Pinnacle of storied career is Legal Aid
The way Justin Perl sees it, everything in his life before Legal Aid was preparation for his career at Legal Aid. Not a retirement job, it’s been the job. “The best one I’ve ever had,” he says. That’s saying a lot, as what came before is an enviable 31-year career as a trial attorney at blue chip law firm Maslon, LLP.
During his tenure in private practice, he either amassed or saved hundreds of millions for corporate clients. He also did exceedingly well for pro bono clients, which is a bit of an understatement. For instance, in “the Walmart case,” which he mentions with a gleam in his eye and smile in his voice, he garnered a $50 million settlement. Workers had been denied rest breaks, meal breaks and their wages consistently fell short of the minimum required by law.
He recalls how a class representative called him after it was over, “She left me a voice mail, crying that the money allowed her to save her home from foreclosure. I was proud we could make a difference in her life and in the lives of 50,000 other hourly employees there.
Indeed, cases that seem to resonate most with Justin are those pro bono cases in which victims lost more than money. They lost their dignity, which, of course, is everything when you have little to begin with. Justin helped get both back.
The other case that sticks with Justin is another wage-theft case involving Legal Aid clients, a couple who spoke only Spanish and worked in the classic sweatshop, laboring long hours sewing clothes and paid far less than promised. “They tried to pay me a portion of their settlement. Of course, I couldn’t accept it.” Then, “Recently, and this is years later, they showed up here with gifts, a pencil box and wind chimes.” The gifts found appropriate homes. But what Justin values most is the shared mutual respect with clients and admiration, running both ways, developed through difficult circumstances.
With mere days left in his decade-long post as litigation director with Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid — his retirement becomes official at the end of December — Justin made time for Q&A and nuggets of insights.
What have you learned at Legal Aid that you didn’t know before landing here?
How much pain our clients suffer through no fault of their own. Some attorneys have the misconception that working at Legal Aid is less stressful. Not true. Here we are dealing with quite heavy issues that are meaningful and more stressful in many ways. If we lose, our clients could be rendered homeless or be deported.
What’s the difference between Legal Aid and private practice?
The work I did in private practice was wonderful. It was intellectually stimulating but morally neutral. Also, resources. We don’t have the same support [at Legal Aid]. I had 24-hour IT services in private practice. They’d even send someone to my home to troubleshoot a problem. We had litigation support, software, investigators. We, at Legal Aid, should be on the same level playing field.
Did you always want to be an attorney?
My dad was a lawyer, and I was influenced by my parents to be a professional in some field. Doctor and lawyer were, no doubt, quite coveted jobs. I don’t like the sight of blood, so lawyer it was.
Who’s your greatest influence and why?
I have a number of heroes. I met Hubert Humphrey when I was about 10 years old and began learning about civil rights and the rule of law from that point on. But it’s my kids, Alex and Phillip and my wife, Lynn who are my greatest influences.
Most memorable case?
My very first jury trial. It was an injury-accident pro bono case. The clients did not speak English. It went sideways. I thought we were going to lose. My clients gave different answers than I expected. They said north was south. I asked the judge if I could lead the witnesses. Judge said yes, and still, as I led them, the witnesses disagreed with me. I wanted to go home and just not come back. But the jury believed them and awarded them more than we asked for. I learned there is great collective wisdom in our jury system. They believed in our clients because they were telling the truth.
What advice do you wish to pass on to other attorneys and staff at Legal Aid?
Keep doing what you’re doing. You are making a real difference. You are making the world a better place. Oh, and try, in the heat of battle, to have some fun and get to know your clients. Thay are amazing too.
Beyond your career as an attorney, how else do you define yourself?
Well, my first title is dad, and I have committed parental malpractice many times! But I hope I did an okay job there, and think I did, as our kids are amazing humans, a teacher and a medical researcher in the field of psychedelics treating PTSD and depression. I am also defined as Lynn’s partner of 40 years, and I am proud of that too.
What do you want others to know about what drives you?
A couple of concepts in Judaism that have been with me since I was a child: Tzedek Tzedek Tirdorf, Justice Justice shall thou pursue, and Tikkun Olam, Tikkun olam, a concept in progressive Judaism, which refers to various forms of action intended to repair and improve the world.
Greatest misconception people have about you?
I have a sense of urgency about me that can come off as impatient or, dare I say, rude. I’m working on it. I am sorry and don’t realize when I do that.
What’s next?
I’m not going out to pasture! I still have a lot of energy and passion for this job. So, I hope to help find someone to fill my role, maybe raise some money for Legal Aid, and certainly volunteer work in the immigration/naturalization space. I am also on the Governor’s Judicial Selection Commission and hope to add value there when there are openings. And Maslon, my former firm, has a program called UPLIFT, a legal institute for teens which offers high schoolers opportunities to learn about the legal profession. Beyond that, I hope to spend time with my wife, my 99-year-old father-in-law, bike, walk, kayak, read and sleep a little more.
Among the highlights of Justin’s career at Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid, was his role in Murphy v. Harpstead which garnered the organization’s largest settlement in its history. He also was part of a landmark housing discrimination case in which Legal Aid partnered with the U.S. Department of Justice.
“Justin could have easily stayed in private practice and retired comfortably years earlier. Instead, he chose to join legal aid to fight for justice for our clients, and was tremendously successful in doing so. His impact also extends to the numerous attorneys that he taught and mentored, who became stronger litigators as a result. His presence will be missed.”
– Steve Schmidt, Supervising Attorney, Mid-Minnestoa Legal Aid, MN Disability Law Center
But arguably, his greatest, longest-lasting impact has been shepherding countless attorneys through their first trials, giving them generous benefit of his experience and knowledge, which will extend beyond those he’s mentored as they pass along the wisdom of his counsel.
“Justin’s legal work improved the lives of thousands of people. When you consider all the Legal Aid lawyers and staff who learned from his mentorship and by his example, that number gets exponentially bigger. Justin has been a friend, a leader, and a role model.”
– Luke Grundman, Litigation Director, Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid
Justin Perl has been designated a “Super Lawyer” by Minnesota Law and Politics in the Litigation, Legal Aid, and Pro Bono categories; he has held an A-V Martindale-Hubbell rating since 1999 and was designated as a leading individual attorney in Minnesota by Chambers USA. He also received “Attorney of the Year” honors from Minnesota Lawyer in 2008, 2021 and 2022. Come spring, he will be honored with the 2025 Cardozo Society Sidney Barrows Lifetime Commitment Award. He has most recently been named to the Governor’s Commission on Judicial Selection.