James Lavoie

James Lavoie is of counsel at Meshbesher and Spence, representing individuals injured and families who have lost loved ones. He served as Mille Lacs County Attorney from 1978 to 1985, prosecuting financial crimes, murder, rape, and child sexual abuse, then practiced in St. Cloud before moving to Minneapolis in 1991 to focus on civil litigation. Before law, he flew as an Army helicopter pilot with the 101st Airborne during the Vietnam War (1970-1971) and later worked as an agricultural crop-dusting pilot. He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Minnesota (1973) and earned his J.D. cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School (1977). He volunteers as a mock trial coach and serves on the Milaca Scholarship Foundation board.