attorney JEFF STORMS

About JEFF

Jeff is a lawyer who takes cases that matter and he makes them count.  Jeff has obtained $1 Million Dollar+ recoveries for plaintiffs on matters involving sexual assault, civil rights violations, and medical malpractice. His high-profile cases have garnered local, national, and international media attention.  He has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, Nightline, and in numerous other national television and print mediums. Jeff was part of the team that recovered the historic $27 Million Dollar settlement on behalf of the next of kin of George Floyd. In 2021, Jeff received the AAJ 2021 Leonard Weinglass in Defense of Civil Liberties Award, along with his colleagues on the George Floyd Legal Team and the Floyd Family.

Jeff has been named one of Minnesota’s “Attorneys of the Year” by Minnesota Lawyer four times, putting Jeff in rare and elite company. In 2022 and 2023, he was named one of the Top 100 Super Lawyers in Minnesota. He has been named a “Super Lawyer” every year since 2015, and regularly serves on Super Lawyer’s Blue Ribbon Panel, peer-reviewing other attorneys for the Super Lawyer distinction.  In 2023, Jeff was named by Lawdragon as one of the 500 Leading Civil Rights & Plaintiff Employment Lawyers in the United States.

Jeff’s legal services are sought after on corporate matters as well.   He has represented clients on high-stakes cases, including shareholder buyouts, non-compete violations, RICO violations, fraud, and other business torts.  Jeff also has internal investigation expertise, previously serving as Special Counsel.

In 2013, Jeff was named an Attorney of the Year for his work on a $3.075 Million Dollar police brutality killing of David C. Smith — one of the largest police brutality settlements in Minnesota History.   In 2018, Jeff was named an Attorney for the Year and to Minnesota Lawyer’s Circle of Excellence for his work on the Kendrea Johnson foster child suicide case, which resulted in a $1.5 Million Dollar settlement. In 2020, Jeff was again named an Attorney of the Year for his work on behalf of a family whose son was shot and killed by law enforcement.

Jeff was also previously part of a team of class counsel who obtained a $2 Million Dollar settlement for violations of the Drivers Privacy Protection Act — this settlement was reported to be the largest DPPA settlement in U.S. History.  In 2018, Jeff accomplished the rare feat of winning at the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals on back-to-back days in cases stemming from Jeff’s civil rights work in North and South Dakota.  Michael v. Trevena, 899 F.3d 528 (8th Cir. Aug. 7, 2018) (reversing D.N.D. opinion); Rokusek v. Jansen, 899 F.3d 544 (8th Cir. Aug. 8, 2018).

Jeff attended the University of St. Thomas School of Law, where he graduated magna cum laude and as one of the top ten students in his class.  In Spring 2016, Jeff served as an adjunct professor at St. Thomas, teaching Section 1983 Civil Rights Litigation.  Prior to Storms Dworak, Jeff was a partner at a different Minneapolis law firm.

Jeff comes from blue collar, New Jersey roots, but earned entry into the prestigious Blair Academy, where he was a Prep National Wrestling Champion for the #1 ranked high school wrestling team in the country. Jeff then attended Davidson College, graduating with honors and as the W.E.B. Dubois winner for the best sociology major in his graduating class.