Jack Sullivan
PEOPLE

Jack Sullivan

Partner
sullivan.jack@dorsey.com

Overview

JACK HELPS EMPLOYERS SOLVE AND AVOID PROBLEMS IN THE WORKPLACE.
Jack is an employment adviser and litigator in Dorsey’s Labor & Employment group, where he provides business leaders and human resource professionals with practical guidance through difficult compliance, managerial, and workforce decisions. Jack also advises management on union and labor-law issues. His advice to clients is informed and strengthened by his own professional experience as a manager, as he served as a newsroom leader and editor during his first career as a journalist – and so knows first-hand the challenges and rewards of effectively hiring, training, and managing employees. Jack works to resolve potential problems and disputes on terms that work best for his clients so they can focus on the needs of their business – and when matters can’t be resolved, is a creative and effective litigator who has represented clients in state and federal courts and private arbitrations across the country.

Education & Admissions

University of Minnesota Law School (J.D., 2010), magna cum laude; ABA-BNA Award for Excellence in the Study of Labor and Employment Law; founding Editor-in-Chief, ABA Journal of Labor & Employment Law 

University of St. Thomas (B.A., 1993), cum laude

Admissions

  • Minnesota
  • North Dakota
  • Wisconsin
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota
  • U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota 

Clerkships

  • Minnesota Supreme Court, Justice G. Barry Anderson, 2010-2011

Experience

Representative Work

  • Served on-site, in-house assignments with two different Fortune 500 clients – a utility company and a medical-device manufacturer – advising business and human resources leaders on a wide range of compliance and management issues.
  • Counsels clients on range of workplace issues, including disability accommodation in hiring and employment, effectively managing medical and disability leaves, drafting and implementing effective policies and procedures, properly structuring independent contractor relationships, and resolving employment disputes before they develop litigation. 
  • Negotiate and draft employment and separation agreements for C-suite leaders and other key employees.
  • Argued before the Minnesota Supreme Court on behalf of city housing and redevelopment authority and won reversal of court of appeals decision that had blocked $85 million redevelopment project in Minneapolis suburb.
  • Served as second chair on trial team that won jury verdict rejecting trade-secret claims against client and awarding significant damages and attorneys’ fees on client’s counterclaim.
  • Was a political reporter in Washington, D.C., for The Associated Press and a local news team leader for the Saint Paul Pioneer Press before entering law school.

News & Resources

Articles

How bad is bad enough to sue? The U.S. Supreme Court clarifies when a work transfer is “adverse” enough to support a lawsuit under Title VII.
What obligations do employers have in responding to employees’ objections to vaccine mandates following the Supreme Court’s decision in Groff v. DeJoy?
The General Counsel for the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”), Jennifer Abruzzo, has recently issued two memorandums significantly changing how employers must draft separation agreements and opining on the enforceability of noncompetition agreements. Can she do that?
EEOC, Other Federal Agencies Set the Pace for Employers Using AI in the Workplace
Can employers require employees to accept confidentiality and non-disparagement obligations in exchange for severance pay?
Tensions Continue to Rise as Labor Organizing and Enforcement Both Increase Going in to 2023
OSHA’s COVID-19 Vaccination or Weekly Testing Mandate: Legal Status and Employer Next Steps
U.S. Supreme Court Decision Affects California Agricultural Growers
Mandating COVID-19 Vaccinations in the Workplace: Practical Considerations for Employers
NLRB Adopts “Contract Coverage” Standard to Apply to an Employer’s Unilateral Changes to Terms and Conditions of Employment
How Important are Irreparable Injury Provisions in Non-Compete Agreements?
Words on the Page: How Important are Irreparable Injury Provisions in Non-Compete Agreements?
Minnesota Court of Appeals Declines to Block Minneapolis Sick-Time Ordinance
Trump Administration Suspends Rule to Require Employers to Report Payroll Data to Government
Minnesota Supreme Court clarifies requirements for state whistleblower lawsuits
Practitioner Insights: Prescription Opioids in Workplaces and on Job Sites
It’s Final: The DOL Issues Final Rule Providing Paid Sick Leave For Employees of Federal Contractors
Ninth Circuit Holds that Employees’ Waiver of All Forums for Class or Collective Action Violates NLRA
EEOC Revises Plan Aimed to Identify Unequal Pay
Are Your Drug Test Policies Placing You at Risk With OSHA?
New OSHA Rule Effective Next Month – Are Your Drug-Testing Policies Placing You At Risk?
NLRB: Unions may organize permanent and temporary workers without employers' consent
DOL Issues Updated Contractors’ Guidance Regarding Sex Discrimination
DOL Issues Final Rule Doubling FLSA Salary Basis Threshold; Refrains From More Substantial Changes
EEOC Proposal Seeks to Expand Pay Discrimination Enforcement by Requiring More Data from Employers

