The Firm
Abriter PLLC represents residential property owners, management companies, and other housing professionals. With decades of experience behind them, Abriter attorneys are in court just about every business day, advocating for housing clients in eviction actions, rent escrow actions, and other cases.
Beyond the courtroom, Abriter has a proven track record of successfully defending fair housing complaints. Abriter attorneys also draft leases and other important documents, conduct trainings, and provide advice and counsel to its housing clients on a daily basis.
Robin Ann Williams
Attorney
Laurel Pugh
Attorney
Kerri Nelson
Attorney
Peter B. Wagner
Attorney
Hayden W. Rutan
Attorney
Ian Cady
Attorney
Anna Nutting
Paralegal
Sarah Wolff
Paralegal
Andrew Carlson
Paralegal
Madeline Schwanke
Paralegal
Tammie Poquette
Paralegal
Gina M. Zimney
Paralegal
Collette Bassi
Paralegal
Robin Ann Williams
Attorney
“Don’t be afraid. Just play the music.” – Charlie Parker
Robin Ann has been a landlord-tenant attorney and litigator for more than 30 years. She has represented property owners, management companies, and other housing professionals in every manner of disputes with residents, including eviction actions, rent escrow actions, emergency proceedings, and fair housing complaints. She has a strong background in complex litigation, having been involved in some of the most high-profile trust matters and insurance coverage cases in Minnesota.
Robin Ann has deep experience with federal regulations that govern subsidized and tax-credit properties, including the Violence Against Women Act, and rarely a week goes by when she isn’t advising clients about assistance animals (aka service animals and emotional support animals). Her favorite assistance animal request ever… was for a companion tarantula. When not in court, she’s busy drafting leases, resident handbooks, and other forms for clients.
Robin Ann’s forte is public speaking. Her second-best days are spent conducting trainings for clients and industry groups. An inveterate teller of war stories and a natural-born comedian (she comes by her name honestly), Robin Ann sprinkles humor and real-life examples in her training materials, keeping her presentations relevant, fun, and entertaining. Her first-best days are spent playing with her three dogs, Lulu, Bogart, and Clover. (Abriter is a firm of dog lovers.)
EDUCATION
- University of Minnesota Law School, J.D., cum laude
- Texas Christian University, B.A., magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa
PROFESSIONAL AND CIVIC INVOLVEMENT
- Minnesota Multi Housing Association
- Board Member, 2015-2017
- Minnesota State Bar Association
- Hennepin County Bar Association
- Volunteer Lawyers Network Housing Law Committee, 2006-present
- Central Minnesota Legal Services Board Member, 2007-2022
- The McKnight Foundation’s Minneapolis Landlord/Tenant Initiative, 2015-2019
- The Fund for Legal Aid Board Member, 2013-2018
ACCOLADES
- Extraordinary Volunteer Leadership Award, Minnesota Multi Housing Association, 2024
- LegalCORPS 2021 Special Project of the Year, Small Business Landlord Clinic
- Diversity & Inclusion honoree, Minnesota Lawyer, 2017
- The Best Lawyers in America©, Insurance Law, 2015-2018 and Commercial Litigation, 2016-2018
- Minnesota Super Lawyers list, Super Lawyers, 2002-present
- Minnesota Super Lawyers Top 50 Women list, Super Lawyers, 2011-2016, 2018
- Minnesota Super Lawyers Top 100 Women list, Super Lawyers, 2005-2009
- Top 100 Minnesota Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers, 2012, 2016
- Rated AV Preeminent® by Martindale-Hubbell
Laurel Pugh
Attorney
Laurel has practiced both employment law and landlord-tenant law for 20 years. She is a bulldog trial attorney, with a strong record of successfully evicting residents engaged in serious lease violations. She is an invaluable asset to her landlord clients, able to advise them both on complex landlord-tenant disputes and on employment law matters.
Laurel frequently guides human resources personnel and general counsel through sensitive personnel matters – often training management, staff, and counsel on risk management and loss prevention strategies.
She conducts fair housing and employment investigations and responds to EEOC complaints, HUD fair housing complaints, and Minnesota Department of Human Rights charges.
EDUCATION
- University of Minnesota Law School, J.D.
- University of Washington, B.A.
ACCOLADES
- Minnesota Super Lawyers list, Super Lawyers, 2013-present
PROFESSIONAL AND CIVIC INVOLVEMENT
- Minnesota Multi Housing Association
- Minnesota State Bar Association
- Hennepin County Bar Association
- Kappa Delta Sorority Alumni Association
Kerri Nelson
Attorney
“The presence of those seeking the truth is infinitely to be preferred to the presence of those who think they’ve found it.” – Terry Pratchett
Kerri Nelson has been an attorney for 20 years, during which she has practiced primarily in the areas of landlord-tenant, employment, and insurance coverage law. She is Arbiter’s go-to attorney to defend fair housing claims and advise on fair housing investigations and risk management.
