Attorneys

Tim Palmatier is a shareholder at Kennedy & Graven, Chartered. He practices in the areas of school law, education law, employment law, disability discrimination and special education.

During Mr. Palmatier's 13 years of practice, he has represented and counseled school districts in a variety of legal matters including: special education due process hearings, state and federal discrimination lawsuits, federal court appeals, expulsion proceedings, OCR and Minnesota Department of Human Rights complaints, harassment investigations, teacher discipline proceedings, data practice disputes, open meeting law issues, temporary restraining orders and several other matters. During this time, Mr. Palmatier has provided legal counsel to nearly 50 school districts in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

While Mr. Palmatier has provided counsel to school districts in a number of areas, the greatest emphasis of his practice has been devoted to special education, disability discrimination disputes and student centered issues. He has successfully represented school districts in numerous administrative proceedings, state and federal court lawsuits and Eighth Circuit appeals. He is also a frequent speaker on special education and disability discrimination issues at seminars and in-services for school administrators and teachers.

As an undergraduate, Mr. Palmatier attended the University of Wisconsin and obtained a B.S. in Zoology. Thereafter, he worked for one year on the Hopi Indian Reservation as a teacher before attending law school at the University of South Dakota. For the past 13 years he has worked almost exclusively as an attorney for the public schools. He initially practiced law as a school attorney at Knutson & Flynn for six years. He continued working as a school attorney while being a partner at the Rider Bennett Law Firm for approximately the next four years. Prior to joining Kennedy & Graven, he operated Palmatier Law Office in Wayzata, Minnesota.

Tim has this to say about his practice at Kennedy & Graven:

Kennedy & Graven shares my commitment to serving public sector clients. As an attorney to numerous school districts, I know that whatever the issue, my clients will be well served by the experience, expertise, and understanding that Kennedy & Graven attorneys possess.