Bushnell Law Firm, LLC

ATTORNEY BIOGRAPHY

Anthony Bushnell, Esq.

awb@bushnelllawfirm.com

As the founder of The Bushnell Law Firm, LLC, Anthony Bushnell offers representation for all of the Twin Cities, including Minneapolis, St. Paul and the surrounding areas in Minnesota. He focuses his practice on criminal defense, handling all felony and misdemeanor charges, as well as criminal and civil appellate cases. He has completed numerous criminal jury trials and bench trials, handled hundreds of cases in pre-trial stage, and argued cases before the Minnesota Court of Appeals. He is also an experienced civil trial attorney in many litigation matters including orders for protection and harassment restraining orders.

The complex interaction of DWI and DUI criminal charges with civil driver's license penalties and administrative sanctions has been an area of special emphasis in his defense work, providing clients a full representation that addresses the criminal process and the license and vehicle problems. He was a member of the Minnesota Source Code Coalition that obtained and tested the source code for the Intoxilyzer 5000EN breath testing machine used for years in Minnesota DWI arrests in order to determine whether the machine was accurate or flawed.

Trial practice has been a passion for Mr. Bushnell for nearly 20 years, reflected in all of his college and law school training. He received his legal education at the University of Minnesota Law School, which is consistently ranked among the top 20 law schools in the United States. He graduated with honors in 2005 and was admitted to the Minnesota State Bar that same year. During law school, Mr. Bushnell served in the school's law clinic helping victims of domestic violence seek civil protection orders. He also worked for the office of a city attorney, handling traffic prosecutions. This amplified skills and experience already gained by working in several law firms before law school and competing at the national level in college mock trial for years, earning numerous awards.

Beyond his private law practice, Mr. Bushnell is actively involved in the legal community. He serves as the secretary on the council of the Solo and Small Firm section of the Minnesota State Bar Association and has been a council member or CLE committee member for several years. His memberships include the Criminal Law and Civil Litigation sections of the MSBA, the Hennepin County Bar Association, and the Anoka Bar Association. Mr. Bushnell has presented at many continuing legal education seminars on criminal law, evidence, and trial practice and has organized a number of other CLE seminars with judges and outstanding attorneys from the profession.

Volunteer work is a priority for Mr. Bushnell, as is spending time speaking with and mentoring law students. He has volunteered at the Twin Cities Christian Legal Aid clinic and served as the vice president and a board member for the Christian Legal Society of Minnesota. He is adjunct faculty for the law enforcement training program at The University of Northwestern - Saint Paul, and he served as an adjunct Lawyering Program Instructor at the University of Minnesota Law School for the 2009-2010 class year. 

Professional Affiliations:

Minnesota State Bar Association

• Civil Litigation section
• Criminal Law section
• Consumer Litigation section

Christian Legal Society

Hennepin County Bar Association

Anoka County Bar Association

Sample Cases

The Bushnell Law Firm Wins at the Minnesota Court of Appeals.

Anthony Bushnell, Esq. and The Bushnell Law Firm, LLC successfully represented the Appellant before the Minnesota Court of Appeals in a case that resulted in a published opinion.  Oral argument was heard on February 27, 2008 and the decision was issued on May 27, 2008.  The case is Tina Ayala v. Carlos Ayala, 749 N.W.2d 817 (Minn. App. 2008) (Appellate Court File No. A07-657).  The case involved a civil order for protection taken out against the Appellant for which no attempts to personally serve the Appellant were ever made.  Instead, the Respondent filed for an order for notice by publication.

Mr. Bushnell said: "I fully support the civil order for protection system and I believe it is a good system that provides important protection for victims of domestic abuse.  Unfortunately, even a good system can be abused, and the best way to ensure that the system continues to achieve its purpose is to protect it against efforts to use it improperly.  It is a fundamental principle of our state and federal constitutions that a person against whom an action is commenced has a right to notice of the action, in order that he or she may have an opportunity to be heard and to put before the court facts that may rebut those offered by the party initiating the action."

In reversing the district court's decision and vacating the order, the Minnesota Court of Appeals held that the Domestic Abuse Act, Minn. Stat. § 518B.01, subd. 5(f), requires that an ex parte order for protection be served on a respondent personally by a law-enforcement official.  Notice by publication is not available unless an attempt at service by a law-enforcement official has already been made and has failed because the respondent is evading service, and a copy of the petition and ex parte order have been mailed to the respondent's last known address or the address is not known.  The Court also stated that the district courts must inquire whether these requirements have been met before issuing an order for notice by publication.  The Court's opinion can be found here.

The preceding summary is based on the facts related to that case and does not necessarily represent the result that the firm might obtain for you in your case.  Each case is unique and many factors can influence the outcome.  You should not take this example as promising you any particular result in your case.

Did You Know?

Waiting to contact an attorney can often make a legal problem worse.  The safest route to protect yourself is to contact an attorney early on when you think you may have a legal problem.  Often an attorney can provide advice that will help you avoid larger problems or greater expenses down the road.  Having an attorney on your side right away also gives you greater bargaining power and forces the other side to take you seriously.  If you try to negotiate on your own, you may not be aware of certain rights or legal protections you have, and someone may take advantage of you.  Before you agree to settle with someone, you need to know how strong your case is and what claims you might have.

Remember, the firm offers free consultations!  There is no obligation to hire the firm after your consultation, so it costs you nothing to find out if you need an attorney.

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