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Dawn C. Van Tassel 
Partner

p 612.672.8377
f612.642.8377
dawn.vantassel@maslon.com

3300 Wells Fargo Center
90 South Seventh Street
Minneapolis, MN 55402

Dawn Van Tassel is a trial lawyer in Maslon's Litigation Group, serving clients in the areas of complex commercial litigation, business torts and employment disputes. She has represented clients ranging from individuals to small-business owners to global corporations throughout all stages of state and federal court proceedings and privately arbitrated disputes. Dawn has successfully first- and second-chaired numerous bench and jury trials and arbitration hearings and has also appeared before state and federal appellate courts.

Although her practice focuses primarily on complex commercial disputes, Dawn's experience spans a wide breadth of litigation matters, including insurance coverage, employment discrimination, and appellate work. She also maintains a robust local-counsel practice, guiding out-of-state lawyers and clients through the intricacies of Minnesota's state and federal courts. 

Dawn earned her Juris Doctor from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law (Boalt Hall). She earned her Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude, from Augsburg College. Dawn is licensed to practice in the state and federal courts of Minnesota, the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Eighth and 11th Circuits, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Areas of Practice
  • Litigation
  • Appeals
  • Amicus Curiae Practice
  • Eighth Circuit Appeals
  • Minnesota Appeals
  • Business Litigation
  • Competitive Practices/Unfair Competition
  • Employment Litigation
  • Labor & Employment
  • Defending Employers
Education
  • University of California at Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law, Berkeley, California, 1999
    J.D.
    Honors: Chair, Moot Court Board, 1998-1999
    Honors: Boalt Hall Teaching Fellow, 1998-1999
    Law Journal: Berkeley Technology Law Journal, Articles Editor and Member, 1997 - 1999
  • Augsburg College, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1995
    B.A.
    Honors: Summa Cum Laude
    Major: Communication
Bar Admissions
  • Minnesota, 1999
  • U.S. District Court District of Minnesota, 1999
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 8th Circuit, 2002
  • U.S. Supreme Court, 2004
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 11th Circuit, 2004
Professional Associations and Memberships
  • American Bar Association - Member
  • Minnesota State Bar Association, Antitrust Section - Member
  • Hennepin County Bar Association - Member
  • Minnesota Women Lawyers - Member
  • MWL Judicial Appointments Committee - Co-Chair
  • Minnetonka Choral Society - President
  • St. Joseph's Home for Children - Volunteer Reader
Classes Taught
  • Spoliation of Evidence, Evidence in the Courtroom, Minnesota CLE, July 2010
  • Judicial Notice and Presumptions, Evidence in the Courtroom, Minnesota CLE, November 2008
  • The Best Seminar You Will Ever Attend: What You Need to Know About False Advertising Law. What matters. A Maslon speaker series. July 2007
  • Spoliation and Preservation of Evidence, Minnesota CLE, April 2006, April 2007
  • Adjunct Professor and Coach, ABA Arbitration Competition, William Mitchell College of Law, 2006 - Present
  • Adjunct Professor, Advocacy, William Mitchell College of Law, St. Paul, Minn., 2006
  • Adjunct Professor, Legal Writing, William Mitchell College of Law, St. Paul, Minn., 2002 - 2004
Publications
  • ABA TIPS Appellate Advocacy Newsletter, Eighth Circuit Reporter, 2009
  • Minnesota Courtroom Evidence Deskbook, Ch. 2, "Judicial Notice and Presumptions.", Minnesota CLE (Bratvold, ed.), November, 2008
  • Fire at Will: Courts Affirm Employers' Right to Require Non-Compete Agreements, (Co-authored with Alain Baudry), Findlaw Corporate Counsel Center, February, 2005
  • Delete At Your Peril: Preserving Electronic Evidence During the Litigation Process, (Co-authored with Justin Perl), Findlaw Corporate Counsel Center - Litigation/Minnesota, www.findlaw.com, March, 2004
Honors and Awards
  • Minnesota Rising Stars
Experience
  • Sustad v. Unisys Corp., (D. Minn. 2009): Successfully defended global computing solutions company against disability discrimination claim.
  • Vincent v. Roundy's, Inc., 2007 WL 2226029 (D. Minn. July 31, 2007): Successfully defended retail grocery chain against employee's claims of gender and disability discrimination and reprisal. Obtained summary judgment for employer.
  • In re Estate of Kinney, 733 N.W.2d 118, 2007 WL 1704137 (Minn. June 14, 2007): Clarifying requirements for antenuptial agreements under Minnesota common law, reversing summary judgment previously entered against client.
  • Solvay Pharmaceuticals, Inc. v. ETHEX Corporation and KV Pharmaceutical Co. (D. Minn. 2007): Served as local counsel for generic pharmaceutical manufacturer and distributor on claims of false advertising under Lanham Act and Minnesota False Advertising Act. Assisted in achieving total defense verdict after six-week jury trial in federal district court.
  • Ad Associates, Inc. v. Coast to Coast Classifieds, Inc., 2005 WL 3372968 (D. Minn. Dec. 12, 2005): Defended small-business owner against claims of copyright infringement, misappropriation of trade secrets and unfair competition.  First-chaired bench trial, at which client prevailed on all claims. 
  • Unity Church of St. Paul, et al. v. State of Minnesota, 694 N.W.2d 585 (Minn. Ct. App. 2005) Drafted successful amicus curiae brief on behalf of American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota in challenge to firearm conceal/carry statute on basis of state constitution's "single subject" clause.
  • i-Systems, Inc. v. Softwares, Inc., 2004 WL 742082 (D. Minn. March 29, 2004) (denying motion for summary judgment on claims of copyright, trade secret misappropriation, deceptive trade practices and contract claims brought by software developer). Assisted in obtaining $830,000 jury verdict at trial.
  • Anderson v. Crossroads Capital Partners, LLC, 2004 WL 256512 (D. Minn. Feb. 10, 2004) (granting partial summary judgment to employer in sexual harassment case); 2004 WL 483196 (D. Minn. March 10, 2004) (granting motion to dismiss on remaining claim against employer).
  • Kerns v. Kerns, 53 P.3d 1157 (Colo. 2002) (granting extraordinary writ petition and upholding validity of out-of-state notices of lis pendens to prevent disposition of assets in fraud/constructive trust action).
  • Hoehne v. Kerns, 2002 WL 31260000 (per curiam) (8th Cir. 2002) (affirming entry of preliminary injunction and payment of funds into court to prevent disposition of assets in fraud/constructive trust action).
  • D.E. Frey & Co., Inc. v. Luedke, 2001 WL 11155704 (Minn. Ct. App. 2001) (upholding dismissal of alleged counterclaim for back wages).
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