Nate Bjerke, TSR Injury Law

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Nate Bjerke’s career trajectory sounds like the plot of a John Grisham novel. He started out as a defense lawyer, representing insurance companies in catastrophic product liability cases. There came a time when he zeroed-out three plaintiffs in a row — a quadriplegic, a paraplegic, and the family of a deceased 16-year-old girl. It was an inflection point. “I felt like in order to do my job well I had to put my empathy in a box,” Bjerke said.

He moved to the plaintiffs’ side and is a partner at TSR injury law.

Trial practice is starting to adapt to a post-COVID-19 world. By May 2023, the civil trial system was “pretty much back,” Bjerke said, but he had not tried a case since June of 2022. The playing field is different. Verdicts are bigger and that means more settlements. But if the case is tried, the results may be extreme, he said. “Strike outs are much more common and home runs are more common. There have been some low disappointing verdicts.” Bjerke finds that jurors are “fed up” with people being treated unfairly.

Bjerke has resolved two serious product liability cases in the last year. One was a school bus inside a building. A propane leak led to an explosion. He also settled a serious injury case resulting from a standing forklift malfunction.

Bjerke has become involved in an initiative of the American Board of Trial Advocates to bring civics education to the public. He and other ABOTA members meet with the public in schools or other settings to discuss how government works and how to disagree civilly. He has found that many students or adults do not understand the workings of government. “It’s been amazing,” he said.

In addition to his work for ABOTA, Bjerke is part of The National Trial Lawyers, a professional, invitation-only organization composed of the premier trial lawyers from across the country that provides educational opportunities for lawyers.