Joni M. Thome practices exclusively on behalf of plaintiffs in the areas of employment law and class action litigation. Ms. Thome is a 1992 graduate of Hamline University School of Law, St. Paul, Minnesota. Ms. Thome has successfully obtained millions of dollars for her clients in awards and settlements. She was one of the lead attorneys in a same-sex sexual harassment lawsuit which resulted in the largest known settlement in such a case to date. She is known for her appellate work relating to human and civil rights including cases involving governmental immunity, sexual orientation discrimination and constitutional issues relating to speech and religion in the workplace. Ms Thome is a Labor and Employment Law Specialist, certified by the Minnesota State Bar Association. She is an Adjunct Professor at Hamline University School of Law teaching sexual orientation and the law. Ms. Thome has been named Superlawyer by Minnesota Law and Politics and the Minneapolis/St. Paul Magazine each year since 2000. Prior to becoming a founding partner of Baillon Thome Jozwiak & Wanta LLP, Ms. Thome was a Senior Attorney at a Minneapolis employment law firm where she was a member of the management committee.
Contact Joni at [email protected] or 612-252-3570
Practice Areas
- Civil Rights
- Employee Law – Employee
- Litigation & Appeals
- Sexual Harassment
- Workplace Training – Sexual Harassment, Sexual Orientation, HIV/AIDS Disability
Bar Admissions
- Minnesota, 1992
- U.S. District Court District of Minnesota, 1993
- U.S. Court of Appeals 8th Circuit, 2001
Education
- Hamline University School of Law, St. Paul, Minnesota, J.D.(1992)
- Law Journal: Hamline University Journal of Law and Policy, Associate
- University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, B.A.(1983)
- Major: Psychology
Published Works
- Reconciling Nondiscrimination with the Affirmation of Cultural Diversity, Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion, Fall 1997, Volume 13, Number 2
Representative Cases
- Goins v. West Group (2000)
- Davis v. Hennepin County
- Sonkowsky v. Independent School District 721
- EEOC and Paul B. Hummel v. Federal Express
- Thorson v. Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (2004)
- EEOC, et. al. v. Long Prairie Packing
Classes/Seminars Taught
- 18th and 19th Annual Upper Midwest Employment Law Institute, Minnesota State Bar Association, 2001 and 2002
- Ethics and Bias Seminar, Minnesota Institute for Legal Education, 2001
- Employment Law Institute, Minnesota Institute for Legal Education, 2001
- Lavender Law, National Lesbian and Gay Law Association, 2001, 2002, 2003
- Annual Conference, American Association of Law Libraries, 2001
Honors and Awards
- Karla Wahl Award Recipient, National Employment Lawyer Association, Minnesota Chapter, 2012
- Superlawyer, Minnesota Law & Politics, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004
- Minnesota Lavender Bar Association, Community Service Award, 1999
Professional Associations and Memberships
- Minnesota State Bar Association, 1992 – Present
- Hennepin County Bar Association, 1992 – Present
- Minnesota Lavender Bar Association, Founder/Past Chair, 1996 – Present
- Minnesota AIDS Project, 1996 – Present
- Volunteer Attorney Program
- OutFront Minnesota, 1999 – Present
- Attorney Referral Program Volunteer
- National Gay and Lesbian Law Association, 2002 – 2004
- Chair, current board member
- Lavender Law 2004 Host Committee
- Fundraising Chair
- Seward Childcare Center, 1999 – 2004
- Board Member, 2004 Board Chair
- Human Rights Committee of the MSBA, 1994 – 1999