Analytical and practical, Kerri has first-chaired jury trials in both state and federal court and has argued cases before the Minnesota Court of Appeals. Kerri loves thinking deeply about the law – reading, writing, and research are her strong suits. She also enjoys travelling, reading science fiction, and – most important – spending time with her family, including her dog Boris. Kerri’s love of travel and family coalesced when she married her husband while they were scuba diving, 35 feet underwater in the Florida Keys.
EDUCATION
- William Mitchell College of Law (now Mitchell Hamline School of Law), J.D., magna cum laude
- Gustavus Adolphus College, B.A., cum laude
PROFESSIONAL AND CIVIC INVOLVEMENT
- Washburn High School Arts Council, Co-Chair, 2022-present
- Free-Daptive Divers, Board President, 2018-2021
- Minnesota Multi Housing Association
- Minnesota State Bar Association
- Hennepin County Bar Association
- Board of Directors, 2009-2016
- Civil Litigation Section, Chair/Co-Chair 2009-2016
- Finance and Planning Committee Chair 2012-2013
ACCOLADES
- Minnesota Super Lawyers list, Super Lawyers, 2020-present
- Minnesota Rising Stars list, Minnesota Super Lawyers, 2013-2016
- Up and Coming Attorney, Minnesota Lawyer, 2013
RECENT PRESENTATIONS
- Landlord-Tenant Law, The Complete Real Estate Lawyer, Minnesota CLE, 2023
- Landlord-Tenant Law, The Complete Lawyer, Minnesota CLE 2022
- Insurance Law Essentials: Construction Litigation Coverage, Minnesota CLE, 2019
- Insurance Law: Bad Faith & Wrongful Refusal to Settle, Minnesota CLE 2019
Peter B. Wagner
Attorney
Peter joined Abriter after serving as a judicial law clerk in Minnesota’s largest housing court. He has developed a niche practice in assisting clients with fraud investigations required for HUD Handbook 4350.3 properties. He also handles a high volume of nonpayment evictions for clients throughout Minnesota. He has created systems at Abriter that track all eviction actions filed by Abriter and that detect bankruptcies filed by renters.
Peter is a native of rural northwest Minnesota and enjoys exploring Minnesota’s wilderness while camping and backpacking with his dog, Scout. Before law school, Peter was a craft cocktail bartender in Minneapolis, so let him know if you need an assist at the holiday party.
EDUCATION
- University of Richmond Law School, J.D.
- University of St. Thomas, B.A.
PROFESSIONAL AND CIVIC INVOLVEMENT
- Minnesota Multi Housing Association
- Minnesota State Bar Association
- Hennepin County Bar Association
Hayden W. Rutan
Attorney
Hayden earned his J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School, where he served as a Senior Note and Comment Editor of the Wisconsin Law Review and interned at the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
Hayden gained extensive legal experience as a judicial law clerk for two judges in Hennepin County, the state’s largest and busiest trial court. In that role, he worked on a wide range of civil litigation matters, providing him with a strong foundation for his practice as a litigator. At Abriter, Hayden practices in all areas of housing law.
In his free time, Hayden enjoys being outdoors and reading science fiction. Hayden competed as an amateur boxer up until law school, and his current endeavor is teaching his wife how to ski.
EDUCATION
- University of Wisconsin Law School, J.D., cum laude, Order of the Coif
- Macalester College, B.A.
PROFESSIONAL AND CIVIC INVOLVEMENT
- Minnesota Multi-Housing Association
- Minnesota State Bar Association
- Ramsey County Bar Association
Ian Cady
Attorney
Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Ian has now made Minnesota his home. Prior to Abriter, Ian worked for legal aid, where he primarily represented residential tenants in landlord-tenant disputes. With this experience, Ian brings valuable perspectives and insights into how tenants view and process various housing matters. He has years of housing court experience and now represents landlords in all manner of disputes with tenants.
Ian enjoys outdoor activities and being surrounded by nature. In the warm weather months, he is often hiking, fishing, and tending to his garden. During the winter, you can find Ian improving his curling skills at his local curling club.
EDUCATION
- University of Idaho College of Law, J.D.
- Oregon State University, B.A., cum laude
PROFESSIONAL AND CIVIC INVOLVEMENT
- Minnesota Multi Housing Association
- Minnesota State Bar Association
- Beltrami County Bar Association
- Bi-County Community Action Programs (BI-CAP) – Board Member, 2025-present
- Bemidji Housing Collaborative
- Bemidji Curling Club
Anna Nutting
Paralegal
Before joining Abriter in 2021, Anna worked as a property manager in affordable housing for 14 years. When she decided to make a career move, Abriter snapped her up.
