Steven Wells is the Partner-in-Charge of Dorsey’s Trial Group worldwide. He also chairs the firm’s Appellate Practice Group, and co-chairs the Franchise and Distribution Group. Recognized by Chambers as one of Minnesota’s leading commercial trial lawyers since 2008, Mr. Wells has litigated complex commercial and financial cases for over 30 years. Drawing upon his industry knowledge and courtroom experience, Mr. Wells has litigated matters arising in a wide range of practice areas, including financial and commercial, franchise and distribution, intellectual property, construction, and environmental disputes. Known for successfully obtaining trial verdicts and summary judgments in high-stakes cases, he has appeared and practiced before state, federal, and administrative courts in over a dozen states. He has argued and won appeals in numerous state and federal appellate courts. He was counsel of record for, and argued on behalf of, the Petitioner in National Meat Association v. Harris, in which the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the California law challenged by the Petitioner - a complete victory for Dorsey’s client.

Mr. Wells received a J.D with honors from George Washington University Law School. He has been an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota Law School since 2007, where he teaches classes on trial practice and strategy, and the death penalty; and lectures at numerous CLE seminars on trial strategy and procedure, expert witnesses, ethics/attorney-client privilege, and the death penalty. Mr. Wells has also served as pro bono lead counsel in several death penalty defense cases, one of which was the subject of an Investigative Reports documentary on the A&E Network.