Firm History

Peters & Kappenman was founded in 1995 by several labor and employment lawyers who left one of Minneapolis’ largest full-service firms. These attorneys believed they could deliver more responsive, effective and dedicated services for employers without the expensive trappings, overhead, conflicts and distractions of a full-service law firm.

More than twenty-five years of success has proven their belief true. Along the way, other lawyers sharing our founders' values joined the firm. Throughout that time we have stayed faithful to our focus on labor and employment issues, and have expanded our expertise to include regulatory defense, construction law, business planning, and commercial litigation.

Our "Lawyers for Employers"

“The Lawyers for Employers” remains a boutique employer-side labor and employment firm. Its mission is to provide zealous representation for employers faced with the claims and demands of plaintiffs’ attorneys, regulators, and unions. We help our clients comply with ever-changing state and federal regulations, defend them in cases ranging from “nuisance value” lawsuits to “bet the company” litigation, and represent them in labor negotiations, business deals, and agency investigations.

There are no other true “homegrown” Minnesota labor and employment boutique firms that have survived and prospered for more than twenty years. We are still one of the largest labor and employment law practice groups in the upper Midwest, and remain competitive against the full-service business firms and the national labor and employment law firms. We are proud of this success and believe it proves we are doing it right for our clients.

Peters & Kappenman has successfully sued or counter-sued plaintiffs, unions, cities, governors, the United States and Minnesota Departments of Labor, MNDOT, the NLRB, the EEOC, and unfair competitors of our clients. We have won injunctions, damages, and attorney fees from all of them, and we have overturned ordinances, statutes, and executive orders.

We began with four full-time attorneys and one part-time attorney. The firm now has nine attorneys and four professional non-attorney staff members. With attorneys of wide-ranging backgrounds, experiences, and areas of expertise, we are fully prepared to address any client’s labor and employment law needs quickly, efficiently, and thoroughly.

Our Clients

We are grateful to all of our existing clients, many of whom have been with us for years and through several generations of ownership. And if you have not yet worked with us, we encourage you to contact us. With our small-firm model and big-firm experience, we are confident Peters & Kappenman can become your trusted advisor and advocate.