Minnesota Lawyer

There seems to be a consensus that to really move on from the pandemic, people have to get back to work and, as a practical matter, children have to get back to school. There also seems to be a consensus that children are not only educated, but nurtured, in schools.

In 2017 former Chisago County Sheriff Rick Duncan approached a crime analyst and told her he had received letters from an anonymous source called “Control Freak” who threatened the analyst, Michelle Jacobson. Duncan later produced an email from the same source demanding that Jacobson go to a hotel in Bemidji with Duncan. She didn’t and eventually left her job. Duncan resigned as well. The hoax was revealed.

Good policies, good training, good record keeping and good relationships have been for quite a long time and still are the best ways for employers to keep happy workplaces.

Joseph Kelly represented a veteran who was fired by the city of Hopkins, reinstated after a veteran’s preference hearing, and was sued by the city for $66,000 for the costs of the hearing.

Class actions against employers, qui tam actions under the False Claims Act and federal protection for employees based on sexual orientation are among the top issues to attorney Clayton Halunen in Minneapolis.

Last year, the United States Supreme court said that LGBTQ employees are protected by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act from sex discrimination. To many It was an unexpected and lauded decision.

Representing employers is a way to create a law practice that is balanced between the human element of the profession and being a self-described “law nerd,” according to Minneapolis lawyer Jenny Gassman-Pines, an attorney at Greene Espel.

Representing individual employees is civil rights litigation in an employment context. The cases are about a protected status or activity but in a specific job setting.

Sheila Engelmeier works both sides of the line in employer-employee disputes, trying to help the employees find common ground. You can make a difference on the defense side while being sympathetic to plaintiffs, she said.

Home to a highly competitive medical device industry as well as other Fortune 500 companies, Minnesota has its fair share of employee noncompete agreements. Especially lately.