John Guthmann’s practice focuses on resolving disputes as a mediator, arbitrator, and court-appointed special master. He is a qualified neutral under Rule 114 of the Minnesota General Rules of Practice on both the Civil Adjudicative/Evaluative and Civil Facilitative/Hybrid rosters.
Prior to joining Larson • King, John served as a trial court judge in Minnesota’s Second Judicial District from 2008-2024. After being appointed to the bench in 2008, his assignments included co-presiding judge in Ramsey County Mental Health Court and selection by the Chief Justice as Presiding Judge for Minnesota’s Asbestos Litigation from 2014-2020. He was elected Chief Judge by his peers in 2016 and served until 2020. In 2024, he was appointed Acting Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court for the case of MacDonald v. Simon.
John graduated from Cornell College in 1976 with a double major in history and political science. He received his JD from Mitchell Hamline School of Law in 1980. During law school, he was Editor-in-Chief of the Mitchell Hamline Law Review and clerked for Hennepin County District Court Judge Harold Kalina.
After clerking for Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Sheran, John practiced for 27 years with the Hansen Dordell law firm. In 2003-2004 he served as President of the Ramsey County Bar Association.
John has written and lectured frequently throughout his career. He has taught at Mitchell Hamline School of Law and he currently co-teaches an ADR course at the University of Minnesota Law School.
John is presently a member of the Civil Jury Instruction Guide Committee, the chair of the Minnesota District Judges Foundation Finance Committee, and co-chair of the Minnesota District Judges Association Safety Committee.
Representative Types of Cases Handled as an Attorney or Judge
Automobile negligence
Condemnation
Construction design and defect
Defamation
Employment
Environmental
Insurance coverage
Natural gas explosions
Personal injury
Premises liability
Product liability
Professional liability
Sexual abuse of minors by clergy or teachers
Workers’ compensation
Law School
Mitchell Hamline School of Law (formerly William Mitchell College of Law), J.D., 1980
Editor-in-Chief, Mitchell Hamline Law Review (formerly William Mitchell Law Review)
Faculty Award of Merit, 1980
St. Paul Jaycees College Court of Honor, 1980
West Publ. Co. Scholarship Award – Outstanding Third Year Law Student
College
Cornell College, Mount Vernon, IA, B.A., double major in history and political science, 1976
President, Delta Phi Rho Fraternity
Professional Associations
Member, American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) (invitation-only organization) (2010 – present)
Member, Minnesota District Judges Foundation
Board of Directors (2014 – 2024)
Chair, Finance Committee (2016 – present)
Member, Minnesota District Judges Association
Board of Directors (2012 – 2014)
Member, Judicial Safety Committee (2023 – 2024)
Co-Chair, Judicial Safety Committee (2024 – present)
Member, Warren E. Burger Inn of Court (2008 – present)
Member, Ramsey County Bar Association (1981 – present)
President (2003 – 2004)
Board of Directors (1998 – 2005)
Chair, Civil Litigation Section
Bench and Bar Benefit Committee
Member, Minnesota State Bar Association (1981 – present)
Elected by the RCBA to the Minnesota State Bar Association Assembly (2007 – 2013)
Community Involvement
Northern Star Council, Scouting America – Board member and past board chair
North Star Museum of Boy Scouting and Girl Scouting – Board member and past board chair
PACER Center, Inc. – Board member and past board president
St. Paul Rotary Club – Member and past board president
Bar Admission
State of Minnesota
U.S. District Court, Minnesota District (inactive)
State of Wisconsin (inactive)
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin (inactive)
U.S. District Court, Western District of Wisconsin (inactive)
Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals (inactive)
Honors & Awards
Minnesota District Judges Association President’s Award in recognition of “his dedicated commitment and leadership in helping to pass the 2024 Judicial and Court Staff Safety and Privacy Act” (2024)
Lifetime Judicial Excellence Award – Minnesota Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) (2024)
Minnesota District Judges Foundation President’s Award recognizing “dedicated service to the Minnesota District Judges Association and Foundation as a member since 2008” (2023)
Virginia B. Kunz Award Honorable Mention. Second place recognition for best Ramsey County History Magazine article in 2020-2021 for Clara Anderson v. City of St. Paul: A Woman’s Fight to Save Her Job in the Face of Discrimination, Vol. 55, No. 1, Ramsey County History Magazine (Spring 2020)
Member and convening judge of the Second Judicial District Housing Court Workgroup that received the A.M. “Sandy” Keith Alternative Dispute Resolution Award from The Dispute Resolution Center (2017)
Marcy S. Wallace Excellence in Leadership Award—Mitchell Hamline Law Review (2015)
St. Paul Highland Park High School Hall of Fame (2010)
Named a “Super Lawyer” by Minnesota Law & Politics magazine (2001 – 2005) and “Top 40” workers’ compensation attorney (2007)
Listed in “America’s Registry of Outstanding Professionals” and “Leading American Attorneys” (2001)
“Volunteer Hall of Fame” – Minneapolis/St. Paul Magazine (2001)
Norma G. Hexter Award – Outstanding Volunteer – PACER Center, Inc. (1999)
Eagle Scout (1968)
Selected Publications & Presentations
Minnesota Rag: Scandal Sheets, Prior Restraint, and How Minneapolis Gangsters Helped Save the First Amendment. Minnesota District Judges Foundation 2024 Fall Educational Conference. Co-presenter with Senior Judge Mary Yunker.
Judicial Commentary for Chapters 4, 6-7, 10 & 12, Minnesota State District Court Civil Practice Deskbook (MN CLE 4th ed. 2024).
Bartenders Wanted/Women Need Not Apply. Presented on several occasions including: Minnesota Bar Association, 2024 Tenth District One Profession CLE Event; Minnesota Association of Verbatim Reporters and Captioners 2024 Spring Seminar; Minnesota Association for Justice 2024 Mid-Winter Meeting; Minnesota District Judges Foundation 2023 Fall Educational Conference; Amdahl Inn of Court (2023); Tri-Bar CLE Sponsored by MSBA, HCBA, and RCBA (2022); and the Ramsey County Historical Society (2021).
You Be the Judge! Expert Medical Opinions—An Evidentiary Quiz Show. 2022 Workers’ Compensation Institute, Minnesota CLE, Minnesota State Bar Association. Co-presenter with Jerry Sisk and Katherine Vanhavermaet.
Summary Judgment: The End of the Road or Just Another Hairpin Curve? Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association 2018 Mid-Winter Celebration.
A Case Study of Weis v. Diocese of Duluth, 2019 Masters of Trial Advocacy Retreat, Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County, PA. Co-presenter with attorneys Jeff Anderson and Susan Gaertner.
Asbestos Litigation Update. Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association Mid-Winter Celebration (2018) and West Metro CLE (2019).
How to Manage a Civil Case from Start to Finish. 2017-2024 Honorable Tammi A. Fredrickson New Judge Orientation, Minnesota Judicial Branch. Co-presenter with Judge Eric Hylden.
New Rules of Civil Procedure – Uninsured, Underinsured, No-Fault Insurance and Bodily Injury Update, MN CLE, Minnesota State Bar Association (2014)
Co-Author with Judge Jack Van de North, 2nd Judicial District Condemnation Proceedings Handbook (2013)