Minnesota Hispanic Bar Association

Jaime Wing

Norton Rose Fulbright

Describe your career path. How did you end up where you are today?

I went to law school on something of a lark. I joined the Army right after college. As I was separating a few years later, I was surprised to learn I qualified for GI Bill benefits. A law degree seemed worthwhile because at the time I was planning to go back into government in some capacity, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to actually practice. That shifted little by little as I learned about the different settings where lawyers could work. By the end of 1L year, civil litigation was looking like a good fit, thanks in part to a school visit from members of what turned out to be my first firm. A summer job there turned into what’s now a reasonably longish second career.

What area of law do you practice, and what drew you to that particular field?

I’ve devoted a good amount of my practice to defending manufacturers of different kinds, and most of that has involved disputes in which a product allegedly caused injury. Some of those involved a single incident, but about as often it’s been many, many cases that get consolidated or are running in parallel across jurisdictions, as well as class actions. The rest of my practice has been spent on a healthy mix of other subjects. It’s ranged from affirmative suits for clients going after fraudsters to defending auto lenders, and, more recently, representing a renewable energy company in a real estate matter.

What would you tell a law student or new attorney?

Generally, try to regularly learn something about the law outside of your niche. Hearing from experts in other areas can be its own reward and it’ll probably make you a better lawyer, too. Bonus points if you can do this in person.

Do you have any hobbies or hidden talents your colleagues might not know about?

After about a 30-year break, I recently rediscovered the Pokémon trading card game. All credit goes to my oldest daughter, who, after seeing her friends playing it, was surprised to hear that her dad had played the same thing when he was her age. We’re having a great time building decks and battling it out. She wins most of the time.

Tell us about your family.

My wife Lynn and I met in our 1L class section. (Totally cliché, but we like it that way.) We’ve been together and made our home in Minnesota ever since. She is the absolute rock of our family, to which we’ve welcomed two daughters over the years. Our oldest is turning seven soon and loving first grade, while our youngest will be all of five months in about three weeks. Having recently gone through pictures to put up in my office, I cannot believe I get to be their dad.

What book/movie/television show/podcast have you enjoyed most this year?

I’m very late to the party, but not long before it got a big profile in August, I stumbled across The Rest is History podcast. Pretty entertaining back-and-forth between two real historians on a huge number of topics, usually broken out over a couple of episodes. Highly recommended!