Charlie R. Alden - Burnsville, MN

Charlie’s first job after graduating from Princeton University and William Mitchell college of law was working for an international law firm, where he worked on complex cases, representing multinational businesses, to small and medium-sized local businesses. He sought out opportunities to get out of the office and into court, representing clients and litigating cases in New York, California and Texas, in addition to states in the Midwest. He developed experience beyond his years, winning jury and bench trials in complex commercial disputes and employment discrimination claims, and arguing in front of the Minnesota and Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. Before being named a Super Lawyer for last 2 years, he was a Rising Star for most years he was eligible. Both designations are awarded to less than 2.5% of the attorneys in the state, and votes for the award are made by other lawyers – so the recognition means something.

THE OBJECTIVE

Back in 2015, Charlie formed Gilbert Alden PLLC with his law partner Matt Gilbert. The goal was to provide “big law” legal service without having to bill clients to achieve billable minimums, and to have flexible fee arrangements – to be able to take good business, civil rights, or employment law cases on contingent fee when that is what clients wanted, and to put our litigation skills to work in a more diverse range of practice areas. While Matt and his team practice family law and Charlie and his team focus on business and employment law, the principles of hard work, responsiveness, honest and effective communication, and a commitment to A+ work product extends throughout the firm. In all practice areas, the results speak for themselves. Our online reviews and recognition from our peers are a testament to the satisfaction clients experience in having their stories told to judges and juries and getting results that balance the scales.

LITIGATION – EMPLOYMENT, BUSINESS, AND CIVIL RIGHTS LITIGATION

We don’t try to settle everything, so Charlie and his team spend a lot of time in court. We’ve recovered millions of dollars in settlements and judgments for individuals and businesses. We go to trial more than most lawyers. For instance, even during COVID when litigation slowed down, we tried four trials (losing none) through 2020 and 2022. We’ve obtained multiple six-figure verdicts in business litigation cases. In employment law cases, Charlie and the team pursue fair results for people unlawfully targeted or terminated by their employers.

Whether consulting with executive employees whose positions are being eliminated and need their severance documents reviewed, shareholders in a close-corporation who need to resolve a dispute, or a civil servant who is being squeezed out of her position due to age or disability, Charlie and his team exhaustively analyze a case before starting it, to be sure that once we start, we’re ready to take it all the way. You can see some of these results under the Recent News section of the website.

OUTSIDE GENERAL COUNSEL AND REPRESENTATION OF BUSINESSES

Charlie’s experience in employment law and business litigation make him and his team an excellent choice as general or litigation counsel for businesses. Charlie and the team are counsel to companies both locally and through the nation. Examples of our current clients include tech startups, designers of military aerospace technology, commercial real estate groups, manufacturers, insurance brokerages, local contractors, engineering companies, and commercial retailers (to name a few). In addition to standard tasks like writing or reviewing contracts, negotiating and reviewing deals, or counseling over employment laws and issues, we’ve successfully represented businesses in investigations by the Department of Labor, OSHA, the Attorney General’s Office, or the Wage and Hour Division, as examples. Conventional wisdom might hold that you can’t represent both employees and businesses, but our experience on both sides only broadens our perspective. Businesses rely on Charlie and the rest of the team at Gilbert Alden PLLC to serve as the backend to help navigate complex and challenging problems that inevitably come up in running a business.

PERSONAL

Charlie lives in south Minneapolis, and when he’s not working, he likes to run around Lake Harriet, play tennis (indoors and outdoors), downhill ski, play hockey, golf, and play music when he can. He graduated with honors from William Mitchell College of Law in Saint Paul, serving as the Editor-in-Chief of a law journal, was on the Dean’s List, and received other academic honors.

Charlie is licensed to practice in Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Iowa, and Nebraska.

Contact Charlie for a free consultation.