MINNESOTA 250 | 

James Schwebel

Organization
Schwebel, Goetz & Sieben, P.A.
Title
Founding Partner

James R. Schwebel, founding partner of Schwebel, Goetz & Sieben, P.A., has built a more than five-decade career in personal injury litigation that has made his firm the largest of its kind in Minnesota.

Schwebel founded the firm in 1974 and today leads a team of 20 attorneys and more than 65 employees handling personal injury, wrongful death, product liability, and medical malpractice matters. His career has included representation of victims of the MGM Hotel fire in Las Vegas, the Williams Pipeline explosion in Roseville, and the Nicollet Mall Holidazzle crash, for which he secured record post-trial settlements.

Schwebel was among the first Minnesota attorneys certified as a civil trial specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocacy and is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates. He was appointed by the Minnesota Supreme Court to serve on both the Board of Professional Responsibility and the Board of Law Examiners, and is one of only three Minnesota lawyers inducted into the Founder’s Society of the Minnesota Trial Lawyers Association.

Organization

Education

University of Minnesota School of Law, 1968
University of Minnesota, Mpls, MN, BA, Political Science, 1965
Cretin High School, St. Paul, MN, 1960

Key Accomplishments

Jim has represented victims of the I35W Bridge collapse, the Minnehaha Academy explosion in Minneapolis, and the Park Tavern crash in St Louis Park. “Minnesota Law & Politics acknowledged him as one of “The 100 Most Influential Attorneys in Minnesota’s History”. The National Law Journal listed Jim among “Minnesota’s Top 10 Litigators”. In 2025 he was named in Minnesota Lawyer’s “Power 30 List-Personal Injury”.

Board Affiliations

Minnesota State Bar, 1968
U.S. District Court – District of Minnesota, 1970
U.S. Supreme Court of Minnesota, 1981
U.S. Supreme Court of the United States of America, 1971
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin, 1981
U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit, 1970

Awards and Honors & Certifications

Jim was one of the first attorneys in Minnesota to be certified as a Civil
Trial Specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. He was also chosen
for membership on the American Board of Trial Advocates. Jim is a fellow of the International Society of Barristers and a fellow of The American College of Trial Lawyers.

Other Honorees

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The Minnesota Legal 250 is Minnesota Lawyer’s premier recognition program celebrating the most influential and accomplished attorneys throughout the state. Our editorial team carefully selects a minimum of 250 outstanding individuals who have experienced prolonged success and an ability to successfully navigate changing client needs, legal developments, technology, economic environments, and strong community engagement.
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