
Alia Abdi works with all sizes of employers, from global organizations with thousands of employees to small nonprofits, as they navigate through labor and employment issues. She does so with an eye on diversity, equity, and inclusion, ensuring solutions fit the employer’s strategic initiatives. Alia is exceptionally skilled at navigating sensitive, high-profile workplace investigations. She has an uncanny ability to get at the heart of what’s important to her clients and can creatively solve matters with absolute professionalism and discretion.
Alia has successfully handled administrative charges and other single-plaintiff litigation matters, as well as complex class actions like wage-and-hour cases, often involving race, age, gender, sex, and/or ethnicity discrimination allegations. She also provides preventive employment advice and counseling to mitigate risk in matters including leaves of absence and disability.
Committed to and passionate about DE&I issues, Alia trains employers on the dos and don’ts of internal DE&I programs. She lends her expertise to community organizations like the Diversity & Inclusion Committee of the Federal Bar Association’s Minnesota Chapter. In addition, she joined the 2022 class of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity’s (LCLD) Pathfinder Program, which arms participants with leadership skills and career development strategies.
Key Practice Experience
- Discrimination defense
- Workplace investigations
- Leave of absence and disability advice and defense
- Complex employment litigation and class actions, including wage-and-hour issues
- DE&I counseling and training, including pay equity advice and defense
- Whistleblower/retaliation defense
- Preventive employment advice, counseling, and training
- Administrative agency responses
- Reductions in force
Key Industry Experience
- Retail
- Manufacturing
- Automotive
- Technology
- Healthcare
- Restaurant/Food service
- Nonprofits
Recognitions and Honors
- Selected to the Minnesota Rising Stars list, published by Super Lawyers
Professional Associations
- Minnesota State Bar Association
- Federal Bar Association, Minnesota Chapter
- Co-chair, Diversity & Inclusion Committee, 2020-present
- Past co-chair, New Lawyers Committee
- Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers
- Past Board Member, Somali American Bar Association
Community Involvement
- Leadership Counsel on Legal Diversity (LCLD) Pathfinder, 2022
- Board of Directors for the Legal Rights Center
Publications and Presentations
- “How to Avoid the ‘Heartbreak Hotel:’ Hot Employment Topics for the Hospitality and Retail Industry,” ALFA International 2021 Hospitality & Retail Practice Group Seminar, November 2021
- “Profiles in Practice: Alia M. Abdi,” Hennepin Lawyer, October 2021
- 19 NJL Attorneys on 2023 Super Lawyers and Rising Stars Lists
- New York’s City of Ithaca and Westchester County Join the Wave of Pay Transparency Laws
- Fifteen NJLers on 2022 Rising Stars, Super Lawyers Lists
- New York City Council Amends Wage Transparency Law
- Nilan Johnson Lewis Attorneys Selected to Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD)
- Keeping Up With Pay Transparency Laws
- Does Your State Prohibit Asking Salary History?
- Sixteen NJL Lawyers on 2021 Super Lawyers Lists
- Alia Abdi Joins NJL’s Labor and Employment Team