July 16, 2019

Employment Discrimination Firm News

Joni Thome Featured in 2019 Super Lawyers Magazine

July 16, 2019 – Wanta Thome PLC is proud to announce that partner Joni Thome was featured in Minnesota’s 2019 Super Lawyers magazine. Joni has been a vanguard in employee rights for nearly 27 years. The article highlights how her life and work experiences impacted her decision to go to law school and become a leading voice for those facing workplace discrimination, harassment and retaliation.

Just prior to entering law school, Joni worked as a program director and advocate for people with developmental disabilities and brain injuries. Her work built upon years of assisting in pioneering programs that sought to de-institutionalize people out of state hospitals and integrate them into group homes and residential programs. After witnessing and reporting unlawful conduct by her employer, she was fired. However, her whistleblowing led to the state’s revocation of the executive director’s license and the eventual closure of that employer. It also inspired Joni to seek a role where she could have a greater impact to more people at a higher level. Enter: law school.

Following her graduation from Hamline University School of Law (now Mitchell Hamline School of Law) in 1992, Joni took her personal experiences to heart and opened a solo employment law practice in Minneapolis. While maintaining her practice, she also became the legal program director for the Gay Lesbian Community Action Council, now OutFront Minnesota. In addition, she founded the Minnesota Lavender Bar Association, served on the board of directors for a national employment rights organization, became a regular presenter at local and national conferences, taught as an adjunct law professor at Hamline and litigated seminal cases involving sexual harassment, disability discrimination, and transgender rights.

Joni has consistently been named to the lists of Super Lawyers, Top 50 Women Lawyers, and Best Lawyers in America. She has represented hundreds of employees during her long career—including other whistleblowers–and has helped improved the lives of many. We congratulate Joni on this well-deserved recognition.