Top best Employment Lawyers Near me in ZIP 55402

Todd Sorensen is a Senior Associate in the Seattle office, where his practice focuses on commercial litigation, employment, insurance and education law.  Mr. Sorensen has experience representing national and international corporations in a wide variety of complex contract, intellectual property, and business tort litigation.  As an employment attorney, he advises and represents cities, schools and private entities on issues ranging from discrimination and retaliation to employee manuals, contracts, and trade secrets litigation.  Mr. Sorensen also represents both insureds and insurers in coverage litigation.. As the Ninth Circuit Chair for the ABA Business Torts Committee, Mr. Sorensen regularly publishes updates on developments in business torts litigation.  In addition, Mr. Sorensen is a regular contributor to the Northwest Education Law Blog and the Northwest Insurance Law Blog.. In his spare time, Mr. Sorensen volunteers in the community as a King County Bar Association Future of the Law Institute Mentor, meeting with high school students from diverse backgrounds and encouraging them to explore the legal profession.  Mr. Sorensen also acts as a Commissioner on the City of Bellevue Civil Service Commission.. An avid sports fan, Mr. Sorensen serves as a T-Ball coach for the Bellevue East Little League.  He also plays for the Brooklyn Dodgers in the Puget Sound Senior Baseball League and serves as the captain for Williams Kastner’s firm softball and flag football teams.

Tim's employment law practice focuses on representation of individual employees in civil state and federal court litigation, and Tim has handled cases involving issues of disability discrimination, Family and Medical Leave Act ("FMLA") violations, Occupational Safety and Health Act ("OSHA") violations, age discrimination, race discrimination, wage and hour issues, defamation, contract disputes, non-compete issues, and severance agreement negotiation. Aside from his work in the courtroom, Tim regularly represents clients in forums such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ("EEOC"), the Minnesota Department of Human Rights ("MDHR"), and the Minnesota Office of Administrative Hearings.Tim also represents labor organizations throughout Minnesota in state and federal court litigation, arbitration of all types of labor/management disputes, contract negotiations, and administrative proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board ("NLRB") and the Minnesota Bureau of Mediation Services ("BMS").

Susan Coler litigates class and collective actions on behalf of consumers and employees, individual employment discrimination cases, and False Claims Act or Qui Tam cases prosecuting entities that defraud the government. “I am most energized by the courage and perseverance of our clients. They make corporations accountable for fraud against the government, for allowing discriminatory and harassing workplaces, for deceptive advertising, and for treating consumers unfairly. It is a privilege to bring these cases on behalf of our clients, get them relief and create systemic change.”. Susan represented one of the relators in a qui tam case alleging illegal sales of the anti-seizure drug Depakote by Abbott Laboratories. This case settled in 2012 for $1.5 billion, the second largest payment by a drug company in the history of the False Claims Act. A separate Louisiana False Claims Act case against Abbott continues to be litigated. She was one of the primary attorneys at her prior firm who litigated a class action age discrimination case, Whitaker v. 3M Co., which was finally approved in December 2012. That multi-million dollar settlement includes company-wide programmatic relief designed to level the playing field for older employees at the company.

Shaun represents individuals in all aspects of employment law, workers compensation, and general litigation.. In his practice, Shaun focuses on the specific needs of each individual client and tailors his approach to a resolution based on their unique goals. Shaun works alongside his clients to resolve issues quickly and efficiently outside of the courtroom or serve as their zealous advocate in the courtroom.  Shaun has experience litigating a wide range of matters in state and federal court.  He has represented clients in matters regarding breach of contract, non-compete agreements, wrongful termination, discrimination, retaliation, whistleblowing, failure to pay wages and commissions, sexual harassment, hostile work environment, and drug testing. Shaun also regularly negotiates severance and employment contracts.. Shaun lives in West Bloomington with his husband and their Belgian Malinois, Isla, and enjoy spending time with family and friends. Shaun is an avid reader, Ultimate Frisbee player, and an dabbles in metal working and blacksmithing.

Nick represents unions and employees in federal and state labor and employment law matters. He has worked with unions and their members in the processing of grievances, arbitrations, contract negotiations, unfair labor practice charges, union duty of fair representation disputes, and other contract issues. Nick counsels employees on a variety of employment law issues including employment discrimination, wage and hour issues, family medical leave, and employee benefits. Nick also has experience with assisting clients in reviewing, negotiating, or litigating issues related to, employment agreements and noncompetition agreements. Nick maintains an active pro bono practice, assisting individual clients in housing and creditor collections matters.

