Our Mission
We believe in the role of lawyer as counselor. In our primary practice area of employment law for employees in Minnesota, that means we:
Listen before we speak
Empathize so we can fully appreciate clients' problems
Teach so that clients feel equipped to make decisions
Understand before we advocate
Communicate with Precision to give our clients' voices power
Our clients trust us to deliver more than just results. They trust us to empower them to take control of the narrative and reclaim the advantage over some of work's thorniest problems.
“From the moment I met with Ben he was kind, attentive and efficient. He has been genuinely interested in me and my story from beginning to end. He worked quickly to resolve my case in a manner that has been respectful and reasonable.”
Legal Acumen & Communication Prowess
Ted Haller and Ben Kwan bring years of journalism and television news storytelling skills to their law practice. For Minnesota employees facing discrimination or retaliation at the hands of an employer, Ted and Ben bring a commanding voice and presence to their advocacy on behalf of individuals. Ben and Ted know how to handle high pressure situations and, most importantly, they know how to tailor a message to the audience—whether a television audience or a jury box full of peers.
Ted and Ben met in journalism school at Northwestern University in the early 2000s and eventually worked together in television news in northern Michigan before charting similar yet different paths. They enrolled in law school at the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis a year apart from one another and both credit their legal education and the influence of St. Thomas's own mission in finding themselves practicing law together—and practicing it in a mission-driven way.
Following law school, Ben chased down phenomenal experiences in two top-notch law firms—first working in the commercial litigation department of a large, downtown Minneapolis law firm learning from some of the state's most dogged litigators, and second, honing his employment practice at one of the state's most successful plaintiffs' firms. Ben is also very active in various bar organizations including the Minnesota Asian Pacific American Bar Association, where he is serving as President for 2016-2017, and the Minnesota chapter of the Federal Bar Association, where he will serve as a vice president for 2017-2018.
Haller Kwan LLP Partner Ted Haller on assignment during his days as a reporter for KMSP-TV in the Twin Cities.
Ted took his legal training back to the airwaves as a reporter for KMSP-TV in the Twin Cities. Ted has used his legal training to bring television news viewers accessible and understandable legal stories and stories with a legal bent that they can't find anywhere else in the Twin Cities. Ted has also covered some of the state's most newsworthy events like the death of Prince in 2016 when Ted appeared all day on national cable news. In July of 2017, Ted decided to devote his storytelling skills to our clients, joining Haller Kwan LLP full-time and hanging up his journalist's hat in exchange for an advocate's hat. Ted remains close with his media colleagues.
Haller Kwan LLP Managing Partner Ben Kwan moderates a March 2017 panel for Twin Cities law students at the Affinity Bar Law Student Job Symposium. We walk the walk by staying involved in the community to promote issues like diversity and inclusion.
Legal Expertise & Involvement
We are active in the local plaintiffs' employment bar, NELA-MN, where we collaborate with other employee-advocates. Managing Partner Ben Kwan has been named to the Minnesota State Bar Association's Labor and Employment Governing Council for 2017-2018. We also contribute to legal scholarship in our field and make regular appearances at continuing legal education seminars that deal with employment and other legal issues. Ben is the co-author of a Minnesota Continuing Legal Education desk book chapter on employment law for lawyers representing ongoing businesses—Ben offered the plaintiffs' lawyer's perspective. Ben has also accepted speaking engagements on employment law issues including live webcasts and presentations at one our local Inns of Court.
Ben is also a frequent speaker on the topic of diversity and inclusion in the legal profession. It's part of our firm's commitment to walking the walk.
Peer & Client recognition
In 2017, Super Lawyers named Haller Kwan LLP Managing Partner Ben Kwan a "Rising Star." The "Rising Star" accolade is a sub-category of Super Lawyers - an independent rating service created by Thomson Reuters. The selection process includes independent research, peer nominations, and peer evaluations. No more than 2.5 percent of the lawyers in a state are named to the Rising Stars list.
Ben Kwan is also rated "10 out of 10" on avvo.com - a rating system that includes peer and client evaluations and also measures involvement and contributions to the legal community in terms of speaking engagements, published articles, and other criteria. Read reviews of Ben Kwan on avvo.com to see what clients have said about his work on behalf of employees.
Investment in Modern Tools for our Clients
Haller Kwan LLP is on the cutting edge when it comes to secure, cloud-based communications and other tech tools that keep its clients in the loop and up-to-speed. The number one complaint about lawyers nationally is lack of communication. And boy, have we seen it. We've seen lawyers treat their clients like numbers and low priorities, unworthy of thorough explanations. That's not how we do business. Chalk it up to food service experience early in life (Ben grew up working in his family's Chinese restaurant and later a Chili's in college, Ted at a Macaroni Grill in Scottsdale, Ariz., during high school) and a deep desire to keep clients informed and fully educated. Haller Kwan LLP uses technology to make its communications even better:
Realtime Scheduling Online. We've seen clients struggle to get on their attorneys' calendars—missed calls and phone tag, unanswered emails, you name it. We cringe to see it—and we're not going to let you experience it if you choose us. To help even more, we use easy-to-use online scheduling that puts clients and prospective clients in control of exactly when we talk. Schedule a consultation now.
Secure, Cloud-Based Case File Access. We never leave our clients guessing as to what's going on with their cases. While we might be juggling other case deadlines, court appearances, and meetings with other clients, if you choose us, you'll always have secure, cloud-based access to your case file. That means you'll be able to log-on anytime from anywhere to see the latest court filings, correspondence, and other key documents relating to your matter.
Electronic Payment Options. Many of you probably pay your electric bill and cell phone bill online. So why the heck shouldn't you be able to pay your lawyer online? Haller Kwan LLP always makes online payments an option for our flat fee, hourly, and hybrid invoice and trust account payments. We only use secure processors so clients don't have to worry about security.
Transparent On Fees
People who need our legal services have enough to worry about—the last thing they need to worry about is whether their lawyer is giving them a fair deal. We make it part of our mission to explain and educate you about the fee and payment options you have. Yes, you likely have options.
Part of your overall risk assessment—and our counseling duty—is understanding your own risk-to-reward appetite when considering the pursuit of a legal action. That means you need to know what a realistic outcome looks like and how you'd like to pay for the services you'll need to get there.
We have nothing to hide. We want to put you in control. How committed are we to this kind of transparency? Check out our fee explanation page→
Good Folks
Finally—it's worth saying that we like working for good folks, because we like to think of ourselves as good folks. We're here to make an honest living doing right by our clients, serving them in a time of need. We enjoy helping people and doing it with level heads and a clear focus on the light at the end of the tunnel: justice and peace of mind—in whatever form that takes for each of our clients.
