David Madgett

David "Dave" Madgett is a practicing attorney, former U.S. Air Force officer, and the author of twelve published books spanning legal nonfiction, political commentary, literary fiction, and young adult adventure.

A first-generation lawyer from Minneapolis, Madgett has built a career around the conviction that the legal system should work for everyone — not just those with the resources to fight back. He has always had a taste for high-stakes situations, though not all of them legal — as a college student studying abroad, he decided the best way to see London was from the outside of a skyscraper on the way down. The Metropolitan Police disagreed. The dean's reprimand letter still hangs in his office, which he considers one of his finer accomplishments. He delivered his high school commencement speech to nearly 800 students, an audience he managed to address without incident.

Madgett earned his law degree from the University of Virginia and served as an officer in the U.S. Air Force, where he held the position of Chief of Military Justice — investigating fraud and negotiating major defense contracts. He is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court. He founded Madgett Law in Minneapolis, a firm that now employs over 100 people, where he has represented more than 3000 clients over two decades in consumer protection law, taking on forced arbitration clauses and corporate accountability failures on behalf of individuals and families.

His legal nonfiction draws directly from the courtroom. The Rigged Court exposes the shadow legal system of forced arbitration, where corporations use fine-print clauses to strip consumers of their constitutional right to a jury trial. Verified as Accurate takes aim at the absurdity of the American credit reporting system, chronicling the procedural labyrinth consumers face when trying to correct errors under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. He has also authored four comprehensive practitioner guides — Criminal Law in Minnesota, Collection Law in Minnesota, Asset Protection from Creditors in Minnesota, and Minnesota Real Estate Law — as well as Foreclosure Defense Law in Minnesota, written for attorneys, legal aid lawyers, and pro se homeowners alike.

Beyond the law, Madgett writes fiction that reflects his sense of place and his instinct for narrative tension. The Long Game is a geopolitical thriller spanning NSA signals intelligence, Chinese military operations, and Taiwan Strait tensions. His young adult novels — Beneath the Houses, The Symbols of Stone, and The Symbols of Superior — are adventure stories set in Minnesota's Boundary Waters and the historic port city of Duluth, weaving together hidden tunnels, ancient Ojibwe symbols, and the spirit of discovery. In political nonfiction, The Pragmatic Progressive offers an independent policy vision from a former Democrat and practicing attorney, tackling everything from AI and the economy to healthcare, education, and institutional reform.

Madgett is the father of five children and lives in Minneapolis. He believes the law remains the best mechanism for holding the powerful accountable — and that a good story can do the same.