Meet our experienced and dedicated legal and medical team…

Priscilla Faris

Wayne Faris

Alicia McMonigal

Paula Muller

Jennifer Thorup

 

Community Contributions

 

Priscilla Lord Faris: Top-Ranked By Her Peers

Priscilla Lord Faris is rated among the top attorneys in the field by her peers, according to LexisNexis® Martindale-Hubbell®, which publishes peer review ratings on attorneys from around the United States.

Faris has earned an AV® Peer Review Rating, which Martindale-Hubbell describes as “… a significant accomplishment – a testament to the fact that a lawyer’s peers rank him or her at the highest level of professional excellence.”  A lawyer must have been admitted to the bar for a minimum of 10 years to receive an AV rating.

“A Martindale-Hubbell Rating guides buyers of legal services and those referring business in making faster, smarter decisions,” says the organization’s Web site.  “A Rating’s third party validation of ethics and legal ability provides that extra level of confidence that the right lawyer or firm has been selected.”

For more information: http://martindale.com/ratings_explanation

CV, BV and AV are registered certification marks of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies.  Rating Explanation:  Martindale-Hubbell is the facilitator of a peer review rating process.  Ratings reflect the confidential opinions of members of the Bar and the Judiciary.  Martindale-Hubbell Ratings fall into two categories – legal ability and ethical standards.

Priscilla Lord Faris Managing Partner What makes a great attorney?  Knowledge of the law and how to apply it is an obvious prerequisite.  So is the ability to collect, analyze and interpret a complex set of facts and communicate them in a manner that is both compelling and easy for people to understand. But few attorneys succeed over the long term unless they also have a deep and abiding passion for helping people.  That kind of commitment to ensuring that individuals and families get a fair shake from our legal system is one reason Priscilla Lord Faris has been recognized as one of Minnesota’s top attorneys.
A glance at her background reveals the many factors that have driven her success… Born in Minneapolis, raised in the western suburbs.  Daughter of Miles Lord, one of Minnesota’s most respected legal minds. University of Minnesota graduate.  Taught third grade and special education.  Earned a law degree from Hamline University.  Married to Wayne Faris, successful attorney and business executive.  Mother of three.  Passionate about youth and youth athletics.  Ten-year career in investment real estate.  Son tragically killed by a drunk driver at age 19.  Opened her own law practice in 1990 to serve people harmed by medical devices or medications or injured or killed in vehicle accidents or through other tragic circumstances.  Former Member of Sunfish Lake City Council and University of Minnesota Women’s Intercollegiate Athletic Advisory Board.   Lifelong advocate and community leader. Since opening her own firm in 1990, Priscilla Lord Faris has earned accolades from her clients as well as her peers in the legal community for her knowledge of the law, professionalism and commitment to client service and achieving results.  She’s an expert at evaluating cases and ushering them through the maze of paperwork and other legal processes required for people to obtain a fair outcome when they or a family member have suffered as the result of an accident or other incident that has caused harm, injury or even death. Her introduction to the practice of personal injury law came after a decade in investment real estate and the death of their son in 1989.  “It was a difficult time, and I needed a change,” she recalls.  “My father had retired as a federal court judge and started a practice within a practice with a local firm that was handling silicone breast implant cases.”  A handful of cases became hundreds over the next seven years as Faris became an expert at managing the complex legal and medical paperwork and processes required to successfully adjudicate each case and claim.  Faris’ hard work ultimately paid off for her clients, who received settlements from the implant manufacturers ranging from $10,000 to $250,000. In 2001, Faris and her associates took on another major challenge:  representing people harmed by their use of the diet drug Fen Phen, which was found to cause heart valve dysfunction and primary pulmonary hypertension.  By the end of 2002, Faris had submitted claims on behalf of some 300 clients.  “These cases can take many months to file and many years to resolve,” says Faris.  “For awhile, we worked seven days a week.  In fact, we’re still coordinating all the paperwork involved with payments from the court settlement.”  In those cases, clients of Faris & Faris Law Office received from $2,000 to more than $562,000. When they’re not handling large, complex cases, Faris and her dedicated team represent clients injured or killed in automobile or truck accidents, injured by an animal bite, or harmed through sexual harassment or discrimination. Faris also specializes in representing licensed medical professionals facing disciplinary actions from state or federal licensing or regulatory agencies. For her efforts and her expertise, she’s been recognized as one of the top attorneys in her field by LexisNexis® Martindale-Hubbell®, which publishes peer review ratings on attorneys from around the United States.  In both 2006 and 2007, Faris also was named a Minnesota Super Lawyer by the publishers of Minnesota Law & Politics.  While Faris takes pride in the recognition, she is most gratified when clients feel justice has been fairly served at the end of their case. “People who feel they have been wronged almost always have high expectations about the outcome,” says Faris.  “I feel the most satisfaction when a client comes to me at the end and says ‘I got a fair shake.’  In a system that often is neither fair nor just, that’s a tremendous compliment.”

