Attorneys / Daniel R. Olson
Daniel R. Olson
Shareholder | Board of Directors
Practice Groups
Antitrust, Appeals, Business & Commercial, Business & Commercial Litigation, Class Actions, Complex Litigation, Employment Advice and Counseling, Executive Compensation, Financial Institution Law, Labor & Employment, Mass Torts, Torts and Product
Biography
Daniel Olson is a commercial and employment litigator with a record of successfully trying, arbitrating, and mediating a variety of disputes. He represents clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to non-profit organizations to individuals.
Dan has a track-record of securing favorable resolutions toward the early stages of litigation. He has won several jury trials when settlement was not feasible. And he has achieved both affirmances and reversals from state and federal appellate courts when district court results have been challenged on appeal. Dan also regularly counsels and trains employers and other lawyers on a variety of employment matters, including discrimination and harassment laws, leave and accommodation issues, and non-competes and restrictive covenants. He currently teaches employment law at the University of St. Thomas School of Law.
Dan has been named to the Minnesota Super Lawyers list, Minnesota Monthly Top Lawyers list, and The Best Lawyers in America for his proficient work across the full spectrum litigation. In addition, he serves as co-chair of Bassford Remele’s Employment Group and he is a member of Bassford’s Board of Directors. Dan also volunteers as a board member of Walker|West, a non-profit music academy in St. Paul.
Education
- University of St. Thomas School of Law, J.D., cum laude, 2008
- Dean’s List
- Dean’s Award, Ethical Leadership and Corporate Practice
- Dean’s Award, Legal Services Clinic
- Mission Award, Scholarly Engagement and Societal Reform Research Assistant
- University of St. Thomas, Opus College of Business, M.B.A., 2008
- Department of Management, Research Assistant
- University of St. Thomas, B.A., cum laude, 2004
Bar Admissions
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit
- U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota
- U.S. District Court, District of Colorado
- Minnesota
- Wisconsin
Judicial Clerkships
- Minnesota Court of Appeals, The Honorable Renee Worke, Judicial Law Clerk, 2009-2012
- Minnesota First Judicial District, The Honorable Martha Simonett, Judicial Law Clerk, 2008-2009
Representative Cases
Trials and Arbitrations
- Obtained jury verdict for individuals in a fraudulent-transfer case. (Commercial Litigation)
- Obtained jury verdict for Fortune 500 company in a breach-of-contract case. (Commercial Litigation)
- Obtained defense verdict for a Fortune 150 company in an ADA retaliation case. (Employment)
- Obtained defense verdict for a Fortune 150 company in an ADA discrimination case. (Employment)
- Obtained defense verdict for a health-care system at trial in a defamation case. (Employment)
- Obtained jury verdict for Fortune 50 company in a property-damage case. (General Liability)
- Obtained defense verdict for an international energy company at arbitration. (Commercial Litigation)
- Defended a health-care system at trial, obtaining a defense jury verdict in a defamation case. (Employment)
- Represented Fortune 500 Company at trial, obtaining a plaintiff jury verdict in property damage case. (General Liability)
- Obtained defense verdict in million-dollar breach-of-contract arbitration. (Commercial Litigation)
Summary Judgment and Similar Successes
- Obtained summary judgment for employer in a disability-discrimination case. (Employment)
- Obtained summary judgment for Fortune 150 company in an ADA discrimination case. (Employment)
- Obtained summary judgment for health-care system in a public-accommodations case. (Employment)
- Obtained order for dismissal for health-care provider in civil-rights and tort litigation. (Commercial Litigation)
- Obtained reversal of summary judgment denial for police officer in civil-rights case. (Municipal Liability)
- Obtained summary judgment and affirmance of summary judgment order for health-care provider in a whistleblower case. (Employment)
- Obtained affirmance of summary judgment on behalf of medical-records collector in Minnesota Health Records Act case. (Commercial Litigation)
- Obtained affirmance of summary judgment motion in medical-malpractice case. (Professional Liability)
- Obtained affirmance of summary judgment orders and sanctions in consolidated appeals from fraudulent-transfer and quiet-title cases. (Commercial Litigation)
- Obtained order for dismissal for health-care provider in civil-rights and tort litigation related to report of medical child abuse. (General Liability)
- Obtained summary judgment for employer in a disability-discrimination case. (Employment)
- Obtained summary judgment for health-care system in a public-accommodations case. (Employment)
- Obtained summary judgment in premises-liability case. (General Liability)
- Obtained order for partial dismissal for health-care provider in civil-rights and tort litigation. (Commercial Litigation)
- Obtained reversal of summary judgment denial for police officer in civil-rights case. (Municipal Liability)
