Attorney Profile: Frances E. Baillon
Frances E. Baillon practices exclusively on behalf of plaintiffs in the area of employment law. Ms. Baillon has litigated cases in state and federal court. She has also argued cases before the Minnesota state and federal district courts, the Minnesota Court of Appeals, the Minnesota Supreme Court, and the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. She has co-authored articles published by MTLA and Fordham Urban Law Journal. Ms. Baillon has previously been named in the Rising Stars list in Minnesota Law & Politics magazine. Prior to joining Halunen & Associates, Ms. Baillon worked in private practice for seven years.
Areas of Practice
ยทย Employment Law - Employee
ยทย Labor and Employment
ยทย Civil Rights
ยทย Litigation and Appeals
ยทย Sexual Harassment
ยทย Consumer Rights
ยทย Class Action
Bar Admissions
ยทย Minnesota, 1998
ยทย U.S. District Court District of Minnesota, 1999
ยทย U.S. Court of Appeals 8th Circuit, 2000
Education
William Mitchell College of Law, St Paul, Minnesota
J.D.
Honors: Competitor and Board Member of Rosalie E. Wall Moot Court Competition
Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa, 1995
B.A.
Major: English
Notable Cases
Bahr v. Capella University, 765 N.W.2d 428 (Minn.App. 2009) cert. granted (June 18, 2009) (setting standard for statutorily protected conduct in retaliation cases under Minnesota Human Rights Act),
Frieler v. Carlson Marketing Group, 751 N.W.2d 558 (Minn.2008) (establishing standard of liability for supervisor sexual harassment)
Hayes v. Dapper, 2008 WL 4301018, No. A07-1878 (Sept. 23, Minn. Ct. App. 2008) (reversing dismissal of whistleblower case because a report need not be formal to constitute protected conduct and questions of fact remained whether the report was made in good faith)
Kaufenberg v. Schwans Home Services, Inc., 2009 WL 234014, No. A08-0214 (Feb. 3, Minn.App. 2009) (worker’s compensation retaliation case) (cert. denied)
Moore v. Epperson Underwriting Co., 2007 WL 2332755, No. Civ. 06-2563 (D.Minn. Aug. 15, 2007) (successfully defeated motion for summary judgment in disability and Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA))
Published Works
“The First Amendment: Churches Seeking Sanctuary for the Sins of the Fathers,” Fordham Urban Law Journal, Vol. 31, 2004
“When Clergy Fail Their Flock — Innovative Strategies for Prevention, Healing and Justice,” American Trial Lawyers Association, 2003
“Sexual Harassment Law and Practice,” Minnesota Trial Lawyers Association Employment Law Handbook, 2001
Honors and Awards
Named a “Rising Star” by Minnesota Law & Politics 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009
Professional Associations and Memberships
Minnesota State Bar Association, 1998 - Present
National Employment Lawyers Association, 1999 - Present
National Employment Lawyers Association, Minnesota Chapter
Board Member 2001-2–4; Member 1999-present
Past Employment Positions
Reinhardt & Anderson, Associate/Senior Associate, 1999 - 2003
Reinhardt, Wendort & Blanchfield, Senior Associate, 2003 - 2006ย ย