Anna leads Abriter’s efforts in drafting nonpayment eviction actions. With her strong background in property management for an affordable housing provider, she is fully acquainted with pre-filing notice requirements that apply to many subsidized housing providers. Anna also coordinates sheriff moveouts in counties across the state of Minnesota.
Most of Anna’s free time is spent driving her kids to loads of activities and attending her son’s football and baseball games.
EDUCATION:
- Augsburg University, B.A.
Sarah Wolff
Paralegal
“If your dreams don’t scare you, they are too small.” – Richard Branson, businessman
Sarah has spent more than 20 years in the corporate world gaining experience across diverse, exciting industries as an Administrative Assistant, Paralegal, Legal Administrative Assistant and C-Suite Executive Assistant. Most recently, after nearly three years of running her own virtual executive assistant business, Sarah joined Abriter in May 2023 as a paralegal.
When she is not working, you can find her spending time with family around a campfire, in the garden, or at horse shows. Come winter, Sarah and her family look forward to snowmobiling and ice fishing.
EDUCATION:
- Minneapolis Business College
- Minnesota Paralegal Institute
Andrew Carlson
Paralegal
Andrew joined Abriter in 2024. He previously worked in court operations and experienced first-hand Hennepin County Housing Court’s record-setting year for eviction filings in 2023. When he decided to dive deeper into the legal profession, Abriter was the clear choice. He leverages experience from multiple industries to develop creative solutions and is always looking to improve systems and processes to better serve clients. Andrew handles all aspects of eviction filings for Abriter.
Andrew’s main interests are accidentally alliterative: beer, burgers, and board games. He’s your guy if you need a recommendation for any of them; just make sure to block out the rest of your afternoon.
EDUCATION:
- University of Minnesota, B.A.
Madeline Schwanke
Paralegal
“Integrity and kindness are the foundation of all I do, both professionally and personally.”
Madeline Schwanke joined Abriter after a career in property management. With experience managing a wide variety of properties, both market-rate and subsidized, Madeline brings a practical perspective to her work as a paralegal. Madeline’s background provides a strong foundation for understanding leasing documents, spotting compliance issues in subsidized housing, and appreciating challenges faced by property management professionals.
At Abriter, Madeline focuses on investigating and drafting non-payment and breach eviction actions. She also coordinates sheriff moveouts.
Outside of work, Madeline enjoys spending time at the lake with her family, camping, and backpacking throughout Minnesota’s state parks. She also dabbles in all things crafty, including cooking and baking. She has a keen interest in true crime as well.
EDUCATION:
- St. Cloud Technical and Community College
Tammie Poquette
Paralegal
Tammie joined Abriter in 2025, bringing with her a unique combination of experience from Hennepin County Housing Court and years spent clerking in libraries. This blend has sharpened her eye for detail and fueled a methodical approach to organizing and managing complex information. Having seen the impact of rising eviction filings firsthand, she was drawn to Abriter’s mission and the opportunity to be part of a team focused on innovative, client-centered legal work.
Outside of work, Tammie finds joy in the quiet satisfaction of a well-organized shelf, the thrill of a caterpillar in her garden, and the discovery of new boba shops around the city. Ask her about library classification systems at your own risk – she might actually convince you it’s exciting.
EDUCATION:
- Minneapolis Community and Technical College
Gina M. Zimney
Paralegal
Gina joined Abriter in 2025, after honing her paralegal skills in international patent and trademark law. Gina has a keen eye for detail and a strong commitment to delivering exceptional service to her clients. At Abriter, she helps process eviction actions and coordinates sheriff moveouts for clients.
She is an alumna of the University of St. Thomas, where she was a member of the inaugural women’s varsity hockey team. In her leisure time, Gina enjoys getting lost in books and traveling to the North Shore, where she loves to explore hiking trails and amazing restaurants with her children. Recently, she has taken on the project of transforming sections of her backyard into a haven for native wildflowers, to bolster the pollinator population. She is most at home when she is digging in the dirt and connecting with nature.
EDUCATION:
- University of St. Thomas, B.A.
Collette Bassi
Paralegal
“Travel light, live light, spread the light, be the light.” – Yogi Bhajan
Before joining Abriter in 2025, Collette worked as a paralegal for a criminal prosecution team, and, prior to that, for a civil defense firm. Collette is always willing to jump in and handle any task and excels at research and organization. At Abriter, Collette focuses on investigating and drafting breach eviction actions.
In her free time, Collette can be found river kayaking, hiking, and exploring new places with her family. She has a passion for both plants and animals and has a home filled to the brim with both. Collette also spends time volunteering in her community, planning town events, and raising money for charitable organizations.
EDUCATION:
- Inver Hills Community College, paralegal certificate