Ned was on the Board of the Hopkins Area Little League for six years, and for two years he served as President of the Hopkins-Minnetonka Babe Ruth Baseball Association. He also served on the Board of Directors for the Hopkins Youth Hockey Association and acted as its legal advisor regarding its charitable gambling operations.

For 15 years, Ned taught Negotiation at William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul as an adjunct professor. In 2000, he traveled with his team to Australia, where they won first place in the International Law School Negotiation Competition.

Ned is married with two college-aged children. In his spare time he enjoys ice hockey, reading, fishing, biking, golfing, and spending time with his family.

Recognized as the Nation's Top One Percent of Award Winning Attorneys by the National Association of Distinguished Counsel (2015 to 2021).

Representative Cases

• Tri State Ins. Co. v. Soderstrom’s Sales & Serv., Inc., Sherburne County, Minnesota (2001). Our clients were able to collect against a bond company for a faulty septic system inspection done in connections with their purchase of a home.
• Auntie Ruth’s Furry Friends’ Home Away from Home, Ltd. v. GCC Prop. Mgmt., LLC (Minn. Ct. App. 2009). The Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled in our client’s favor, reversing the trial court’s ruling and holding that a right of first refusal contained in a lease was clear and unambiguous and was triggered by the landlord’s conduct.
• Aaron v. Illinois Farmers Ins. Group, 590 N.W.2d 667 (Minn. Ct. App. 1999). Our client was awarded $132,000 in an UIM arbitration award for a personal injury claim. We successfully defended against the insurance company’s claim that the arbitration award was invalid because of partiality of the neutral arbitrator or because of prejudicial misconduct by the parties.
• Midwest Family Mut. Ins. Co. v. Cummings, et al., (Minn. Ct. App. 2011). We successfully represented our client, the owner and operator of a warehouse whose building burned to the ground, from his insurance company’s denial of insurance coverage.
• Dahl v. Shamrock Storage, LLC, et al., Carver County, Minnesota (2013). We won a trial verdict for a client against a tenant’s claims of negligence, breach of contract, and conversion.
• Questar Gas Company v. Thermal-Wise Insulation, LLC, Federal District Court for Minnesota (2013). We successfully defended our client in a trade name infringement action.
• Fringe Benefits of Minnesota v. Charles Taylor, et al. Hennepin County, Minnesota (2013). We successfully defended a financial advisor against his former employer’s claims for breach of non-competition/non-solicitation clauses.
• C.G. vs. E.S. – This was a personal injury case involving a bicyclist who was hit and severely injured by a motorist. We secured a six-figure settlement for our client.
• C.S. vs. S.H. – This was a personal injury case involving a severely injured motorcyclist hit by a motorist. We secured a six-figure settlement for our client.
• Holb-Gunther, LLC dba Sea-Legs v. Northern Wholesale Supply Company and International Fluid Power (2021). Ned successfully defended Northern Wholesale Supply Company in a misappropriation of trade secrets, deceptive business practices, defamation, tortious interference with contract, and tortious interference with prospective business relations case. Ned was able to get all but the misappropriation of trade secrets counts dismissed with prejudice prior to trial. At the jury trial, the jury found that Northern Wholesale Supply Company was not guilty of misappropriation of trade secrets.
• D.D. v. C.R, a 2021 Hennepin County personal injury claim. Ned was able to obtain a policy limits settlement with the land owners' insurance company.

Representative Clients

• Rapid Sports Group – Including Rapid Sport Marine in Ham Lake, the largest Lund dealer in the Midwest; Rapid Marine in Rogers; R&R Marine in Shakopee; and Rapid Marine in St. Cloud.
• Direct, a Marketing Services Company - Direct has provided direct marketing services for over 30 years with integrated marketing solutions for its clients.
• Chippewa Valley Bank – We have provided lien and mortgage enforcement for this Wisconsin-based financial institution.
• Veterinary Hospitals Association – Established in 1984, Veterinary Hospitals Association (VHA) is a not-for-profit, member-driven association organized to represent the interests of members and the veterinary community. VHA currently serves nearly 370 member veterinary practices.
• Minnesota Independent Oil Company ('Minnoco') - a Minnesota company that provides branding under the Minnoco name to convenience store/gas station businesses in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
• Prior Lake Veterinary Hospital – Prior Lake Veterinary Hospital was established in 1981. We assisted in the acquisition of the practice and the real estate, and we provide corporate counsel.
• Oak Knoll Veterinary Hospital – Oak Knoll Animal Hospital has been a St. Louis Park landmark for more than 25 years. We assisted in the acquisition of real estate, and we provide corporate counsel.
• Valley View Pet Hospital – This Burnsville veterinary hospital provides a full selection of procedures and products to support the good health of pets. We assisted in the acquisition of real estate and we provide corporate counsel.
• Delano Veterinary Clinic – We assisted the owner to acquire real estate property and clinic space.
• Elm Creek Veterinary Hospital – We assisted the veterinarian in the sale of the practice and real estate.

Practice Areas

• Business law
• Civil litigation
• Personal injury
• Real estate
• Estate planning
• Business litigation
• Buying/selling business
• Representing veterinarians and clinics
• Representing service station owners

Videos With Ned Ostenso

• What is your philosophy as a lawyer?
• What made you decide to become a lawyer?

Admitted

• Minnesota (1994)
• U.S. Federal District Court District of Minnesota (1995)
• Wisconsin (1995)

Education

• William Mitchell College of Law, Saint Paul, Minnesota — J.D. (1994)
• College of St. Thomas, Saint Paul, Minnesota — MBA (1990)
• University of Wisconsin-Stout — B.S., Business Administration (1985)
• University of North Dakota

Member

• Minnesota State Bar Association
• Hennepin County Bar Association
• Wisconsin State Bar Association
• Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association

Biography

• William Mitchell Law Review (1993 – 1994)
• Voted Super Lawyer by Minnesota Journal of Law & Politics (2000, 2002 – 2021)
• Voted Top Lawyers (2016)
• Adjunct professor – William Mitchell College of Law – negotiation (1997 – 2013)
• 1992 ABA National Negotiation winner