Angela is a principal at Gray Plant Mooty and member of the Employment and Labor practice group. She has a unique background which includes extensive legal and executive management experience. Angela was in private practice with Gray Plant Mooty for nine years, then moved on to become senior employment law counsel and executive vice president of human resources for a global fast food franchisor. After gaining extensive business leadership experience, she decided to return to the firm’s Employment and Labor practice group.
“As a business leader, I was expected to make decisions, take action, and get results. I understand the need to take calculated risks based on objective advice. As a lawyer, I provide that advice, and I am passionate about understanding a client's business and objectives because it helps me become a trusted source of informed advice. I have represented clients in a variety of industries, including franchise, food service, retail, manufacturing, health care, and technology. I enjoy working with businesses to create proactive, preventive solutions to legal problems and issues, and I bring business leadership experience to every matter.”
Angela’s areas of expertise include:
- Employment law issues in mergers and acquisitions
- Compliance programs, policies, and systems, including ethics and codes of business conduct, employment policies and practices, and related training
- Discrimination and harassment law
- Laws governing leaves and absences
- Wage and hour compliance, including proper classifications of employees and independent contractors
- Noncompete and trade secret issues
- Government investigations and audits
- Global employment law compliance
Experience
- Managed human resource growth during extensive international expansion at large global fast food franchisor, including new entity establishment, organization structures, and new hires in five foreign countries
- Managed all human resources functions and ensured legal compliance during transactions to sell and refranchise a majority of corporate-owned restaurants
- Lead and managed first-ever company mission, vision, and values campaign to cultivate company culture
- Led and managed three consecutive years of organization restructure designed to increase efficient use of human resources for large global fast food franchisor during economic downturn
Publications
- “The Employer’s “Bermuda Triangle”: An Analysis of The Intersection Between Workers’ Compensation, ADA, and the FMLA,” coauthor, North Dakota Law Review, Volume 76—2000
- “Employment Law for Franchisors: Avoiding Claims Through Wise Use of Franchisee Education, Employee Handbooks, and Operations Manuals,” coauthor, Building and Maintaining Successful Franchise Systems: Challenges and Solutions, November 11, 1999
- “Expanding the Scope of Sexual Harassment Law: Same-Gender Harassment,” The Job Description, The Defense Research Institute, Inc., Summer 1996
- “Summary Guide to Sexual Harassment,” coauthor, Minnesota CLE, May 1996
- “Restored Recollections: Claims Based on Repressed Memories of Abuse,” coauthor, Defense Counsel Journal, January 1995
Presentations
- “Employment Law Update: Discrimination Law Update,” copresenter, GPM 15th Annual Health Law Conference, July 14, 2011
- “The Footsteps Behind You: Implicit Bias in the Legal Profession,” GPM Corporate Counsel Breakfast, June 22, 2011
- “HR Issues in Tough Economic Times,” panel member, Employment Law Alliance Annual Meeting, November 2009
- “Ideas and Solutions to Vexing In-House Counsel Issues,” panel member, Upper Midwest Employment Law Institute/Minnesota CLE, May 2008
- “Reductions in Force and Other High-Risk Terminations,” panel member, MSBA CLE Webcast, December 11, 2008
- “Managing Reductions-in-Force,” panel member, Upper Midwest Employment Law Institute/Minnesota CLE, May 2007
- “Gender Issues in the Legal Workplace,” Upper Midwest Employment Law Institute/Minnesota CLE, May 2006
- ”Diversity from the Perspective of In-House Counsel,” Minnesota CLE, May 15, 2006
- “Gender Issues in the Legal Workplace,” Minnesota CLE, December 7, 2005
- “The Connection Between Criminal Justice Records and Employability: Current Law, Practices and Impact on Persons of Color,” Council on Crime and Justice CLE in connection with the University of St. Thomas Law School, June 21, 2005
- “Sexual Harassment Under Title VII and The Minnesota Human Rights Act: What’s the Same, What’s Different?” guest lecturer, University of St. Thomas Department of Legal Studies, College of Business, January 11, 2005
- “What Do You Do Now? Taking the Harassment Investigation Report and Making Good Decisions,” Upper Midwest Employment Law Institute, May 26, 2004
- “Eighth Circuit and Minnesota District Court Update,” Upper Midwest Employment Law Institute, May 31, 2002
- “Employment Issues in the Purchase and Sale of a Business,” Minnesota CLE, January 28, 2002
- “What Every Manager Should Know About Sexual Harassment,” Upper Midwest Chapter of Country Club Managers Association, December 4, 2001
- “Employment Law 2001: Developments and Trends,” GPM Employment Law Seminar, October 24, 2001
- “Recognizing and Managing Sexual Orientation Bias in the Workplace,” GPM General Counsel CLE Presentation, May 16, 2001
- “Background Checks: What You Need To Know When Hiring Employees In The Health Care Industry,” GPM Health and Human Services Update, July 20, 2000
- “Legal Update: Discrimination and Sexual Harassment,” Minnesota Cultural Diversity Center, July 19, 2000
- “Employment Law Basics, Grow Biz Franchises,” Minneapolis, MN, July 12, 2000
- “Documenting Employment Events,” Lorman Business Institute, St. Paul, MN, September 22, 2000
- “An Employer’s Guide to Minnesota’s Whistleblower Law in the New Millennium,” GPM Employment Law Seminar, March 2, 2000
- “Employment Issues in the Purchase and Sale of a Business,” Minnesota CLE, December 1, 1999
- “Sexual Harassment Investigations from a Corporate Counsel’s Perspective,” GPM General Counsel Breakfast, February 17, 1999
- “The Employers’ Bermuda Triangle: The ADA, FMLA, and Workers’ Compensation,” GPM Employment Law Seminar, September 23, 1998
- “Same Sex Harassment: Sexual Harassment Law After Oncale and Cummings,” GPM Human Resource Breakfast Group, April 1, 1998
- “Downsizing Issues,” North Central Electric Association, November 3, 1997
- “Employee Evaluation Methods,” GPM Employment Law Seminar, September 16, 1997
Education
- University of Kansas School of Law, J.D., 1993
- University of Kansas, B.A. in English, with honors, 1989
Bar Admissions
- Kansas
- Minnesota
- U.S. District Court, District of Kansas
- U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit
Professional Activities
- American Bar Association
- Hennepin County Bar Association
- Minnesota State Bar Association
- Minnesota Women Lawyers
Honors and Distinctions
- “Rising Star,” Minnesota Law & Politics, 2000, 2001
Community Involvement
- Augustana Lutheran Church, volunteer
- Lewis House Project, volunteer lawyer
- Pine Bend Elementary, volunteer
- WISE Charter School, board of directors, 2010-present
- Very Special Arts Minnesota, board of directors, 1996-1999
- University of St. Thomas School of Law, mentor, 2002-2004
- William Mitchell College of Law, adjunct faculty member, 2002-2003