 

	Wayne Faris Of Counsel Wayne Faris is “of Counsel” to Faris & Faris Law Office, providing Faris & Faris Law Office clients with expert advice and counsel sharpened during a long, distinguished career as an attorney, entrepreneur, CEO and dedicated community leader. Born in Ottawa, Ont. and raised in Smith’s Falls, Ont., Wayne Faris graduated from Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill. and earned a law degree from the University of Minnesota.  In 1970, he joined the firm of Oppenheimer Wolff and Donnelly as a litigator of cases involving product liability and employment law.  In 1990, he left the firm to become CEO and president of Clifton Group Investment Management.
Faris is known around Minnesota and the nation for his involvement in youth, athletic and community-based activities.  He founded and chaired the Minnesota Amateur Sports Commission and headed a program designed to develop Olympic athletes from among Minnesota athletes on behalf of the U.S. Olympic Committee.  Faris also served 12 years as a member of the University of Minnesota Women’s Intercollegiate Athletic Advisory Board. In 2006, Wayne Faris completed six years as a member of the Board of Directors of the Minnesota Twins Community Fund, which distributes more than $500,000 annually to support athletics in upper Midwest communities and provide scholarships and other assistance to deserving athletes. When Gov. Rudy Perpich founded the Minnesota Amateur Sports Commission, he asked Wayne to chair the Commission.  In that role, he managed a sport facilities building budget in excess of $30 million and facilities that included the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center, the St. Cloud National Ice Hockey Center and the National Sports Center in Blaine.

 

 

Alicia McMonigal Executive Administrator You’ve probably heard the saying “the devil is in the details.”  But the devil is no match for Faris & Faris Law Office Executive Administrator Alicia McMonigal, whose job it is to keep track of every detail of every case and to oversee day-to-day operations at the firm.  She’s also the cheery-sounding first point of contact when clients call with a question or to schedule an appointment. One of McMonigal’s most critical responsibilities is managing the complex databases that track the hundreds of plaintiffs the firm is representing as part of class action litigation filed in recent years on behalf of women who received silicone breast implants or people who used the diet drug Fen Phen.
“My number one job is to relay information – to explain the process to our clients and make sure everyone is doing their part and that all of the deadlines are met,” McMonigal explains.   “There’s always a lot of follow-up and a fair amount of hounding – in a nice way, of course!” One of the benefits of working at a small law firm is that she gets to know many clients personally and often plays a role in problem-solving with them.  “Many of the clients we serve need more than just legal help, and we often can point them to other resources in the community or help them, for example, when they are dealing with insurance companies.  We try to help any way we can.” A St. Paul native, McMonigal attended Humboldt High School and received a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from The College of St. Catherine in 1995.  A mother of three active boys, she enjoys crafts, quilting and tending the garden at her home in Mendota Heights.