Katy Rollins is passionate about the protection of our civil rights and advocates on behalf of employees who’ve faced unlawful discrimination, retaliation, or harassment. Katy began working at Baillon Thome Jozwiak & Wanta LLP in 2019 as a Law Clerk, before joining the team as an Associate Attorney after her admission to the bar in the fall of 2021. While in law school, Katy honed her legal skills working in various clinic programs, including the Health Law Clinic and with the Office of the Minnesota Appellate Public Defender. She also worked as an Articles Editor for the Mitchell Hamline Law Review. Katy graduated summa cum laude from Mitchell Hamline School of Law.

Kaarin Nelson Schaffer is the founding partner at Nelson Schaffer and a fierce advocate for her clients. Driven by a desire for fairness and justice, Kaarin litigates on behalf of employees across a range of employment discrimination, harassment and retaliation claims, including gender and pregnancy discrimination, whistleblower retaliation and other forms of unlawful workplace conduct by employers.. Kaarin has been named to the list of Minnesota Rising Stars and Super Lawyer in employment litigation every year since 2014, and she regularly presents at conferences on employment law. Kaarin was named Attorney of the Year for the work she did in the George Floyd case. She is a cum laude graduate of the University of St. Thomas School of Law.

Joseph J. LeBlanc is a Minneapolis labor and employment law attorney, licensed to practice in both state and federal court, who provides personalized, attentive service to employers and employees throughout Minnesota.. In addition to being a Rule 114 qualified civil mediator and a Rule 114 qualified family mediator, Joseph is a mediator with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and has also mediated for the Minnesota Department of Human Rights.. Joseph is a graduate of Hamline University School of Law, where he earned certificates in Business Law, Advocacy and Problem Solving, and Global Arbitration Law and Practice. He served as the student director of Hamline’s Employment Discrimination Mediation Representation Clinic, and was a recipient of the Clinical Legal Education Association’s Outstanding Clinical Student Award for his work with the clinic. He was also a national finalist in the ABA Mediation Representation Competition.. In addition to his J.D., Joseph has a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Human Resource Management. Before returning to school to study law, he worked as human resources executive for a national corporation.

Joni M. Thome has over twenty-five years of experience and is widely known for her trial and appellate work on behalf of employees who have been wrongfully terminated from their jobs due to discrimination, harassment and/or retaliation. A founding partner of Baillon Thome Jozwiak & Wanta, she has obtained millions of dollars for her clients in awards and settlements including many multiple party, collective action, and class action employment lawsuits.. Joni is a certified Employment Law Specialist and has been named a Super Lawyer by her peers regularly since 2003. She has been recognized as one of Minnesota’s Top 50 Women Super Lawyers every year since 2012 and has repeatedly been named to the lists of Minnesota’s Top 100 Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers in America. Joni has received several awards for her work, including the 2012 Karla Wahl Dedicated Advocacy Award by the Minnesota Chapter of the National Employment Lawyer Association. The award honors one Minnesota attorney each year for his or her “ceaseless and courageous efforts to better the rights of Minnesota employees.”

I represent employees in trial and litigation of discrimination, wrongful termination, whistleblower, retaliation and all types of employment law claims, as well as advise and negotiate employment contracts and severance agreements for employees.

I represent clients in a wide variety of labor & employment law, civil rights, and nonprofit law matters in Minnesota and across the Midwest.  My work includes litigating client cases involving:* Contract claims* Whistleblower or other retaliation claims* Pay claims* Harassment claims* False Claims Act or other fraud claims* Leave claims* Non-compete claims* Fiduciary duty claims* Mass layoff claims* Unfair business practice claims* Discrimination claims* Benefits claims* Constitutional claimsIn addition to providing responsive, principled, and effective representation to clients regarding their claims, I develop the law in the public interest as amicus curiae counsel in high-profile cases.

I practice exclusively in Plaintiff's Employment Litigation. Whether the case involves retaliation, discrimination, whistleblowing or sexual harassment, I have extensive litigation experience and alternative dispute resolution (mediation) skills, which makes me a strong advocate for my clients.

