Terri Ulku
(Bob's Assistant)
terri.ulku@fmjlaw.com
Whether a Fortune 500 executive, a CEO of an airline, or an entrepreneur in a start-up business, clients are proud to call Bob Fafinski their lawyer, their confidante and their friend. “Forging friendships with clients has many benefits,” says Bob. “By understanding clients and their businesses, I believe I can be a better advisor and help them make the most of their business opportunities.”
Bob’s expertise and his innate abilities to work with diverse groups of people have guided the success of hundreds of companies. “I emphasize practicality in my advice and negotiations,” he says. “I understand the global goals of my clients and implement them in workable solutions.”
Bob has been practicing law for over 30 years in the areas of corporate law, corporate finance, aviation, equipment leasing, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance and succession planning. Prior to founding Fafinski Mark & Johnson, he served as chair of the Business Law Department and on the management committee of one of Minnesota’s largest law firms.
Bob Fafinski has consistently been honored by peers as a “Super Lawyer” – an honor given to only the top lawyers in Minnesota. His peers have also named him a “Leading American Attorney,” he has been named one of the top 25 business lawyers in the state, he has been listed in Best Lawyers in America®, and he has been designated one of the world’s leading commercial aviation attorneys by a respected international aviation journal. In 2014, Bob received the Small Business Person of the Year award from the Eden Prairie Chamber of Commerce. He has been named to the “Who’s Who Legal: Transport” list for Aviation Finance every year since 2017.
University of St. Thomas (BA cum laude)
William Mitchell College of Law (JD)
Minnesota State Bar
US District Court, District of Minnesota
US Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit
Non-Profit Involvements:
For-Profit:
“My clients are my friends. By understanding their business, I can be a better advisor and help them make the most of their business opportunities. I emphasize practicality in my advice and negotiations. I understand the global goals of my client and implement them in workable solutions.”
Bob and his wife, Mary, have had five children: four boys and one very patient girl. Their oldest son, Rob, spent four years in the Marine Corps and served two tours in Afghanistan as an infantry platoon commander. Rob also practices law at Fafinski Mark & Johnson and was recently named a shareholder in the firm. Bob and Mary’s son, Jack, died of SIDS at the age of two months. Their only daughter, Katie, recently became a stay-at-home Mom and helps her husband, Tom, with his real estate management company. Joe is a published author, having written several books under the pen name, Joe Egan. Bob and Mary’s youngest son, Kevin (“Booey”), is an entrepreneur and just purchased a managed service provider (“MSP”) in Rochester, Minnesota, by the name of Computer Danamics.
Bob has many interests. Other than family and faith, his main interests are exercise, golf, and music. As a music guy, he has always been a die-hard Bruce Springsteen fan. Recently, at the urging of his kids, Bob “discovered” country music and now lists George Strait, Toby Keith, and Alan Jackson among his favorites. His discovery of country music explains why Bob now only drives black pick-up trucks. Bob is a fan of all Minnesota sports teams, but he still has a soft spot in his heart for the Chicago Cubs.
“My relationship over the years with Bob Fafinski has developed into a unique friendship. I have had the pleasure of working with Bob on a number of different occasions and I have found him to be a hard-working individual who embodies many of the core values which I so admire…integrity, honesty, diligence, and a commitment to excellence.”
– Rich Gannon, Former NFL MVP and current analyst for The NFL on CBS