Dillon M. White

Head of Business Development, Attorney

Minneapolis

612-672-3647

dwhite@messerlikramer.com

Assistant: Elizabeth Abbott

612-672-3638

Profile

Dillon White is an attorney in Messerli Kramer’s litigation group, where he focuses on complex, high-stakes cases that are venued throughout the country, often serving as co-counsel to represent clients in almost every state. His clients frequently seek him out in cases involving significant media attention, knowing that he has the ability to deftly handle both the media spotlight and the legal work.

In addition to his practice, Dillon also serves as the Director of Business Development at MK, where he helps to drive firm growth by overseeing client ineractions and working directly with his fellow attorneys on business planning, networking skills, go-to-market strategies, marketing tactics, and spotting client needs before even the client can.

In the former, Dillon partners with firms all over the country on a variety of high-stakes cases and in-the-news litigation files, and he is frequently brought in to assist in complicated matters that touch multiple issues and span jurisdictions. He has a deep background in mass torts, employment law, personal injury, discrimination, advertising and media law, medical malpractice, product liability, wrongful death, and Title IX, and he started his career representing victims of sexual assault and sexual harassment across a variety of institutional organizations and governmental entities.

In the latter, he works closely with each practice group in both the Minneapolis and St. Paul offices, differentiating his role from that of his counterparts in other firms by focusing on the particularized strategies of clients. Dillon meets regularly with businesses and individuals in Messerli Kramer’s legal portfolio and tries to learn their needs, situations, and aspirations, so that he can spot opportunities within both his and the firm’s network to drive client success. Using his background as both an attorney and an entrepreneur, Dillon is able to “speak the language” of both clients and lawyers.

Dillon’s approach to law is the same as his approach to business development — let the client lead the way, rather than the other way around. He strives to meet both his clients and his colleagues where they’re at, a byproduct of not only his legal background, but also his educational one, formerly serving as a constitutional law professor with a focus in the First Amendment, Fourth Amendment, Fifth Amendment, Sixth Amendment, and the Fourteenth Amendment — and currently authoring one of the most popular Substack publications on constitutional law.

Dillon is also a regular guest on local and national outlets for his opinions on the law as they relate to current events, primarily due to his status on social media. With a following of over 6 million people across platforms, Dillon is more commonly known as dadchats, where he operates one of the largest individual social media presences in Minnesota, including the biggest legal platform.

Publications and Presentations

Publications 

  • Author, On Law & Littles, a top 15 Constitutional Law Substack
  • Co-Author, “Understanding Minnesota’s Big Law Wave,” Bench & Bar, May 2024
  • Co-Author, “What the FTC’s Non-Compete Final Rule Means for Businesses,” March 2024
  • Co-Author, “Navigating the Corporate Transparency Act,” January 2024
  • Co-Author, “Minnesota’s Legislative Updates, Explained,” August 2023
  • Co-Author, “Contract Law in Franchise Operations,” October 2021
  • Contributing Author, “Advertising and Commercial Speech: A First Amendment Guide,” 2016

Presentations 

  • Keynote Speaker, Annual Riverfront Celebration, Volunteer Lawyers Network (Upcoming)
  • Presenter, “The Power of Storytelling in Growing a Business or Brand,” MNYP, May 2024
  • Guest Host, Fox 9 Good Day Morning Show, May 2024
  • Presenter, “So…Is TikTok Banned?” Slate Magazine, April 2024
  • Guest, “The Problem with the TikTok Ban,” Minnesota Public Radio (MPR), March 2024
  • Guest, Yahoo News, February 2024
  • Guest, The Today Show, February 2024
  • Presenter, “The State of Free Speech on College Campuses,” WORT Radio, January 2024
  • Guest, Newsweek, October 2023
  • Guest, The Independent, August 2023
Professional and Community

Admissions 

  • Minnesota
  • U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota

Community 

  • Board of Directors, Member, Best Christmas Ever
  • Board of Directors, Member, Twin Cities Film Festival
  • Donated over $1.3 million to charitable causes since 2023 by partnering with brands on social media to direct profits and commissions directly to registered 501(c)(3)’s
  • Direct a private charitable fund that helps pay lawyer fees for low-income mothers seeking child custody in complex family law cases
  • Head Coach, Speech and Debate, 2013 – 2023
    • 8-time National Championship winning coach

Representative Experience
  • Co-counsel on prominent Multi-District Litigation (MDL) out of the Northern District of Florida, representing a significant portion of the thousands of affected women in a multi-state product liability lawsuit, with represented plaintiffs covering almost every state.
  • Co-counsel on prominent Multi-District Litigation (MDL) involving a large number of sexual assault claims against a rideshare company
  • Co-counsel in wrongful death lawsuit involving a major hospital network out of Colorado
  • Co-counsel in multiple state-based Human Rights Act cases involving improper terminations out of New York, Illinois, and more, from major national and international corporations
  • Co-counsel in multiple high-profile lawsuits involving a popular diet drug and its life-altering side effects on plaintiffs’ nervous systems
  • Co-counsel on a wrongful death lawsuit involving a nursing home out of Kansas and Medicaid bed hold policies
  • Co-counsel on a wrongful death lawsuit involving a nursing home out of Florida and the treatment of its residents
  • Represented the victim of sexual assault against a major University under Title IX, finding fault with both the assaulter and the University’s improper handling of the grievances
  • Represented the victim of retaliation by a corporate HR department for reporting sexual assault by a colleague, finding fault with the organization
  • Represented a healthcare worker in her improper termination by a hospital after disclosing her medical status