Nichols Kaster, PLLP is pleased to announce the appointment of partner James H. Kaster, as President of the National Employment Lawyer’s Association (NELA). NELA is the country’s largest organization of lawyers who exclusively or primarily represent employees in cases involving employment discrimination, illegal workplace harassment, wrongful termination, denial of employee benefits, and other employment-related matters.
Founded in 1985, NELA and its 69 state and local Affiliates have more than 4,000 members nationwide. Thriving circuit, state and local Affiliates across the country enable NELA to accomplish more for workers’ rights than we could alone.
Mr. Kaster has been widely recognized by the legal community for his abilities as both a trial lawyer and an employment lawyer. He was ranked by Chambers USA as number one among plaintiff’s employment lawyers in the state of Minnesota. He has also been named to the Super Lawyers list in Minnesota year after year and was selected as one of the Top 100 Lawyers in the state by the Minnesota Journal of Law and Politics.
Mr. Kaster was also selected as a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the premier professional trial organization in America whose membership is limited to 1% of the trial lawyers in any state or province. Finally, he was selected to be a Fellow in the prestigious National College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, an organization with an exclusive membership of leading labor and employment lawyers nationwide.
Mr. Kaster has tried well over 100 cases to verdict or decision, including representing Kevin Kasten in the successful U.S. Supreme Court case, Kasten v. Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Corporation, which set a new standard for retaliation under the Fair Labor Standards Act. His success in the courtroom includes earning many million dollar and multi-million dollar recoveries. He has also lectured frequently in front of local, state, and national organizations on damage recovery and trial skills, as well as many other legal topics.
Mr. Kaster has been involved in a wide variety of individual and class action cases. His remarkable combination of skills as a trial lawyer gives him a unique edge in effectively representing individuals and groups of employees.