 

 

	Paula Muller, RN, BSN, CLA, LNC, CDMS, QRC Legal Nurse Consultant She may have an alphabet’s worth of initials behind her name, but Paula Muller’s vast experience in the medical field has helped spell success for hundreds of Faris & Faris Law Office clients since she joined the firm in 1993. Muller is a Registered Nurse with a bachelor’s degree in Nursing, a Certified Legal Assistant, Legal Nurse Consultant, Certified Disability Management Specialist and Qualified Rehabilitation Consultant.
At Faris & Faris Law Office, she researches and evaluates cases that involve medical issues and coordinates collection and interpretation of client-related medical records, development of medical treatment chronologies and case briefs, and submission of case claims.  She has extensive experience as a practicing nurse, medical records auditor and administrator of medical records and claims.  Muller received her nursing degree from Kansas Wesleyan University, earned a paralegal certification from Hamline University, and is studying for both a master’s degree in Health Law from Nova Southeastern University School of Law and a certification in bioethics from Loyola University in Chicago.  She resides in Maple Plain, MN.

 

 

Jennifer Thorup Paralegal Behind every successful attorney is a team of professionals who collect information, draft legal documents and perform the myriad tasks involved with preparing a Personal Injury case for settlement or trial.  At Faris & Faris Law Office, case preparation is the job of veteran paralegal Jennifer Thorup. Thorup joined Faris & Faris Law Office in 2006 but has worked at law firms since 1992, when she took what she thought would be a temporary job to get some hands-on experience before law school.  By 1995, she decided to forego law school entirely and devote her full attention to paralegal work.
“A paralegal is an attorney’s right hand,” Thorup explains.  “My job varies dramatically from day to day, which is why I love it.  One day I’m interviewing clients and doctors about a case, another I’m doing research, gathering medical records and bills, preparing documents, speaking with insurance adjusters to update them on the status of a client’s medical treatments, and putting together demand letters or pre-mediation materials based on my research. “Over the years, I’ve found that I get a great deal of satisfaction from educating clients about the legal process and helping manage their expectations,” she says.  “When people walk into the office with a problem, they generally are experiencing a great deal of uncertainty and need our help during a very scary, very difficult time.  I really enjoy helping educate clients about the process and eliminating some of that uncertainty.” A native of Albert Lea, Thorup has a bachelor’s degree in Speech Communication from the University of Minnesota.  She and her 6-year-old son reside in Blaine.

 

Contributing to the Community and Its People

In addition to serving the legal needs of clients, members of the Faris & Faris Law Office team have answered the call to serve the broader Twin Cities and Minnesota communities in support of local, state and national causes – particularly those that support and protect young people.

Protecting Our Youth Through Legislation and Community Action

Following the loss of their son to a drunk driver in 1989, Priscilla Lord Faris has volunteered with MADD® and served as a speaker about the impact of drunk driving.  She also played a key role in the development of legislation aimed at deterring drunk driving and preventing similar loss of life.  As a member of Minnesota Join Together, a project funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Priscilla led the committee that drafted legislation that allows for civil liability against adults who serve alcohol to minors.  That bill passed both the Minnesota House and Senate and was signed into law in May 2000.

Creating Opportunities for Minnesota Athletes

Both Priscilla and Wayne Faris are avid sports fans and active promoters and supporters of amateur athletics.

Between them they served 20 years on the University of Minnesota Women's Intercollegiate Athletic Advisory Board. 

Wayne also headed the local Community Development Program for the United States Olympic Committee.  The program develops young athletes by providing elite coaching and training in weightlifting, curling, cross country skiing, snow boarding, biathlon, speed skating, team handball and women's hockey.
From 2001 through 2006, Wayne served on the Board of the Minnesota Twins Community Fund, a charitable organization that distributes more than half a million dollars annually to build better and stronger communities.  The fund has helped build baseball and softball fields in upper Midwest communities, provided college scholarships to help worthy students and sponsored youth baseball and softball teams.
[Link to article on Wayne/Priscilla]

Serving the Legal Community

Priscilla Lord Faris has served the legal community as a member of the Board of Governors of the Minnesota Justice Association (formerly known as Minnesota Trial Lawyers Association) and as co-chair of its legislative committee.  She is also a member of the American Association for Justice and Public Justice, a national public interest law firm.

© Faris & Faris Law Office 2005-2008