I am a partner in Barnes & Thornburg LLP’s Minneapolis office and a member of the firm’s Labor and Employment Law Department. As a former HR director and in-house counsel for a technology company, I use my experience to counsel clients on a variety of labor and employment-related issues with a business focus. I regularly advise, train, and litigate on behalf of employers on federal/state employment law compliance, including allegations of wrongful termination, harassment, and discrimination. In addition, I have experience preparing employers for audits by the Department of Labor (DoL) on wage and hour matters and by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs in Affirmative Action programs. I have extensive experience in drafting and negotiating executive compensation agreements for publicly traded and private companies. I regularly advise compensation committees concerning both executive and Board compensation. Additionally, I work with public companies on preparing whistleblower policies and enforcement of the same in conformity with Sarbanes-Oxley and Dodd-Frank. In addition to my experience in advising on and litigating non-compete agreements and trade secret matters, I work with employers on the impact of social media in protecting its interests and assets. I am an author for the BT Currents, the Labor and Employment Department's Employment blog, which can be found at . I also frequently speak on employment-defense matters both locally and nationally. For my work, I have been selected for inclusion in the 2013 and 2014 editions of Chambers USA: A Guide to America’s Leading Lawyers in Business as well as the 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 editions of Minnesota Super Lawyers®. I am admitted to practice in Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin, and before the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota and the U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota.Specialties:Employment Defense Litigation Executive Compensation Agreements and Advice Human Resource Audits Layoffs and Plant Closings - WARN Act Mergers and Acquisitions - Employment Due Diligence Trade Secrets and Noncompete Litigation Whistleblower Compliance and Defense for Public Companies

I advise and tenaciously advocate for clients in all types of employment-related matters, assisting them in navigating the choppy waters of employee rights.  I work to prevent disputes before they arise, but am also experienced with all aspects of litigation, from pre-litigation settlement negotiations through trial and beyond.  I have represented clients before pension and licensing boards and state and federal agencies, argued on behalf of my clients in both state and federal courts, tried cases before juries, argued in state and federal appeals courts, and represented clients in alternative dispute resolution proceedings such as arbitrations and mediations.  I have deep experience in numerous areas of employment law, including anti-discrimination and retaliation, disability and medical leave, wage and hour violations, HIPAA issues, whistleblowers, and contracts, as well as restrictive covenants such as non-competition and non-solicitation agreements.  I also represent individuals in unemployment appeals.  A Phoenix transplant, I can honestly say I came to Minnesota for law school, but I stayed for Minnesota people.

Frank Aba-Onu graduated cum laude from the University of St. Thomas School of Law.  He participated in the Jessup International Moot Court, receiving a top oralist and best brief award.  He was also a 2010 scholarly engagement and societal reform award recipient.  Frank received his B.A. from DePauw University.  Currently, he is an adjunct professor at William Mitchell College of Law and is a former adjunct professor at Hamline University.. Prior to joining Bassford Remele, Frank practiced in the areas of insurance defense, subrogation, and appellate law.  He also served as an Assistant Attorney General in both the public safety and human services divisions, where he gained extensive knowledge on constitutional and administrative law, practicing on issues regarding the Minnesota Implied Consent Law, mental health, licensing, and health and child care matters, as well as consumer fraud issues.. Frank practices in all areas of civil litigation, with a focus in general liability, products liability, professional liability and employment law.

Emma is an experienced and tough litigator who specializes in representing employees in employment disputes. She has successfully litigated cases in both state and federal court, in addition to negotiating favorable resolutions for her clients in all types of employment matters, including discrimination, whistleblower, harassment, FMLA, ERISA, disability and religious accommodation, wage and hour, retaliation, contract and non-compete agreements, and minority shareholder disputes. She is a dedicated advocate for her clients, working closely with them at all stages of a legal proceeding to obtain a favorable outcome.. Emma was selected as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers magazine for 2016-17, a distinction given to less than 2.5% of attorneys in Minnesota to recognize their excellence in the practice of law. Emma has also been recognized by Super Lawyers as one of the Top Women Attorneys in Minnesota. Emma currently serves on the governing council of the Minnesota State Bar Association Section of Labor and Employment Law. She also volunteers for the Tubman Pro Bono Safety Project as a volunteer lawyer representing low income victims of domestic violence in legal proceedings against their abusers.. Emma obtained her J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School. While in law school, she served as a staff member on Law and Inequality: A Journal of Theory and Practice, as well as the President of New Orleans Legal Assistance. She also held a variety of internships, including semesters as a law clerk at the Florida Attorney General’s Office, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota, the Washington County Attorney’s Office, and as a Judicial Extern for the Honorable Mary R. Vasaly in Hennepin County District Court.. Prior to her legal career, Emma worked in public education in New Orleans.. Education. J.D., University of Minnesota Law School, cum laude.. B.A. 2007, Tulane University, cum laude, Economics, History.. Admissions. Minnesota Supreme Court. U.S. District Court for Minnesota. Memberships. Minnesota State Bar Association. Hennepin County Bar Association. Minnesota chapter of the National Employment Lawyers Association (MN-NELA). Minnesota Women Lawyers. Honors and Awards. Super Lawyers – Rising Star (2016–17). Super Lawyers – Top Women Attorneys in Minnesota (2017). Publications. Mo’ Claims Mo’ Problems: How Courts Ignore Multiple Claimants in Employment Discrimination Litigation, 30 Law & Ineq. 339 (2012), ?article=1184&context=lawineq. Not There Yet: Sexism Facing Young Women Attorneys in the Legal Profession Today, With Equal Right (2017), ?page=WERWinter17Feature5.. Minnesota State Employment Law Update, MSBA Labor & Employment Law Section Publication (2017), ?sfvrsn=0

