Gislason & Hunter LLP

What Gislason & Hunter LLP does

Gislason & Hunter LLP is a regional law firm founded in 1937 in New Ulm, Minnesota, operating as a Limited Liability Partnership with 24 attorneys supported by 9 paralegals, 6 legal administrative assistants, and 8 firm professionals across offices in New Ulm (headquarters, 2700 South Broadway) and Mankato (Eide Bailly Tower, Suite 500). The firm delivers legal services across 10 practice areas: Agriculture Law & Agribusiness, Business & Corporate Law, Family Law, Finance & Banking, General Counsel Services, Labor & Employment, Litigation, Mediation/Alternative Dispute Resolution, Real Estate/Environmental Law & Land Use, and Trusts & Estates. Notable engagement outcomes include a $2.4 million verdict for a secured creditor farm lender, a $3.75 million settlement for a beef farmer against a packer, and a $2.1 million jury trial recovery.

The firm serves a diversified client base spanning agribusiness enterprises (e.g., Christensen Farms, Minnesota Pork Producers Association, Minnesota Corn Growers Association, Minnesota Agri-Growth Council), financial institutions (e.g., Citizens Bank Minnesota, where partner Dustan Cross serves as Board Chairman), corporate entities, and individuals/families across Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, and (recently) North Dakota. Its revenue model blends traditional hourly billing with flexible General Counsel fee arrangements (fixed monthly retainer, hourly, or hybrid). The go-to-market is sales-led and reputation-driven, leveraging 87+ years of brand equity, community involvement across more than 25 organizations, content marketing (newsletters, blog, publications), and referral networks rather than proprietary technology.

Operational infrastructure includes ShareFile for client document portals and SurePoint Cloud for payment processing. The firm does not disclose revenue and does not employ proprietary legal technology platforms or AI systems. Managing Partner Dean M. Zimmerli leads the partnership as of 2026, with practice group chairs overseeing the major service lines and a traditional associate-to-partner track of five to seven years.

Name

Gislason & Hunter LLP

Legal name

Gislason & Hunter LLP

Website

https://gislason.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1937

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Gislason & Hunter LLP is a 1937-founded Upper Midwest law firm with 24 attorneys in New Ulm and Mankato, Minnesota, serving agribusinesses, financial institutions, businesses, and individuals across 10 practice areas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (54111), Offices of Lawyers (541110)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Employment & Labor Law (BPAHAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Corporate Development & Strategic Partnerships Advisory (JVs, Alliances, Carve-outs) (BPAHAOAG)

Keywords

• Legal services
• Agriculture law
• Corporate law
• Civil litigation
• Estate planning

Headquarters

HQ city

New Ulm

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

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 rendered. Attorneys track time spent on client matters.
2. General Counsel Services - Flexible Fee Arrangements: Fixed monthly fee, standard hourly fee, or combination of fixed and hourly fee rates tailored to each client's business needs for ongoing general counsel services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Gislason & Hunter LLP is a regional law firm delivering legal counsel and representation across 10 practice areas, including Agriculture Law & Agribusiness, Business & Corporate Law, Family Law, Finance & Banking, General Counsel Services, Labor & Employment, Litigation, Mediation/ADR, Real Estate/Environmental Law & Land Use, and Trusts & Estates. The firm serves agribusinesses, banks, business owners, corporate executives, professionals, and individuals through 24 attorneys operating from offices in New Ulm and Mankato, Minnesota.

