Practice Overview

Nic S. Puechner is a general practitioner who represents business owners, organizations, and private clients in litigation and business matters by providing focused solutions tailored to their individual needs. He focuses his practice on commercial litigation and employment law.

Before joining Larkin Hoffman, Nic served as a judicial clerk for the honorable Jill Flaskamp Halbrooks at the Minnesota Court of Appeals. While in law school, he clerked both here at Larkin Hoffman and for the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.

Representative Experience

  • Defended a client against breach of contract and piercing the corporate veil claims. After an eight-day jury trial, Larkin Hoffman obtained a highly favorable verdict for its client under which the opposing party recovered a mere fraction of the damages it sought.

  • Represented a client in a construction defect case and successfully defended against contractor’s counterclaims in a three-day jury trial.

  • Obtained $800,000 judgment for a client in a breach of contract case at summary judgment stage.

Appellate Advocacy:

  • Obtained a reversal by the Minnesota Supreme Court in favor of a drug-treatment facility’s challenge to a DHS determination of maltreatment and associated fine.

  • Co-authored appellate briefs for contract disputes in which the Miinn. Court of Appeals and Minn. Supreme Court held, in favor of a client, that a condition precedent in a contract may be excused to prevent disproportionate forfeiture.

  • Co-authored appellate briefs for a minority in a condominium dispute between majority and minority unit owners.

Employment Experience:

  • Assists multi-state employers with handbook reviews and benefits questions.

  • Advises employers on employment-related concerns related to cannabis and hemp.

  • Represents parties in unemployment benefits appeals.

Cannabis Law Experience:

  • Advises companies on compliance with federal and state laws and Minnesota's Industrial Hemp Pilot Program.

 


View All Related Experience

Bar Admissions
  • Minnesota, 2015
  • U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota, 2016


Board and Council Appointments

  • Commissioner, Transgender Equity Council, City of Minneapolis, 2017-2019
  • Treasurer, Minnesota Lavender Bar Association, 2017-2019
  • Board Member, Minnesota Lavender Bar Association, 2016-2019


Education

  • William Mitchell College of Law, St. Paul, MN; J.D., summa cum laude
    • Executive Editor, William Mitchell Law Review
  • Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC, 2004 B.A., Literature, summa cum laude


Professional Associations & Memberships

  • Minnesota State Bar Association
  • Hennepin County Bar Association
  • National LGBT Bar Association
  • Quorum
  • DRI Cannabis Law Conference Committee