
Ben Bauer
No Company Is Too Big to Play FairAbout
Ben has devoted his career to fighting for equity, from protecting employees’ hard-earned benefits to ensuring that every child receives a quality education. Ben currently focuses on complex litigation, including class actions involving retirement and health benefits in federal courts across the country. He has spoken at national conferences on various topics such as trends in recent class-action litigation and the nuances of attorney-client privilege. Ben has received various honors, including the Law School Public Service Award and acceptance to the ABA Section of Labor & Employment Law’s Leadership Development Program. Ben is also an adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota Law School.
Ben prides himself on using the skills and knowledge learned in his previous career in education to become a better advocate for his clients. He graduated from the College of St. Benedict/St. John’s University with a degree in English and Secondary Education and previously taught seventh-grade English. He has worked for educational equity programs like Breakthrough Twin Cities, Teach for America, and the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP). Ben continued to work in schools full-time while completing his law degree in Mitchell Hamline’s night program. Before joining Nichols Kaster, Ben clerked for Judge Tom Fraser in Hennepin County District Court.
Education
- J.D., Mitchell Hamline School of Law, 2017, magna cum laude
- B.A., St. John's University, 2011, magna cum laude
Admissions
- U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota
Memberships & Honors
- ABA Section of Labor and Employment Law’s Leadership Development Program
- American Association for Justice
- Hennepin County Bar Association
- Minnesota State Bar Association
- Hennepin County Bar Association Young Lawyers Section, Board Member
- Minnesota Association for Justice
- Minnesota State Bar Association Young Lawyers Section, Board Member
Presentations & Publications
- "Employee Benefits Hot Topic, Litigation Updates” presented at the ABA’s 48th Annual TIPS Midwinter Symposium on Employee Benefits, ERISA, Life, Health & Disability Insurance, and Insurance Regulation Conference in La Jolla, February 2024.
- “Exceptions to Attorney Client Privilege in Employment Litigation” presented at the FBA Labor & Employment Conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico, February 2023.
- “A Former Teacher’s Tips for Working with Law Clerks” published in the FBA Minnesota Chapter “Bar Talk” May 2023 Publication
- “The Future of Attorney-Client Privilege for In-House Counsel in the U.S.” FBA CLE, April 2023.
- "Four Exceptions to the Attorney-Client Privilege," Minnesota CLE, January 2022.
- “Exceptions to Attorney-Client Privilege,” MN CLE Deskbook, 2019-2023.