Nilan Johnson Lewis PA

What Nilan Johnson Lewis PA does

Nilan Johnson Lewis PA is a Minneapolis-headquartered professional services law firm operating as a Professional Association under Minnesota law. The firm is organized around five core practice areas: Product Liability and Complex Torts (including dedicated sub-practices in pharmaceutical and medical device defense, commercial transportation, micromobility and personal transportation, PFAS product stewardship, catastrophic injury defense, children's products, autonomous and connected IoT products, drones, toxic exposure liability, food industry litigation, and OSHA matters); Labor and Employment (with industry-focused sub-practices serving health care, manufacturing, restaurant, retail, and tech employers, plus dedicated corporate immigration, wage-and-hour defense, discrimination defense, and workplace investigation capability); Business Litigation; Health Care (regulatory compliance, transactions, privacy, and litigation); and Corporate and Nonprofit (M&A, commercial transactions, nonprofit governance, commercial real estate, and internal investigations).

The firm represents clients ranging from small companies to Fortune 500 corporations across regulated, litigation-intensive industries—pharmaceuticals, medical devices, vaccines, FDA-regulated products, transportation, food production and processing, manufacturing, retail, and restaurants. Its client base is composed almost entirely of enterprise and institutional buyers, with no consumer-facing offering. Service delivery relies on attorney expertise rather than a proprietary technology platform; the firm describes 'advanced litigation technology and extranet capabilities' as differentiators but discloses no core technology product.

The firm earns revenue primarily through traditional hourly billing augmented by an unusually broad suite of alternative fee arrangements (volume discounts, success fees, capped fees, flat/phase fees, and contingent fees), with pricing quote-based and not publicly disclosed. A wholly owned consulting subsidiary, Nilan Johnson Lewis Consulting, Inc., extends the platform with consulting services. Distribution is direct via attorney-client engagement, supplemented by the firm's status as the sole Minnesota and South Dakota member of the ALFA International legal network. The firm is privately held with no parent company, no institutional investors, and certified as women-owned through the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). It has been recognized as one of the largest certified women-owned law firms in the U.S. and has received multiple Law360 diversity rankings, an LCLD 2025 Top Performer designation, and a 2012 ACC Value Champion award alongside Target.

Name

Nilan Johnson Lewis PA

Legal name

Nilan Johnson Lewis PA

Website

https://nilanjohnson.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Nilan Johnson Lewis PA is a Minneapolis-based law firm serving employers and product manufacturers across five practice areas: product liability, labor and employment, business litigation, health care, and corporate/nonprofit. It is one of the largest WBENC-certified women-owned law firms in the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Personal Injury & Insurance Defense (BPAHAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Litigation Support & Expert Witness Services (BPAHALAG)

Keywords

• Legal services
• Product liability defense
• Labor employment law
• Business litigation
• Corporate legal counsel

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Hourly Billing: Traditional hourly billing for legal services across all practice areas including product liability, labor and employment, business litigation, healthcare, and corporate matters.
2. Alternative Fee Arrangements: Volume Discount (percentage discounts increasing with volume), Success Fee (hourly with discounted rates plus success component), Capped Fee (hourly up to budgeted amount), Flat Fee (monthly/annual retainer), Phase Fee (varying flat fees for different stages), Contingent Fee (risk-sharing for plaintiff cases), and modified arrangements for defense cases.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Nilan Johnson Lewis PA is a Minneapolis-based law firm providing comprehensive legal services across five primary practice areas: Product Liability and Complex Torts (with sub-practices in pharmaceutical/medical device defense, commercial transportation, PFAS stewardship, micromobility, and catastrophic injury defense), Labor and Employment, Business Litigation, Health Care, and Corporate and Nonprofit. The firm represents employers of all sizes from small companies to Fortune 500 corporations as national, regional, local, and trial counsel.