David Schlesinger, a partner at Nichols Kaster, PLLP, is an experienced and skilled advocate for employees. With more than fifteen years of experience, David is an MSBA Certified Employment Law Specialist. For the last decade, he has been named a “Super Lawyer.” He has also been named a “Best Lawyer in America,” a “Best Lawyer in Minnesota,” and to the “Minnesota Power 30” list, among other accolades. For David, there is nothing more professionally meaningful than when he is able to substantially improve his clients’ lives through his advocacy.. David serves as the chair of the Legal Advisory Committee and on the board of directors of Gender Justice. He also taught Law in Practice at the University of Minnesota Law School, is the former president of the Minnesota Chapter of the National Employment Lawyers Association and serves as Vice President of the Labor and Employment Council of the Minnesota State Bar Association.. David has successfully litigated a wide variety of employment claims, including several significant cases involving gender, race and disability discrimination. His practice includes an emphasis on the intersection of employment and business disputes, including litigation of breach of fiduciary duty and minority shareholder claims. He has effectively defended employees from non-compete and trade secret claims brought by their former employers.. David is frequently asked to deliver presentations on employment law matters to groups of fellow attorneys. Topics have included employment agreements, equal pay rights, religious discrimination, hostile work environments, and wage and hour violations.

Curtis joined Nichols Kaster in January 2013, working primarily on the National Wage and Hour Team, advocating for the rights of employees that are being infringed upon by their employers. His years of legal experience make him a great asset to the Nichols Kaster litigation team.. After he graduated from law school cum laude, Curtis clerked for Judge Kalitowski on the Minnesota Court of Appeals. Following this clerkship, he returned to the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office, where he had clerked during law school, to become an Assistant Attorney General.  At the Attorney General’s Office, Curtis spent most of his time enforcing health and safety laws.  Curtis then spent over a decade working for Educational Credit Management Corporation (ECMC), where he was Senior Counsel. In this position, Curtis was responsible for litigation and ECMC’s compliance with state and federal laws.  In addition to managing hundreds of cases, Curtis litigated numerous cases himself at both the trial and appellate levels.  He also spoke on student loans issues at the American Bankruptcy Institute’s Annual Convention, the Minnesota Bar Association’s monthly Bankruptcy Section Meeting and various other events.  Curtis also managed litigation and handled compliance issues for several years for one of ECMC’s affiliates, Premiere Credit of North America, a collection agency. In April 2011, he left ECMC to start a consumer rights practice at Champion Law, LLC.  At this firm, Curtis focused primarily on consumer rights issues, including, abusive debt collection, inaccurate credit reporting, unfair and deceptive trade practices and student loans.

Cristina is dedicated to representing employees in a variety of disputes. Her practice focuses on employment disputes, including discrimination, sexual harassment, and retaliation. In addition, she represents individuals before licensing boards. She also negotiates employment contracts, severance agreements and non-compete agreements.. Before joining Nichols Kaster, she represented labor unions and employees in state and federal court, arbitrations, and administrative hearings.. Cristina is a qualified neutral under Minnesota Rule of Practice 114, eligible to provide Alternative Dispute Resolution services. In 2011, she was selected as an A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr. Fellow of the American Arbitration Association.. Cristina is fluent in Spanish.

