Minneapolis – Four attorneys from two prominent Minneapolis law firms have teamed up to open an office in the Twin Cities for one of the nation’s largest labor and employment law firms, Ford & Harrison LLP. Charles Feuss and John Bowen, both former principal shareholders of Seaton, Beck, Peters, Bowen & Feuss, P.A., one of the upper Midwest’s top management labor and employment law firms, will join Ford & Harrison as Partners. Also joining the firm as Partners are Chad Strathman and Jeremy Sosna, formerly co-founders and shareholders at the labor and employment boutique law firm of Strathman & Sosna, P.C.
“The decision to join Ford & Harrison was an easy one,” said Charles Feuss, who will serve as managing partner of the firm’s Minneapolis office. “John [Bowen] and I believe Ford & Harrison is the perfect complement to our practice, given its national position and recognition as one of the country’s premier labor and employment firms. We are excited about the opportunity to open an office with Chad and Jeremy, allowing all of us to integrate our regional practices with such a prestigious national firm.”
“I’m a big believer in the idea that good things happen when you have good lawyers. Charlie, John, Chad and Jeremy are extremely good lawyers,” said C. Lash Harrison, Managing Partner of Ford & Harrison. “They have national capabilities coupled with local experience, which are vital to the firm as we build our presence in the upper Midwest and throughout the country. Most importantly, we’ve worked with them on numerous matters in the past and it’s terrific to bring together four lawyers we already knew and trusted.”
Charles Feuss, with 25 years of labor and employment law experience, has an impressive history of successfully representing both union and non-union clients. A significant portion of his practice includes representing clients before the National Labor Relations Board and the National Mediation Board. He has handled union representation and unfair labor practice cases before the NLRB in more than 30 states. Feuss has worked with clients from industries across the spectrum — including manufacturing, food processing, retail and transportation.
A leader in the Twin Cities community, Feuss recently served as president of the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies, is involved in the Minnesota and Greater Minneapolis Chambers of Commerce and is active in a number of non-profit and civic organizations, including the Children’s Home Society & Family Services and The Blake School. He earned his undergraduate and law degrees from Emory University in Atlanta and is a member of the Minnesota and Hennepin County Bar Associations and the Labor and Employment Law Sections for each, the State Bar of Georgia and the South Carolina Bar Association.
John Bowen has represented union and non-union employers in the areas of labor and employment law and human resource consulting. Bowen has extensive experience successfully representing employers in proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board as well as in union organizing campaigns, grievance arbitration proceedings, collective bargaining, and strike management. Bowen also advises clients through corporate acquisitions and sales, workforce reductions, and plant closings. In addition, he regularly conducts seminars and workshops regarding effective management strategies, union avoidance techniques and tactics, collective bargaining, preventive employee relations, and managing a union workforce.
Before joining Ford & Harrison, Bowen was a principal shareholder at the Seaton, Beck firm and previously practiced at Seyfarth Shaw in Chicago and at Jackson Lewis in Minneapolis. He graduated cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1990 and is admitted to the Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois bars. In 2000, Bowen became a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources and is an active member of SHRM and the Twin Cities Human Resource Association (TCHRA). He also serves on the Human Resource Council for the Printing Industry of Minnesota and is a member of the Labor and Employment Law Sections of the Minnesota and Hennepin County Bar Associations.
Chad Strathman devotes his practice to employment litigation, counseling and training. He handles complex litigation matters in federal and state courts around the country, at both trial and appellate levels. Outside the courtroom, Strathman identifies creative options for his clients to assist them in making educated business decisions that balance practical business needs with legal compliance. He travels around the country to conduct interactive management training for his clients, and regularly lectures to human resources professionals and attorneys about all aspects of labor and employment law. Before founding Strathman & Sosna, he previously practiced at Littler Mendelson and Mackall, Crounse & Moore, PLC in Minneapolis. In 2004 and 2005, Strathman was selected by his peers as a “Rising Star” for Minnesota Law & Politics. He earned his B.B.A. degree in Business Administration and Management Information Systems from the University of Iowa and his J.D. with high distinction from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1996.
Jeremy Sosna represents employers around the country in all aspects of labor and employment law. He has extensive experience defending age, race and gender discrimination claims, sexual harassment cases, disability accommodation and discrimination cases, workers’ compensation retaliation litigation, wrongful discharge actions, whistleblower claims and class action wage and hour overtime claims. He also represents clients in unfair competition matters as both a plaintiff and defendant, including restrictive covenant enforcement actions, trade secret misappropriation cases, and minority shareholder disputes. Sosna has litigated cases in state and federal courts in numerous jurisdictions. In addition, he regularly provides small employers and Fortune 500 companies with counseling and training in all areas of labor and employment law. In 2005, he was recognized as a “Rising Star” by Minnesota Law & Politics. Prior to forming Strathman & Sosna, Sosna worked as an attorney with the Minneapolis office of Littler Mendelson. He earned his B.S. in Political Science from the University of Iowa in 1993, and his J.D. with high distinction from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1997.