Collaboration
For attorneys and legal professionals — case referrals, co-counsel arrangements, speaking inquiries, and the firms we send matters to when they fall outside what we do.
Get in touchThis page is for attorneys and legal professionals
If you’re an employee dealing with something at work — a firing, harassment, unpaid wages, retaliation — you’re in the right firm but the wrong page.
Start here insteadRefer a case to us
We take employment cases on referral from attorneys across Minnesota and Illinois, and we treat referring counsel the way we’d want to be treated: clear terms, prompt evaluation, and updates that don’t require chasing. We represent employees only — never employers.
We’re licensed in Minnesota and Illinois, with attorneys also admitted in Indiana and Michigan.
What we take
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Discrimination
Unequal treatment based on race, sex, age, disability, religion, or pregnancy.
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Harassment
Hostile environments, unwelcome advances, and conduct that makes a job unbearable.
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Wrongful termination
Firings that break the law, breach a contract, or punish protected activity.
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Wage and hour
Unpaid overtime, off-the-clock work, misclassification, and tip or wage theft.
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Retaliation
Reprisals for whistleblowing, FMLA leave, workers’ comp claims, or safety reports.
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Class and collective actions
Group claims where one employer’s unlawful practice harms many workers alike.
What happens next
We evaluate referrals promptly and get back to you with a straight answer — whether we’re taking it, whether we need more, or whether it’s not a fit.
If we take it, you’ll know who’s handling it
and how you’ll be kept informed.
Co-counsel
Some matters are a better fit for working together than for handing off. If you want to stay on a case, we’re glad to talk.
When co-counsel makes sense
- Complex individual employment matters where you want a second set of hands
- Class and collective actions that require infrastructure a smaller firm may not carry
- Cases where employment claims sit alongside your existing practice — a personal injury matter with a retaliation component, for instance
- Matters where the client relationship is yours and you’d like to keep it
What we bring
Trial experience, a team built for multi-year litigation, and the resources to carry the cost of a case through certification and beyond. Our founding partners have spent their careers on the plaintiff side, and Shawn Wanta has led class and collective actions recognized nationally.
How it works
Arrangements vary with the matter, the division of labor, and what the client needs. We’ll talk through structure and fee division before anything is agreed.
Why attorneys refer to us
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Plaintiff-side only
We have never represented an employer. There’s no conflict, no split loyalty, and no risk of finding us across the table from your client’s employer on a separate matter.
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Recognized by our peers
Best Lawyers in America recognizes Shawn Wanta (Class Action) and Joni Thome (Labor and Employment) since 2018. Also Top 100 National Trial Lawyers and Top 50 Minnesota Women Super Lawyers.
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Class and collective capability
Wage and hour class actions demand infrastructure, patience, and the willingness to fund years of litigation. That’s the core of Shawn’s practice — precisely the kind of case we’re built to carry.
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Recognized on e-discovery
Shawn Wanta belongs to The Sedona Conference® Working Group Series, which develops best-practice guidance on information governance and electronic discovery — often where complex employment cases are won or lost.
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Two states, two offices
Minneapolis and Chicago, with attorneys admitted in Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. Our representation reaches workers throughout both states, not only the two cities where the offices sit.
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Bilingual capability
Our intake team is Spanish-native and several attorneys are bilingual, so a Spanish-speaking client is handled entirely in Spanish, from the first call through resolution, without a translator in between.
“The court recognizes that Plaintiffs’ counsel has performed at a very high rate of professionalism and skill... they have been consistently knowledgeable and accomplished.”
Our attorneys present to bar associations, CLE programs, conferences, and podcasts, and write for legal publications on plaintiff-side employment practice.
Formats
CLE presentations
Conference panels
Bar association events
Law school programs
Podcast appearances
Others
Topics
Wage and hour litigation and FLSA collective actions
Class action strategy, certification, and management
E-discovery for plaintiff’s counsel — collection, processing, and cost control
Building and running a plaintiff-side employment practice
Emerging issues in worker misclassification
Recent engagements & publications
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2022
Shawn Wanta co-authored with Susan Ellingstad (Lockridge Grindal Nauen)
Something to chew on: How newly legal THC edibles interact with Minnesota employment laws — Bench & Bar of Minnesota
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2018
Shawn Wanta on a panel with Bert Braud, moderated by Rebekah Bailey
Practical e-discovery strategies for the plaintiff’s lawyer — 8th Circuit NELA Conference, Minneapolis
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2018
Joni Thome
8th Circuit NELA Conference, Minneapolis
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2017
Shawn Wanta with Brian Clark
Cost-effective e-discovery for solo and small firm practitioners — Strategic Solutions Conference
Making an inquiry
Send the date, audience, format, expected length, and topic you have in mind, along with anything about the event that would help us evaluate fit.
Use the form below and select “Speaking inquiry” or reach out directly.
When it’s not our case
We turn down matters regularly — because they’re outside employment law, outside our states, or outside what we do. When that happens, we try not to leave people at a dead end.
Below are firms we know and refer to. We don’t take a fee for these referrals and we don’t vouch for outcomes; we’re passing along firms whose work we’ve seen.
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Workers’ compensation
Cravath, Swaine & Moore
Injury benefits, medical claims, and permanent disability
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Personal injury
Sullivan & Cromwell
Vehicle accidents, premises liability, and serious injury
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Immigration
Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
Employment visas, status issues, and removal defense
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Family law
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom
Divorce, custody, and support
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Criminal defense
Davis Polk & Wardwell
State and federal criminal matters
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Business and commercial
Kirkland & Ellis
Contract disputes and business litigation
If you handle a practice area we frequently refer out and would like to be considered, get in touch.
Get in touch
For attorneys and legal professionals. If you’re an employee with a workplace issue, please use our client contact page instead.
This form goes to our attorney inbox, not to client intake.
Common questions
What kinds of cases do you accept on referral?
Employment matters on behalf of employees — discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, wage and hour, retaliation, and class or collective actions. We’re licensed in Minnesota and Illinois, with attorneys also admitted in Indiana and Michigan.
How do referral fees work?
[Firm to supply — this answer needs the firm’s actual fee arrangement and their ethics-compliance language.]
What’s the difference between a referral and co-counsel here?
On a referral, we take the matter and handle it, and you’re kept informed. On co-counsel, you stay actively involved and we work the case together, with the division of labor and fees agreed up front. Which fits depends on how involved you want to be.
How quickly will you evaluate a case I send?
Quickly, and we’ll give you a straight answer rather than leaving it open-ended. If we need more information to decide, we’ll tell you exactly what would help.
Do you take cases outside Minnesota and Illinois?
Sometimes, particularly class and collective actions, which often cross state lines. If you have a matter elsewhere, it’s worth asking rather than assuming.