Chris D. Jozwiak is a skilled litigator who has won striking victories on behalf of his clients in a diverse range of employment issues. He is a founding partner of Baillon Thome Jozwiak & Wanta LLP and has been recognized as a Rising Star since 2011 and a Super Lawyer since 2014 and has been named to the lists of Top 100 Minnesota Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers in America. Chris works tirelessly for his clients in cases involving whistleblower retaliation, sexual harassment, wage and hour violations, reprisal, discrimination and wrongful termination. He also reprents employees and consumers in national class actions.. Chris is a certified employment law specialist and Chair of the Minnesota State Bar Association's Labor & Employment Law Specialist Certification Board.

Charlie's employment law expertise is broad, as he has successfully represented clients in matters involving trade secrets, non-competes, shareholder disputes, federal and state Fair Labor Standards Act wage and hour collective and class actions, sexual harassment, gender, race, disability and sexual orientation discrimination, retaliation, whistleblower, workers' compensation retaliation, and FMLA retaliation.  Notably, Charlie has fought for his clients' rights in high-profile cases of a national scope, including being appointed as class co-counsel in Dukes, et al. v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., a national gender discrimination class action, working to recover over $300 million from the oil industry in a Federal False Claims Act case, U.S. ex rel. Johnson v. Shell Oil Co., and bringing cases that resulted in the recovery of more than $30 million under the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act.  Charlie is also Of Counsel with Kenney & McCafferty, P.C., a law firm nationally recognized for its False Claims Act (qui tam) practice.. Charlie's international legal experience includes directly advising the Cambodian government, non-governmental organizations and private sector clients in efforts to strengthen the rule of law, assist in rebuilding Cambodia's judicial system and prepare legislation relating to the management of the country's natural heritage, including its national parks and other protected areas.  In particular, Charlie advised and counseled multinational corporations on their compliance with Cambodian and international law with regard to labor, employment, commercial, corporate and contract matters.. In December, 2011, Charlie achieved a strong trial result in Broten v. Boston Health Care Systems, Inc., where he represented the plaintiff who won on her claims of disability discrimination, failure to accommodate disability and retaliation/reprisal pursuant to the Minnesota Human Rights Act, including double damages, punitive damages, and attorney's fees and costs.

Cassie Navarro protects employee rights by exclusively representing indivdiuals who have faced discrimination, retaliation, sexual harassment, and wage and hour violations.  She also serves on our class action and consumer litigation teams, specializing in consumer reporting and wage and hour violations. Cassie joined Baillon Thome Jozwiak & Wanta LLP in June of 2013 as a Law Clerk and began as an Associate Attorney after her admission to the bar.. Cassie graduated summa cum laude from William Mitchell College of Law, where she gained practical litigation experience as a student attorney representing clients in district court and arguing in front of the Minnesota Court of Appeals.

Brock is an experienced litigator dedicated to representing plaintiffs in a variety of disputes. His practice is focused on representing individual employees in a wide range of employment-related matters, including cases involving discrimination, harassment, retaliation, breach of contract, unpaid wages, and whistleblower claims.. Before joining Nichols Kaster, Brock practiced with a major Twin Cities law firm litigating complex multimillion-dollar lawsuits in numerous federal courts across the country, including appearances in the District of Delaware, the Eastern District of Texas, the District of Minnesota, and the Western District of Wisconsin, and before administrative agencies including the International Trade Commission.. Brock’s pro bono practice includes appointments as a Special Assistant State Public Defender representing clients before the Minnesota Court of Appeals.. Before entering private practice, Brock clerked for Judges Christopher J. Dietzen and Bruce D. Willis at the Minnesota Court of Appeals. He has also served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of St. Thomas School of Law, teaching courses in appellate brief writing and coaching several successful moot court teams.

Brendan leads the firm’s labor law practice. He has handled numerous judicial, administative, and arbitration proceedings, including many high-profile appellate cases. Brendan also has drafted legislation and policies adopted by State and Local governments, and he routinely develops cutting-edge organizing strategies for the firm’s union clients.

As a member of the Nichols Kaster's individual rights litigation team, Laura is dedicated to protecting the rights of current and former employees who face a wide-range of employment-related issues, including discrimination, harassment, retaliation, minority shareholder, and contract disputes. She works hard to advocate for her clients and to deliver in-depth, efficient representation that enables clients to obtain the best possible resolutions in their cases.