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Local Lawyers Who Make You Feel Like Family

Local Lawyers Who Make You Feel Like Family

Areas of Practice

BANKRUPTCY

CRIMINAL
DEFENSE

FAMILY
LAW

PERSONAL
INJURY

Real_Estate_(101) [Converted]-01

LANDLORD/TENANT

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Stephen L. Heller

Owner & President
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Robert Thyen

Partner
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Justin Braulick

Attorney
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JR Spangler

Attorney
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Alexander Michael Gutnik

Associate Attorney
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Jessica Mikkelson

Attorney

Dana

“Fast, efficient and friendly! Would and will recommend to everyone I know who needs an attorney. Very pleased how smooth the process was!”
★★★★★ 5/5

Brian

“Heller and Thyen were very informative in helping me decide what type of bankruptcy to file and how the process works. I will recommend them to anyone who needs financial help.”
★★★★★ 5/5

Jason

“Robb was very professional about my case and treated me like a real person who needed help. I would recommend him to anyone who needs legal help.” –
★★★★★ 5/5

Mandy

“Heller & Thyen were truly wornderful to work with! It’s so helpful to have always lawyers that truly care about the people who they are working with.”
★★★★★ 5/5

At Heller & Thyen, we understand how stressful it can be for the average person to navigate our complex legal system. When you meet with us, we don’t want you to feel like you’re talking to a lawyer; we want you to feel like you’re talking to someone who cares. Our attorneys practice in many different areas of law, including bankruptcy, personal injury, family law and criminal defense. We modify our legal representation for each client in order to simplify the process of taking legal action and help them achieve the best possible outcome.

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Stephen L. Heller

Owner & President

For over 30 years, Stephen has been helping people navigate the legal system to ensure that their rights are protected, and they get the compensation they deserve after being injured by someone else’s negligence.  Stephen is compassionate, dedicated, and hard-working.  

Stephen has been recognized by his peers as a Super Lawyer.  He is a member of the Minnesota Association of Justice and the past-president of the John E. Simonett American Inns of Court.

Stephen is a 1993 graduate of William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul and a 1990 graduate of the College of St. Thomas.  He is licensed to practice law in Minnesota and California.  He is also admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota.

Stephen has represented thousands of clients, helping them receive millions of dollars in compensation for injuries involving motor vehicle accidents, dog attacks, dangerous premises claims, and other negligence claims.

Stephen has handled nearly one thousand arbitrations under the Minnesota No-Fault Act, both as an advocate for his injured clients and as a neutral arbitrator.

Stephen has also helped thousands of clients obtain debt relief and financial stability through bankruptcy.  He has practiced bankruptcy law for over 25 years.

Because of his unique experience in handling personal injury and bankruptcy law, Stephen is often consulted by other attorneys on cases where clients have been exposed to financial peril due to having insufficient insurance to cover the damages caused by another person’s negligence.

Education:
B.A. College of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota 1990
J.D. William Mitchell College of Law, St. Paul, MN 1993

Professional Associations:
Minnesota Association of Justice
Minnesota State Bar Association
Stearns/Benton Bar Association
American Bankruptcy Institute
National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys
John E. Simonett Inns of Court -Past President

Bar Admissions:
California 1994
Minnesota 1994
United States District Court – District of Minnesota 1997

Honors & Distinctions:
Named a SuperLawyer by Minnesota Law & Politics Magazine

result of the negligence of others. Stephen also gets deep satisfaction in helping people with financial difficulties be able to obtain a fresh start and transform their lives.

Robert Thyen

Partner

Robert is currently practicing in the areas of consumer and commercial bankruptcies representing debtors. He has been practicing law in St. Cloud since starting with Heller & Thyen in 2002. His initial practice included handling personal injury cases on behalf of the injured. He successfully litigated cases that the insurance companies were not willing to settle fairly.

Presently, Robert’s practice consists of representing debtors in consumer and commercial bankruptcies. He believes in taking the time to get to know his client and their situation. His background in alternative dispute resolution enables him to effectively and efficiently achieve favorable outcomes for his clients.

Education:
B.A. Saint Cloud State University, St Cloud, Minnesota, 1999
J.D. Hamline University School of Law, St. Paul, Minnesota, 2002
Certificate in Alternative Dispute Resolution

Professional Associations:
Minnesota State Bar Association
Stearns/Benton Bar Association
Inns of Court

Bar Admissions:
Minnesota 2002
United States District Court 2004

Justin Braulick

Attorney

Justin Braulick is an experienced personal injury lawyer and criminal defense attorney. Mr. Braulick represents clients in the areas of criminal defense, family law and personal injury. Mr. Braulick fights for the best outcome by providing assertive, diligent and aggressive representation. You will receive the attention, respect, and compassion you deserve.

