota native, Susan is a graduate of Moorhead State University (B.S., 1995) and William Mitchell College of Law (J.D., 1998). She is admitted to practice law in the state of Minnesota and United States Federal District Court, District of Minnesota. She is a member of the Minnesota State Bar Association and the Minnesota Association for Justice, formerly known as Minnesota Trial Lawyers Association.

Susan was included on the list of Super Lawyers in 2014 - 2023 (no more than 5% of attorneys in each state). In 2016 and 2017 she was also named to the top 50 Women in Minnesota Super Lawyers List.

Susan enjoys spending time with her family (many kids keep her running!), assistant coaching basketball, and is actively involved in her church. She is active on several boards, including her church board and Renew Hope, an organization that helps survivors of sex trafficking. 

Areas Of Practice

  • Wrongful Death
  • Personal Injury
  • No-Fault/Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist
  • Premises Liability
  • Liquor Liability
  • Dog Attacks

Bar Admissions

  • Minnesota, 1998
  • U.S. District Court District of Minnesota, 1999

Education

  • William Mitchell College of Law, St. Paul, Minnesota
    • J.D., Doctor of Jurisprudence - 1998
    • Honors: cum laude
  • Moorhead State University, Moorhead, Minnesota
    • B.S., Bachelor of Science - 1995
    • Honors: cum laude
    • Major: Marketing

Published Works

  • "The Use of a "Memorandum of Understanding" in a Multi-Party Claim", Minnesota Trial Lawyers Association, Spring, 2004

Representative Cases

  • Brett v. Watts, 601 N.W.2d 199 (Minn.App.1999)
  • Brett v. Watts, 2001 WL 267486, Minn.App., March 20, 2001 (NO. CX-00-1791)
  • Bieloh v. First Nat'l. Ins. Services, 2006 WL 2129763, Minn.App., August 01, 2006 (NO. A05-1749)
  • Clark v. Peterson, 741 N.W.2d 136 (Minn.App. 2007)
  • Economy Premier Assurance Company v. Hansen, A11-183, (Minn. App. Aug. 15, 2011)

Classes / Seminars

  • National Business Institute, 30 Mistakes to Avoid When Negotiating Insurance Claims, Guest Speaker, NBI, Inc., December 2019
  • National Business Institute, Auto Injury Claims for Paralegals, Guest Speaker, NBI, Inc., September 2019
  • National Business Institute, Auto Injury Litigation Boot Camp for Paralegals, Guest Speaker, NBI, Inc., May 2019
  • National Business Institute, Auto Injury Claims From Start to Finish for Paralegals, Guest Speaker, NBI, Inc., December 2018
  • Auto Injury Claims from Start to Finish for Paralegals, NBI, Inc., 01/18/2017
  • Auto Injury Litigation Boot Camp for Paralegals, NBI, Inc., 07/20/2016
  • Future Medical Expenses, Guest Speaker, Minnesota Association for Justice, November 2013
  • Future Medical Expenses, Speaker, Minnesota Association for Justice, Summer Convention - 2013
  • Discovery of Client Media, Guest Speaker, Minnesota Association for Justice, Winter Convention - February 2010
  • No-Fault seminar (Presentation of the Case at Arbitration), Guest Speaker, Minnesota Association for Justice - October 2008
  • Dram Shop Seminar (Challenging the Liability Limits), Guest Speaker, Minnesota Association for Justice - 2007
  • Dram Shop update, Guest Speaker, Minnesota Trial Lawyers Association, Annual Convention - August 2006
  • No-Fault Arbitrations, Guest Speaker, Minnesota Chiropractic Association - 2000-2006
  • Trial Conduct, Guest Speaker, Minnesota Trial Lawyers Association - 2005
  • Post-trial set offs, Guest Speaker, Minnesota Trial Lawyers Association

Honors And Awards

  • Named Super Lawyer “Rising Star” by Minnesota Law and Politics: 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010
  • Selected as a Minnesota Super Lawyer, 2014 – 2022
  • In 2005, 2006, 2008, and 2010 she was named a Rising Star by Super Lawyers (only 2.5% of all attorneys practicing less than 10 years or under 40 years of age receive this honor)
  • She has been named to a Minnesota Super Lawyers list 12 times in here career (no more than 5% of attorneys are selected annually)
  • In 2016 she was also named to the top 50 Women in Minnesota Super Lawyers List

Professional Associations And Memberships

  • Renew Hope, Board (Organization that provides resources to survivors of sex-trafficking), Current Board President
  • Minnesota Trial Lawyers Association, Member
  • Minnesota State Bar Association, Member
  • Legal Assistance of Washington County, Past Board Member/Past President
  • Minnesota Association for Justice f/k/a Minnesota Trial Lawyers Association, Member
  • Minnesota Women Lawyers

Past Employment Positions

  • Hauer, Fargione & Love, Law Clerk, 1997 to 1997
  • Babcock, Lacher, Neilson & Manella, Anoka, MN, Law Clerk, 1996 to 1998
  • Crabtree Law Firm, P.A., Stillwater, MN, Attorney, 1998 to 2006
  • McCullough, Bowden & Cyr, P.A., St. Paul, MN, Partner, 2006 to 2009
Aggressive Intuition

Proven Results.