Clients appreciate Rick’s vast traditional labor experience, including his extensive work on wage and hour issues, prevailing wage matters and his commercial litigation background, which gives him exposure to a wide variety of industries and makes him a well-rounded legal adviser.
Overview
Rick handles traditional labor, including collective bargaining, employment counseling and employment litigation for clients, and advises clients during strikes and labor disputes. He also defends employers against a range of employment claims, including non-competes, non-solicitation, wage and hour, prevailing wage, discrimination, harassment, disability, leaves, privacy issues and others, in state, federal and appellate courts, in front of administrative agencies, and in arbitrations.
Rick litigates on behalf of and advises employers in a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, service, hospitality, retail, non-profit, heavy and highway and other construction, transportation, community action, health care, power sports, food and beverage, brewing and wholesaling, renewable energy, natural resources, heavy industrial and entertainment, among others. In addition to defending claims, Rick counsels clients on workplace best practices, including hiring and firing, background checks, restrictive covenants and confidentiality, wage and hour, privacy, drug and alcohol testing, workplace violence, record keeping and compliance.
Experience
Rick represents clients before a variety of administrative agencies and governmental bodies, including the Department of Labor, National Labor Relations Board, Equal Opportunity Commission, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division.
He litigates on behalf of and counsels clients about wage and hour issues, including application of the Fair Labor Standards Act, Davis Bacon Act and Service Contract Act, state prevailing wage laws and regulations governing the transportation industry.
Rick has litigated bet-the-company business tort matters, including non-compete, non-solicitation, tortious interference, conspiracy and defamation claims, as well as defending claims of discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, retaliation and other issues across a variety of sectors and industries. He also counsels clients to minimize risk and improve workplace relations.
News & Insights
News
Speaking Engagements
Labor Law Updates for Non-Union Employers Panel Discussion, 2016
Publications
Recognitions
Recognitions
Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® list, 2018-2025
Regularly selected for inclusion in both Super Lawyers® and Top 40 Employment Super Lawyers®
Minnesota State Bar Association - Certified Specialist - Labor and Employment Law
Professional & Civic Activities
Professional & Civic Activities
Federal Bar Association
American Bar Association
Minnesota State Bar Association
Hennepin County Bar Association
Practices & Industries
Admissions
- Minnesota
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Wisconsin
- New York
- U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
Education
University of Minnesota Law School, J.D., cum laude, 1995
University of Wisconsin-Madison, B.A., Economics and Political Science, with distinction, 1992