Product overview

Nilan Johnson Lewis PA is a law firm offering comprehensive legal services organized across five primary practice areas: Product Liability and Complex Torts (including specialized sub-practices in micromobility, pharmaceutical/medical device defense, commercial transportation, PFAS stewardship, catastrophic injury defense, children's products, autonomous/IoT products, drones, toxic exposure, premises liability, fire/battery/explosion cases, and OSHA matters), Labor and Employment (covering discrimination defense, wage-and-hour, immigration, EEOC matters, and workplace investigations), Business Litigation (including appellate, bankruptcy, IP, and class actions), Health Care (regulatory compliance, transactions, privacy), and Corporate and Nonprofit (M&A, commercial transactions, real estate). The firm positions itself as providing alternative fee arrangements and operates a Total Partnership client service model.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Product Liability and Complex Torts National and regional litigation counsel for Fortune 500 and privately held product manufacturers, handling product liability, mass tort, and personal injury cases including bet-the-company cases in individual suits and consolidated mass tort litigation.
• Labor and Employment Represents employers of all sizes in employment, labor, and employee benefits litigation and administrative agency cases, including EEOC/DOL matters, discrimination defense, wage-and-hour cases, and workplace investigations.
• Business Litigation Comprehensive business litigation services including appellate advocacy, bankruptcy, business torts, class actions, consumer fraud, contract disputes, ERISA litigation, and intellectual property matters.
• Health Care Health care regulatory compliance, transactions, privacy and security, government programs, provider contracting, regulatory investigations, and health care litigation services.
• Corporate and Nonprofit Corporate governance, commercial transactions, closely held businesses, nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations, IT and data privacy, commercial real estate, mergers and acquisitions, and internal investigations.
• Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Defense Litigation Nationally recognized practice representing pharmaceutical, medical device, vaccine, and FDA-regulated product manufacturers in complex product liability and mass tort litigation.
• Commercial Transportation Legal representation for trucking and transportation clients including accident defense, regulatory compliance, contract disputes, and product liability defense for automotive manufacturers.
• Micromobility, Personal Transportation, and Recreational Vehicles Focused legal counsel for manufacturers of micromobility devices, personal transportation products, electric vehicles, and powersport vehicles, including regulatory compliance, recalls, and liability defense.
• PFAS Product Stewardship and Strategic Counsel Comprehensive PFAS regulatory compliance, investigation, insurance review, and litigation risk management services for manufacturers dealing with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.
• Corporate Immigration Law Corporate immigration services including H-1B visa processing, PERM labor certification, visa sponsorship, I-9 compliance, and international employee transfers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 93% of client survey respondents said NJL attorneys either meet or exceed their expectations
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and important.

• ALFA InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNilan Johnson Lewis is the sole Minnesota and South Dakota member of ALFA International legal network. This international network provides access to legal expertise across jurisdictions and allows the firm to augment its expertise and experience in other jurisdictions when case demands require it.
• WBENC (Women's Business Enterprise National Council)coreOthersNJL became certified through WBENC, which validates businesses that are at least 51 percent owned, controlled, operated, and managed by a woman or women. This certification officially recognizes NJL as one of the largest certified women-owned law firms in the country.
• NAMWOLF (National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProud member of NAMWOLF, a national association dedicated to increasing the number of minority and women-owned law firms in the legal profession and promoting their advancement in the legal marketplace.
• Twin Cities Diversity in PracticeimportantStrategic or Co-development PartnerProud member of Twin Cities Diversity in Practice, an organization committed to advancing diversity in the legal profession in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.
• LCLD (Leadership Council on Legal Diversity)importantStrategic or Co-development PartnerProud member of LCLD and part of the LCLD Fellows Program, which is dedicated to creating a truly diverse legal profession by recruiting, retaining, and advancing lawyers from underrepresented backgrounds.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP: Minneapolis-rooted, multi-office full-service firm with similarly deep product liability, employment, healthcare, and corporate practices. Most directly comparable in scale, geography, and Fortune 500 client mix, including pharmaceutical and medical device defense work.
• Stinson LLP: Minneapolis-headquartered full-service firm of comparable size with overlapping practice areas including product liability, employment, and litigation. Competes for the same regional Fortune 500 and middle-market clients.
• Maslon LLP: Minneapolis-based mid-size firm with strong litigation, employment, and corporate practices serving sophisticated business clients. Closely comparable in size, geography, and client profile to NJL.
• Husch Blackwell LLP: Mid-size national firm with significant product liability, employment, and healthcare practices serving Fortune 500 clients across industries. Comparable in size and multi-jurisdictional reach model.
• Lathrop GPM LLP: Minneapolis-anchored full-service firm with overlapping litigation, employment, healthcare, and corporate practices. Direct competitor for the same regional enterprise client base.
• Goldberg Segalla LLP: National litigation-focused firm with a strong product liability and complex torts practice serving product manufacturers and transportation clients. Closely aligned with NJL's core defense work and Fortune 500 client roster.
• Shook Hardy & Bacon LLP: Nationally recognized product liability defense firm with deep pharmaceutical and medical device defense practice. Most direct competitor in NJL's flagship pharma/medical device litigation work.
• Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP: Large national litigation defense firm with broad product liability, employment, and transportation practices. Comparable in multi-practice defense model and enterprise client focus.
• Robins Kaplan LLP: Minneapolis-based litigation-focused firm with national reach in product liability, mass tort, and complex commercial litigation. Comparable bench depth in high-stakes defense matters.

Broad incumbents

• Dorsey & Whitney LLP: Larger Minneapolis-founded international full-service firm with overlapping product liability, employment, healthcare, and corporate practices. Broader geographic footprint and broader service portfolio than NJL, but competes for the same enterprise clients.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/116446
• Xx.com/njllaw

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Nilan Johnson Lewis PA