Emma Denny

Employment Law Attorney

Emma Denny
Emma Denny
HKM Employment Attorneys LLP

305 Fifth Avenue North
Suite 440
Minneapolis, MN 55401
Phone: 612-217-8711

Emma is an experienced, tough, and tenacious litigator who specializes in representing employees in a variety of different employment disputes. She also routinely negotiates favorable settlement resolutions, and has recovered over $20 million for her clients. In addition to her extensive experience with settlement negotiations, Emma has considerable courtroom experience, including motion hearings, trials, and appeals in both state and federal court. She is a dedicated advocate for her clients, working closely with them at all stages of a legal proceeding to obtain a favorable outcome. She is driven by a passion to right the wrongs experienced by her clients in the workplace. 

Emma has been selected as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers magazine every year since 2016, a distinction given to less than 2.5% of attorneys in Minnesota to recognize their excellence in the practice of law. Emma has also been recognized by Super Lawyers as one of the Top Women Attorneys in Minnesota. 

Emma currently serves as the Chair of the Minnesota State Bar Association Labor & Employment Law Council. She also volunteers for the Tubman Pro Bono Safety Project as a volunteer lawyer representing low-income victims of domestic violence in legal proceedings. 

While in law school, she served as a staff member on Law and Inequality: A Journal of Theory and Practice, as well as the President of New Orleans Legal Assistance. She also held a variety of internships, including semesters as a law clerk at a Minneapolis plaintiffs’ employment law firm, the Florida Attorney General’s Office, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota, the Washington County Attorney’s Office, and as a Judicial Extern for the Honorable Mary R. Vasaly in Hennepin County District Court. 

Emma also routinely moderates panels and gives presentations on employment-related topics. She is also frequently interviewed by media outlets about topical employment law issues. 

Emma has roots in the Midwest, but grew up in Tallahassee, Florida. Prior to her legal career, Emma lived in New Orleans, where she worked in public education. In her free time, Emma enjoys playing rec sports, competing in bar trivia, reading, and spending time with her family and friends.

 

Professional Association:

  • Chair of the Minnesota State Bar Association Labor & Employment Section Governing Council
  • National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA), MN Chapter
  • Federal Bar Association, Member
  • Minnesota Women Lawyers, Member
  • Minnesota State Bar Association, Member
  • Hennepin County Bar Association, Member
  • Tubman Pro Bono Safety Project, Volunteer Attorney
 

Presentations:

  • “Civil Litigation During a Pandemic – The Bench’s Perspective,” Panel Moderator, Minnesota State Bar Association Labor & Employment Section, February 2021
  • “Tips from the Trial Court on Winning Your Next Employment Trial,” Panel Moderator, Minnesota State Bar Association Labor & Employment Section, February 2020
  • “How #MeToo is Impacting Employment Law Today,” Panelist, Minnesota State Bar Association Labor & Employment Section, October 2018
  • Testimony before the Minnesota House of Representatives, Subcommittee on Workplace Safety and Respect, March 2018: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-c1rNW9ulLE&t=3s.
  • “Insightful or Inciteful – When Employee Speech and the Employer’s Reaction to it Become the News,” Panelist, Minnesota State Bar Association Labor & Employment Section, January 2018
  • “Service Animals in the Workplace – Making it Work,” Panelist, Minnesota CLE, September 2017
 

Education:

  • University of Minnesota Law School, Minneapolis, MN
    Juris Doctor, 2013
    Honors: graduated cum laude
  • Tulane University, New Orleans, LA
    Bachelor of Arts, 2007
    Majors: Economics and History
    Honors: graduated cum laude
 

Media Interviews:

 

Publications:

 

Bar Admission:

  • State of Minnesota
  • U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota
  • U.S. District Court, District of North Dakota
  • Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals
 

Honors and Awards:

  • Rising Star, Super Lawyer Magazine, 2016-Present
 

Practice Areas

  • Employment Law – Employee
  • Labor and Employment
  • Wrongful Termination
  • Sexual Harassment
  • Sexual Assault
  • Civil Rights
  • Whistleblower
  • Discrimination
  • Retaliation
  • Severance
  • Employment Agreements and Contracts
  • Wage and Hour Violations
  • Litigation