- Obtained affirmance of summary judgment order for health-care provider in a whistleblower case. (Employment)
- Obtained affirmance of summary judgment on behalf of medical-records collector in Minnesota Health Records Act case. (Commercial Litigation)
- Obtained affirmance of summary judgment motion in medical-malpractice case. (Medical Malpractice)
Other Representative Matters
- Obtained favorable settlement for a bank in an unfair-competition. (Commercial Litigation)
- Obtained favorable settlement for a health-care system in breach-of-contract case. (Commercial Litigation)
- Obtained favorable settlement for an individual in a whistleblower case. (Employment)
- Obtained favorable settlement for an individual in a race-discrimination case. (Employment)
- Obtained favorable settlement for an individual in an unpaid-commissions case. (Employment)
- Obtained favorable defense settlement in complex commercial case. (Commercial Litigation)
- Obtained favorable defense settlement in a legal-malpractice case. (Professional Liability)
- Obtained favorable defense settlement in shareholder-dispute case. (Commercial Litigation)
- Obtained favorable settlement for a bank in an unfair-competition case. (Commercial Litigation)
- Obtained settlement in fraudulent-transfer case. (Commercial Litigation)
- Obtained settlement for health-care system in breach-of-contract and civil-theft claim against insurance company. (Commercial Litigation)
- Obtained settlement in unpaid-commissions case. (Employment)
Publications
The Work Week with Bassford Remele
- Minnesota’s New Paid Leave Law is Fast-Approaching: Are You Ready?, co-author, November 3, 2025
- 2025-2026 SCOTUS Docket – Employment Law Preview, author, October 6, 2025
- Expect the NLRB to Steer in a Pro-Employer Direction, author, January 13, 2025
- Supreme Court Hears Two Pivotal Employment Law Cases, author, October 7, 2024
- Worker Classification: The New DOL Final Rule, Current State Law, and Propose Changed to Minnesota’s Construction Classification Law, co-author, March 18, 2024
- 2024 Minnesota Legislative Update on Employment Laws, co-author, March 4, 2024
- The NLRB Continues its Trend of Reversing Precedent and Expanding Employee and Union Rights, author, September 5, 2023
- The New Regulations for Cannabis in the Workplace, co-author, August 7, 2023
- Preparing Your Workplace for Legalized Marijuana, author, July 17, 2023
- Proposed Paid-Leave Legislation Makes Headlines, author, March 27, 2023
Seminars
- Litigation Operations 101: Enhancing the Management of Litigation, panelist, LegalOps 2024 Running Legal Like a Business, September 4, 2024
- Age Discrimination Litigation Defense – Strategic Considerations from Initial Charges to Courtroom Battles, presenter, Minnesota Continuing Legal Education 2024 Upper Midwest Employment Law Institute, May 20, 2024
- Remote Work and The Impact of COVID-19 – Re-Assessing and Implementing Telecommuting Policies and Practices, presenter, Minnesota Continuing Legal Education 2020 Upper Midwest Employment Law Institute, September 15, 2020
- Employment Discrimination Claims From Start to Finish, presenter, National Business Institute, August 1, 2017
- Advanced Employment Discrimination Claims, presenter, National Business Institute, April 3, 2017
- Employment Laws Made Simple, presenter, National Business Institute, December 15, 2016
- Employment Agreements From Start to Finish: Drafting and Evaluating Non-Competes, presenter, National Business Institute, April 4, 2016
- A Comprehensive Overview of Hiring and Firing Law, presenter, National Business Institute, November 11, 2015
- Management Liability Insight: Keep Your Company out of the Courtroom, presenter, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., January 29, 2014
- Overview of HIPAA, Medical Records Law Seminar, presenter, Lorman Education Services, March 26, 2013 (Minneapolis, MN); January 29, 2013 (St. Cloud, MN)
- Brief Writing for New Attorneys, presenter, American Bar Association Law Student Division Eighth Circuit Meeting, February 16, 2013
Bar Associations
- The Association of the Bar of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
- Minnesota State Bar Association
- Appellate Section
- Labor & Employment Law Section
- State Bar of Wisconsin
- Hennepin County Bar Association
Civic Involvement
- University of St. Thomas School of Law
- Adjunct Professor; Employment Law, 2019-present; Moot Court, 2009-2014
- Mentor, 2017-2019
- Alumni Board, 2011-2012
- Walker|West, Board of Directors, 2023-present
- Volunteer Lawyers Network, Conciliation Court Clinic, 2012-2018
Honors & Awards
- Top Lawyers list, Minnesota Monthly, Labor & Employment Law, 2025
- The Best Lawyers in America©, Commercial Litigation, Labor & Employment Litigation and Personal Injury Litigation-Defendants, 2025
- Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch, Commercial Litigation, 2022 and 2024; Labor & Employment Litigation, and Personal Injury Litigation, 2022-2024
- Minnesota Super Lawyers list, Super Lawyers, 2022-present
- Minnesota Rising Stars list, Super Lawyers, 2014-2021
- Distinguished Alumnus Award, University of St. Thomas School of Law, 2010