News & Press Mentions

201 Dorsey Lawyers Recognized in 2025 Best Lawyers in America, Lawyers of the Year, and Ones to Watch
Dorsey Partner Jack Sullivan Provides Insight on the Supreme Court's Glacier Decision
Dorsey Partner Jack Sullivan on Lesson for Employers Following SCOTUS Glacier Ruling
Jack Sullivan Discusses MN COVID-19 Rules
Dorsey Partner Jack Sullivan Discusses Employers Requiring COVID Vaccines
Super Lawyers Recognizes 38 Dorsey Lawyers in Minneapolis
Super Lawyers Recognizes 41 Dorsey Lawyers in Minneapolis
Dorsey Partner Jack Sullivan Comments on Supreme Court Expanding Arbitration
Dorsey & Whitney Names New Partners
Super Lawyers Recognizes 36 Dorsey Lawyers in Minneapolis
Dorsey Attorney Jack Sullivan Named a MN Lawyer 2018 Up & Coming Attorney
Super Lawyers Recognizes 36 Dorsey Lawyers in Minneapolis
Super Lawyers Recognizes 37 Dorsey Lawyers in Minneapolis

Events & Speaking Engagements

Labor and Employment 2024 Symposium - Materials
Webinar Playback: Labor and Employment 2023 Symposium
Webinar Playback: Labor and Employment 2022 Symposium
Webinar Playback: L&E Briefing: The Aggressive National Labor Relations Board – What All Employers Must Know
Webinar Playback: OSHA’s COVID-19 “Vaccine or Testing” Requirement: Understanding the New Rule and How to Navigate It
Webinar Playback: Fargo Employment & Benefits Update
Webinar Playback: Labor and Employment 2021 Symposium
Webinar Playback: Fargo Employment and Benefits Update
Webinar Playback: Labor and Employment 2020 Symposium
Labor and Employment 2019 Symposium - Materials
Labor and Employment 2018 Symposium - Materials
Seminar Playback: Annual Construction Symposium: Managing the Construction Workforce in 2018
NLRB ‘Wish List’ – A Solution Looking for Problems
Labor, Employment and Benefits Seminar
Labor and Employment 2016 Conference
"How Far from Near? 50 Years of New York Times v. Sullivan in Minnesota and Beyond," (Panelist) Silha Center for the Study of Media Ethics and Law, University of Minnesota School of Journalism & Mass Communication
"Human Resources – Critical Issues and Best Practices," Great Plains, Midwest, Rocky Mountain Indian Gaming Conference & Tradeshow

Legal Writings

  • Jack Sullivan, Article: Pooled Special-Needs Trusts: An Exception that Should be the Rule to Protect Adults with Developmental Disabilities, 27 LAW & INEQ. 441 (2009)

Industries & Practices

  • Appellate
  • Banking & Financial Institutions
  • Class Action Litigation
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Development & Infrastructure
  • Electric Power
  • Energy & Natural Resources
  • Food, Beverage & Agribusiness
  • Healthcare & Life Sciences
  • Indian & Alaska Native
  • Labor & Employment

Professional & Civic

Professional Achievements

  • President of the Board of Directors, Minnesota Justice Foundation (a non-profit corporation that promotes pro bono opportunities for law students and fundraises to support clerkships at public interest agencies serving low-income individuals)
  • Member, Leadership Council, ThreeSixty Journalism (a nonprofit outreach program of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of St. Thomas that uses the principles of strong writing and reporting to help diverse Minnesota high school students enhance their writing skills, college readiness and community connection)
  • Adjunct Professor, University of Minnesota Law School Employment Law Clinic 
  • Member, American Bar Association
  • Member, Minnesota State Bar Association
  • Member, Hennepin County Bar Association

Accolades

  • Named "Minneapolis Ones to Watch" in Labor and Employment Law – Management / Litigation – Labor and Employment by Best Lawyers®, 2022-2025

   Contributed 100+ Pro Bono Hours in 2021 Contributed 50+ Pro Bono Hours in 2020

  • Contributed more than 100 Challenge pro bono hours, 2021
  • Contributed more than 50 Challenge pro bono hours, 2020
  • Named 2018 Up & Coming Attorney by Minnesota Lawyer
  • Listed as a "Rising Star" by Minnesota Super Lawyers, 2014-2020

     North Star Lawyer logo

  • MSBA North Star Lawyer, 2015-2018, 2020, and 2022-2023
Jack Sullivan