Product overview

Gislason & Hunter LLP is a regional law firm offering a comprehensive suite of legal services across 10 distinct practice areas. The firm's core offerings span Agriculture Law & Agribusiness, Business & Corporate Law, Family Law, Finance & Banking, General Counsel Services, Labor & Employment, Litigation, Mediation/Alternative Dispute Resolution, Real Estate/Environmental Law & Land Use, and Trusts & Estates. The firm serves clients throughout Minnesota and several other states with a team of 24 attorneys across offices in New Ulm and Mankato.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Agriculture Law & Agribusiness
• Business & Corporate Law Sophisticated legal expertise for negotiating, structuring and troubleshooting major corporate transactions including business succession planning, entity formation, commercial real estate, contracts, corporate governance, mergers & acquisitions, and intellectual property.
• Family Law Customized strategies for family legal needs including divorce, paternity, child custody, child support, spousal maintenance, property division, and mediation for high net worth cases including farms and businesses.
• Finance & Banking Legal guidance for financial institutions including bank litigation, collection actions, commercial lending, corporate governance, loan workouts, regulatory compliance, and bankruptcy/reorganization.
• General Counsel Services Ongoing legal services custom-tailored to business needs including corporate governance, employment law, commercial contracts, regulatory compliance, litigation readiness, and micro acquisitions on flexible fee arrangements.
• Labor & Employment Counsel and litigation services for employers including policy development, disciplinary actions, disability accommodations, workplace investigations, wage and hour compliance, collective bargaining, and drug testing.
• Litigation Civil litigation and appellate representation for businesses including banking litigation, business torts, commercial litigation, construction litigation, employment litigation, insurance defense, and product liability.
• Mediation/Alternative Dispute Resolution Experienced counsel facilitating mutually agreeable settlements outside of courtroom through mediation, arbitration, and other alternative dispute resolution procedures.
• Real Estate, Environmental Law & Land Use Representation in real estate acquisition, development, financing, permitting, land use compliance, environmental regulations, drainage and water rights, and eminent domain.
• Trusts & Estates Estate planning and administration including business succession planning, charitable gift planning, conservatorships, estate and gift tax, probate, wills, trusts, and powers of attorney.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully represented secured creditor in obtaining $2.4 million verdict for farm lender
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Title Resources LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTitle Resources LLC is described as a partner with Gislason & Hunter and is a full service title company that helps guide lenders, realtors, developers, builders, buyers and sellers through agricultural and commercial title transactions.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Maslon LLP: Minneapolis-based full-service firm with comparable size and practice area mix, including business litigation, banking, trusts & estates, and family law. Closest direct competitor in terms of firm size and upper Midwest regional focus.

Regional players

• Hellmuth & Bockman, Ltd. St. Cloud, Minnesota-based regional law firm serving central Minnesota with similar practice areas including business, real estate, family law, and estate planning. Competes with Gislason & Hunter for clients in overlapping rural Minnesota geographies.
• Brown & Crouppen: Midwest-based law firm providing business, real estate, and litigation services. Comparable in size and regional focus, though primarily operating in adjacent geographies, making it a useful regional peer reference.

Broad incumbents

• Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP: Major full-service law firm with significant Minneapolis presence and strong food and agribusiness practice. Competes with Gislason & Hunter for agribusiness clients in the upper Midwest and offers a much wider portfolio of services across the U.S. and internationally.
• Dorsey & Whitney LLP: Large Minneapolis-based full-service law firm with broad practice areas including agribusiness, banking, corporate, litigation, and trusts & estates. Overlaps directly with Gislason & Hunter on agribusiness and upper Midwest corporate work but at much larger scale and broader geographic reach.
• Stinson LLP: Full-service firm with offices in Minneapolis and across the central U.S. Provides corporate, banking, real estate, and litigation services that overlap with Gislason & Hunter's practice areas, particularly for upper Midwest business clients.
• Larkin Hoffman Daly & Lindgren Ltd. Minneapolis-based full-service firm with strong real estate, business, employment, and litigation practices. Competes with Gislason & Hunter for upper Midwest business and real estate clients.
• Fredrikson & Byron P.A. Minneapolis-based full-service firm with a notable food and agribusiness practice and strong banking, corporate, and litigation capabilities. Direct regional competitor for agricultural and banking clients in the upper Midwest.
• Winthrop & Weinstine P.A. Minneapolis-based mid-to-large full-service firm with corporate, real estate, banking, and litigation practices. Competes for upper Midwest business clients in similar practice areas to Gislason & Hunter, though at a larger scale.

Others

• Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP:

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/gislason-hunter-llp-atty-151358088266280
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/115416

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

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 Gislason & Hunter LLP