
Allyson Petersen Francis
Associate
Allyson is a perceptive attorney who makes good use of her superb listening and observational skills. These skills allow her to look at issues from a multitude of perspectives and ask critical questions to find relevant information. She enjoys and excels at dissecting complex litigation matters.
Allyson is detail-oriented and organized – assets that help analyze large amounts of information to formulate strategies. She prides herself on developing and maintaining strong relationships with clients, learning about their business and discovering what makes them tick in order to find successful solutions to complex issues.
When she’s not working, you can find Allyson exploring new areas of the city, running, or traveling and absorbing different cultures.
Key Practice Experience
- FLSA/wage-and-hour defense
- Leave of absence and disability advising and defense
- Discrimination defense
- Preventative employment counseling
- Whistleblower/retaliation defense
- Administrative agency charge responses
- Labor relations
- OSHA investigations and contesting citations
COVID-19 RELATED EMPLOYMENT EXPERTISE
- FFCRA compliance
- Federal and state sick leave, FMLA
- Workplace Safety, OSHA
- CARES Act
- Unemployment
Key Industry Experience
- Technology
- Retail
- Healthcare
- Education
- Non-profit
- Restaurant/Food Service
- Manufacturing
Recognitions and Honors
- Law Clerk to the Honorable James A. Cunningham, Jr., Minnesota 10th Judicial District Court, 2013-2015
- Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court, Student Co-Adviser
- Burton Award Nominee in Legal Writing, William Mitchell College of Law
- Minnesota Black Woman Lawyers Network Scholarship recipient, 2013
- William E. McGee Scholarship recipient, 2012
Professional Associations
- Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers
- Minnesota State Bar Assocation
Community Engagement
- JaMinn Link
- Minnesota Employers: Understanding Recent Anti-Retaliation Executive Order
- Employer Liability When Workers Contract COVID-19
- Reopening the Workplace: Breaking Down the EEOC’s Updated Guidance
- CDC Issues New Guidance on Safety Measures for Critical Infrastructure Workers Who May Have Potential Exposure to COVID-19
- Coronavirus FAQs for Employers
- Employers and Coronavirus: A Brief Guide
- Allyson Petersen, Pharaoh Lewis Featured in MSBA’s Profiles in Practice
- What Employers Should Note about OSHA’s Phase 4
- Cleared For Take-Off: Trump Reinstates Recreational Drone Registration
- Trump Speeds Up Commercial Drone Integration
- Regulating the Car of the Future: NHTSA Delivers Guidance for Automated Driving Systems
- Nilan Johnson Lewis Welcomes Attorney Allyson Petersen