Brendan Cummins

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.

Brendan has served on the Governing Council of the Minnesota State Bar Association’s Labor & Employment Law Section. He also has taught at Northwestern University School of Law, the University of Minnesota Law School, and William Mitchell College of Law. In addition, Brendan has published articles in the American Bar Association Journal of Labor & Employment Law and in the Yale Law Journal. He is fluent in Spanish.

Employment Law

Employee Benefits, Employment Contracts, Employment Discrimination, ERISA, Overtime & Unpaid Wages, Sexual Harassment, Whistleblower, Wrongful Termination

Iowa

Supreme Court of Iowa

Minnesota

Minnesota Supreme Court

North Dakota

North Dakota Supreme Court

8th Circuit

9th Circuit

U.S. Supreme Court

Top Lawyer

Minneapolis St. Paul Magazine

2022

Top Lawyer

Minneapolis St. Paul Magazine

2021

Top Lawyer

Minneapolis St. Paul Magazine

2020

Top Lawyer

Minneapolis St. Paul Magazine

2019

Fellow

College of Labor and Employment Lawyers

2019

Top Lawyer

Minneapolis St. Paul Magazine

2018

Top Lawyer

Minneapolis St. Paul Magazine

2017

Super Lawyer

Superlawyers

Minnesota State Bar

Member

Current

AFL-CIO Union Lawyers Alliance

Member

Current

American Bar Association, Labor & Employment Law, Litigation, and Trial Practice Sections

Member

Current

Minnesota State Bar Association, Labor & Employment Law and Civil Litigation Sections and Human Rights Committee

Member

Current

Hennepin County Bar Association, Labor & Employment Law Section

Member

Current

Special Considerations In Unionized Workplaces

Hiring Handbook

2019

The Significant Expansion Of Rights And Remedies Under State Law For Public Employees

Minnesota Trial

2015

The Intersection Of Social Media And Employee Rights In The Workplace

Minnesota Trial

2013

Hot Public Sector Employment Issues Amidst The Great Recession

Minnesota Trial

2010

Law of the Land in Labor Arbitration

ABA Journal of Labor & Employment Law

2010

Taking The Fork In The Road

29 Wm. Mitchell L. Rev. 1069

2003

The Thorny Path to Thornhill

Yale Law Journal

1996

Consequences of the culture wars in the workplace for labor relations, equal opportunity, and the freedom of speech, Labor & Employment Law Institute

November 2022

Best practices for arbitrating labor & employment law matters successfully, Minnesota CLE, Minneapolis

October 5, 2021

Minnesota CLE

The legal requirements and practical considerations for employers given the COVID-19 Action Plan recently imposed by the Federal government, Minnesota CLE, Minneapolis

September 29, 2021

Minnesota CLE

Recent and expected future developments in public sector labor law given recent Supreme Court rulings, Employment Law Institute, St. Paul, MN

May 21, 2019

Employment Law Institute

Public sector legal strategies and litigation tactics in the aftermath of recent labor law decisions by the Supreme Court, Labor & Employment Law Institute, Minneapolis

November 15, 2018

Labor & Employment Law Institute

Best practices for alternative dispute resolution in the collective bargaining context, Minnesota CLE, Minneapolis

March 13, 2018

Minnesota CLE

Cutting-edge developments in labor law, the practical consequences, and the related strategic considerations, Public Sector Labor & Employment Law Institute, Minneapolis

March 1, 2018

Public Sector Labor & Employment Law Institute

Developments in Federal labor law and related litigation issues, Labor & Employment Law Institute

November 16, 2017

Labor & Employment Law Institute

Basics of union organizing and other key union issues, Employment Law Institute

May 22, 2017

Employment Law Institute

Labor Law, Curtis L. Carlson School of Management

January 1, 2016

Masters in Advocacy and Political Leadership, Metropolitan State University

January 1, 2016

Cutting-edge developments in labor law, Labor & Employment Law Institute

January 1, 2015

Developments under Federal and State law, Public Sector Labor & Employment Law Institute

January 1, 2015

Responsible Contractor Laws and Fair Contracting, Executive Council of the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers

January 1, 2014

The Latest developments in, and future of, public-sector labor law, Public Sector Labor & Employment Law Institute

January 1, 2014

Cutting-edge legal issues in public sector labor & employment law, Employment Law Institute

January 1, 2014

One Step Forward and Two Steps Back? - The Impact of Recent Legislative Amendments and Supreme Court Precedent on the Public Sector, Labor & Employment Law Institute

January 1, 2014

Job Applicant Screening: Special Considerations for the Unionized Workplace, Minnesota CLE

January 1, 2014

The Harris Case: The Beginning of the End for Public Sector Fair Share Fees?, Minnesota State Bar Association

January 1, 2014

Legal strategies and policy initiatives to address wage theft by employers, AFL-CIO

January 1, 2014

Labor & Civil Rights, World Premiere of Nellie

January 1, 2013

Law and Practice of Lockouts, William Mitchell College of Law

January 1, 2013

Labor and Effective Organizing Strategies, University of Minnesota, Duluth Seminar

January 1, 2013

Regulations of Social Media & Electronic Surveillance in the Workplace, Public Sector Labor & Employment Law Institute

January 1, 2013

Update on Eighth Circuit Case Affecting Construction Industry Labor Law, National AFL-CIO Building and Construction Trades Department Attorneys Conference

January 1, 2013

Public Sector Labor & Employment Law, Minnesota CLE Webinar

January 1, 2013

Latest Legal Developments under Labor Law, Employment Law Institute

January 1, 2013

Issues in Labor Law, Annual Employment Law Institute

January 1, 2013

Latest Developments in Labor Law, NLRB Conference

January 1, 2012

Trends in National Labor Relations Board Case Law, Labor & Employment Law Institute

January 1, 2012

Board Certified Labor & Employment Law Specialist

MSBA