Reena I. Desai

Reena I. Desai is a partner at Nichols Kaster, PLLP, in the firm’s Minneapolis office.  She is a skilled and meticulous litigator, who has dedicated her career to fighting for everyday people. Focusing on complex litigation, including qui tam actions and class and collective cases, Reena strives to cause impactful changes through her work.  She has represented thousands of workers to combat wage theft and recover unpaid overtime compensation, minimum wages, and other unpaid compensation.  Reena has also litigated discrimination cases on both a class and individual level, advocating for employees whose employers have discriminated against them because of their age, race, or disability. She also seeks to hold corporations accountable through her work representing relators in cases involving False Claims Act violations.

Reena has been asked to share her knowledge and experience with her peers, serving as a speaker at several national conferences. She has spoken on topics including wage and hour litigation, electronic discovery issues, attorney-client privilege, and mediation/settlement.  Reena was a board member of the Minnesota Justice Foundation for over a decade, is a program co-chair of the ABA’s Employment Rights & Responsibilities Committee, and co-chairs the firm’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.

Reena graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School in 2007, where she was honored with the Dorothy O. Lareau award for legal writing during her first year, and she earned a B.A. in both Economics and Psychology from George Washington University.