Justin is admitted to practice in Minnesota State Court as well as Federal United States District Court for the District of Minnesota. Previously, Justin worked as a therapist with clients who struggled with sexual issues along with mental disorders.

Education:

The University of St. Thomas School of Law, J.D.
St. Cloud State University, M.S., B.S.

Professional Associations and Memberships:

National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
Minnesota Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
Minnesota Association for Justice
Minnesota State Bar Association
Stearns/Benton Bar Association
President of the John E. Simonett American Inn of Court

Areas of Expertise:

Personal Injury, Criminal Defense & Family Law

Read about Justin on Avvo

JR Spangler

Attorney

JR is an experienced family law & criminal defense attorney.

JR began practicing law in 1991 in California where he primarily handled personal injury and civil dispute matters. He moved to Minnesota in 2002 with his wife who is from St. Cloud. His practice expanded to include, and now emphasizes, Family Law and Criminal Defense.

JR believes it is important that different angles and viewpoints are considered when working to get quality results for the clients. He prides himself on working closely with clients to understand what is important for them and know that they would not be seeking help if they did not have an important problem to solve.

Education:

University of Colorado – Boulder (B.A. 1981)
University of San Diego School of Law (J.D. 1991)

Professional Associations and Memberships:

Minnesota State Bar Association
Stearns-Benton County Bar Association
Past Participant of John E. Simonett Chapter of American Inns of Court
Licensed to practice in California

Areas of Expertise:

Family Law, Criminal Defense, Personal Injury & Contractual Disputes

Alexander M. Gutnik

Associate Attorney
Alexander is an experienced family law, employment law, criminal defense, and housing law attorney. In addition, he has successful results in the areas of unemployment insurance benefits, criminal expungements, and Department of Human Services and professional licensing boards. Alexander is accepting family law mediations to assist parties with a resolution prior to a final decision before a judge.
Prior to Heller & Thyen, P.A., Alexander was a Staff Attorney with Central Minnesota Legal Services. He provided quality legal services to a financially eligible population in Stearns County and eight other Minnesota counties. He has lived in St. Cloud since 2018 and is a rooted member of the community.
Alexander has an instant way with connecting with his clients. He offers an empathetic ear, has a firm command of the law, and provides an honest and objective evaluation to each case. Because of these qualities, Alexander collaboratively works with his clients, and his enthusiasm allows him to tell his clients story persuasively to achieve the best result.

Education:
University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD. Political Science, B.A.
Mitchell Hamline School of Law, St. Paul, MN. Juris Doctor

Professional Associations and Memberships:
Minnesota State Bar Association
Minnesota Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
Stearns Benton Bar Association, President
Volunteer Attorney Program, Attorney and Mediator
Tau Kappa Epsilon, Theta-Eta Chapter, Alumni

Bar Admission:
Minnesota (State and Federal Court)

Areas of Expertise:
Family Law, Employment Law, Criminal Law, Housing Law, and Professional Licensing Boards.

Jessica Mikkelson

Jessica Mikkelson is an experienced attorney who has tireless advocate for families for many years. Ms. Mikkelson represents clients in all areas of family law, from divorce, custody, parenting time, and child support to grandparents’ rights, third-party custody, and child protection. Ms. Mikkelson also represents landlords in eviction and other landlord-tenant matters and does criminal expungements.
Before joining Heller and Thyen, Ms. Mikkelson worked as an associate attorney at Toepfer at Law, a staff attorney at Central Minnesota Legal Services, and a staff attorney at Homeline, a tenant defense, and advocacy organization. This work has given Ms. Mikkelson a deep understanding of the various challenges confronting families and individuals at different points in their lives.
Ms. Mikkelson recognizes that every family and situation is unique and requires individualized attention and care. Rather than offer one-size-fits-all legal advice, Ms. Mikkelson works collaboratively with clients to craft the specific desired outcome.
Professional Memberships and Associations

Minnesota State Bar Association (MSBA)
MSBA Family Law Section
Stearns-Benton County Bar Association (SBBA)

Bar Admission

Minnesota
United States District Court for the District of Minnesota

Areas of Expertise
Family Law, Child Protection Law, Landlord-Tenant Law, & Criminal Expungement
Education

Hamline University, Juris Doctor, May 2013
Arizona State University, Bachelor of Science, summa cum laude