Thomas Jacobson | Alexandria Employment Lawyer

Tom joined Swenson Lervick in May of 1996 after starting his legal career  in Fargo, North Dakota in 1990. He is certified as a Labor and Employment Law Specialist by the Minnesota State Bar Association and is rated as AV Preeminent® by Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Ratings™. He has also been named to the Thomson Reuters list of Minnesota Employment and Labor Law Super Lawyers for 2016-2018. In addition to his employment law practice, he handles many types of litigation, including personal injury cases and business disputes. He also serves as the City Attorney for the cities of Alexandria, Parkers Prairie, and Starbuck and is a Qualified Rule 114 Neutral.

Tom is licensed to practice law in Minnesota, North Dakota and Iowa, and he has served as the president of the Douglas County and Seventh District Bar Associations.  He is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management and is a charter member of the West Central Minnesota Chapter of SHRM.  He is a frequent speaker on employment law topics and a co-founder of the West Central Minnesota Employment Law Update.

Tom’s dedication to community service is shown through his work as a director for Theatre L’Homme Dieu, Young People’s Place, Community Nursery School, Alexandria Rotary Club, and the Alexandria Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce.  In 2011 he received the Chamber’s Friend of the Chamber Award which is given annually to a person who has gone beyond expectations to benefit the chamber and its members.

Originally from Marshall, Minnesota, Tom graduated summa cum laude from the University of North Dakota in 1987 and with honors from Drake University Law School in 1990. He also received a master’s degree in mass communications from Drake University in 1990.

Tom and his wife, Joni, live in Alexandria and have three adult sons.

Position	Organization	Location	Duration
Attorney	Swenson Lervick Law Firm	Alexandria Minnesota	1996 - Present
Attorney	Nilles Law Firm		1990 - 1996

School	Degree	Major	Graduation
Drake University Law School	Juris Doctor	Law School	1990
University of North Dakota	Bachelor of Arts	Mass Communication	1987
Drake University	Master of Arts	Mass Communication	05/12/1990

State / Court	Date
Minnesota	1996-09-10
North Dakota	1990-10-23
Iowa	1990-06-15

• Minnesota State Bar
  Douglas County Bar
  Iowa State Bar
  State Bar Association of North Dakota
  Society for Human Resource Management

• Certified Labor and Employment Law Specialist, Minnesota State Bar Association, 2011.
  Rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell.
  Listed as Employment and Labor Law Super Lawyer by Thomson Reuters.
  Top Scholar, National Journalism Scholarship Society, 1987.

• Represented employee who was terminated by employer who allegedly fired employee after insisting on a "100% healthy" requirement before allowing employee to return to work and then failed to offer reasonable accommodations or FMLA leave. Case settled in mediation for confidential amount that included backpay, mental anguish and attorney's fees (2018)

• Represented employee in wage and hour dispute where employer allegedly misclassified employee as exempt and failed to pay overtime. Confidential settlement included back pay and attorney's fee (2016)

• Represented employee in wage and hour and defamation dispute after employer allegedly misclassified employee as exempt, failed to pay overtime, and made false and defamatory statements about employee. Confidential settlement included back pay and attorney's fees (2017)

• Represented cattle lease guarantors who were sued by the lessor. Successfully persuaded jury to award $0.00 to the plaintiff (2003)

• Represented auto service shop technician who was allegedly fired after blowing the whistle by reporting his safety concerns to management. Case settled in mediation for $25,000.00 (2018)

• Employment & Labor | Successfully shortened duration of non-compete | Represented veterinarians who left their employment to start their own practice

• Construction & Development | Successfully defended homeowners | Contractor sued homeowners over cost of construction project

• Appeared before North Dakota Supreme Court and obtained reversal of district court order which had awarded benefits to Workers' Compensation Bureau claimant (1996)

• Blog: https://www.alexandriamnlaw.com/blog/ (occasional contributions Feb. 2017 to present).
  Blog:  Human Resource Legal Resource, http://humanresrourcelegalresource.wordpress.com (May, 2010 to February, 2017).
  Avoiding Claims of Defamation in the Workplace 72 N.D. L. Rev. 247 (1996).
  Regulating Cable Television Rates under the FCC’s New Effective Competition Standard, 41 Drake L. Rev. 81 (1992).
  Case Note, Print Media Monopolies--It Is Reasonable for the Attorney General to Allow a Newspaper Suffering Losses that More than Likely Cannot be Reversed, Although not in a Downward Spiral, to Enter a Joint Operating Agreement under the Newspaper Preservation Act--Michigan Citizens For An Independent Press V. Thornburgh, 868 F.2D 1285 (D.C. Cir.) Aff'd Per Curiam, 110 S. CT. 398 (1989), 40 Drake L. Rev. 207 (1991).
  

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