'That's not me,' divorce lawyer with same name as Chauvin attorney clarifies

With the Derek Chauvin trial coming to an end on Tuesday, attorney Eric Nelson can look forward to a break.

Oh, no, not that one, the other one.

That would be Eric C. Nelson, a family law attorney who has been practicing in Minneapolis since 1996.

Due to his choice of profession, more than a few people appear to have been mistaking the divorce attorney for the namesake representing Chauvin, prompting this message on Nelson's website.

"[NOTE: IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR THE ERIC NELSON WHO IS REPRESENTING DEREK CHAUVIN, THAT'S NOT ME. YOU WANT THIS GUY. (Welcome to Minnesota, where the name Eric Nelson is as common as walleye sandwiches. I wish my parents had named me Thor instead. Then I wouldn't have this problem)].

Unfortunately, this case of mistaken identity has resulted in Nelson being on the receiving end of a deluge of calls and emails, a not insignificant number of which are hateful.

He told TMZ this past week he's received abusive voicemails – some of which he shared with TMZ – and even a veiled threat about his practice that he reported to the police. 

He's not wrong about Nelson being "as common as walleye sandwiches," given it's a derivation of Scandinavian names such as Nilsen, Nielsen, and Nilsson that were brought to Minnesota during the great migration in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Combine that with the popularity of "Eric" as a first name in Minnesota – this nifty name tool from the Star Tribune shows it was pretty darn popular between 1970 and 1990 – then you end up with a fair number of middle-aged "Eric Nelsons" in the state.

For Eric Nelson, attorney for Derek Chauvin, his work isn't yet done as his client prepares a likely appeal against his conviction. There's also the matter of sentencing for the murder of Floyd in eight weeks' time.