2022 Up & Coming Attorneys: Nicholas J. Bullard

Dorsey & Whitney LLP Receiving a pat on the back from your work colleagues is one thing. But when Nicholas Bullard recently helped secure a trial victory, the client’s in-house counsel, unsolicited, said, “Nick is one of the best young trial attorneys with whom I’ve worked in my 33 years of practice.”

Growing up as the youngest in a big family and a dad who was a lawyer, Bullard got used to lively discussions and fiery debates at a young age.

“My dad taught me respect for the law. As a kid, that made a big impression on me.”

During his six years of practice, Bullard has successfully briefed and argued many dispositive motions and appeals, negotiated favorable settlements and effectively examined and cross-examined witnesses at trial and in arbitration.

Some recent wins of his include convincing a trial court to deny class certification, obtaining a jury verdict after a multi-week trial, and persuading an appellate court to affirm a Rule 12 dismissal of a major class action. It was a rare victory for a client industry that’s often a target for Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) lawsuits.

In fact, Bullard is known as an expert in litigation involving ERISA. He has helped represent clients in matters ranging from large class actions to single plaintiff cases. He also co-founded Dorsey’s ERISA blog, and he often presents CLEs on ERISA-related topics.

“I knew I wanted to litigate from the start, and ERISA litigation turned out to be a perfect fit,” Bullard said. “ERISA gets a bad rap for being boring, but I don’t agree with that at all. It governs people’s pension benefits and health care benefits, and those things matter a lot to people.”

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