Barton C. Gernander

Barton C. Gernander is a partner at Burns & Hansen, P.A., who practices in the areas of civil and commercial litigation, with a focus in construction and real estate issues.

In addition to representing business clients involved in standard and complex litigation in both state and federal courts, he serves emerging and mid-size companies in a general counsel capacity – assisting clients on achieving business solutions while minimizing exposure to liability.

Gernander is licensed to practice law in the state and federal courts in Minnesota, the United States Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, the United States Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.

He has served on the Minnesota State Bar Association Court Rules and Administration Committee, Minnesota Supreme Court Advisory Committee on the Rules of Civil Procedure, the Minnesota State Bar Association Civil Litigation Section Council, and the Hennepin County Bar Fourth District Ethics Committee.

Gernander obtained his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Minnesota Law School in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He obtained a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Philosophy, with Honors, from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was a four-year letterwinner in rowing at Penn and later competed for the United States in the 1993 World Championships.

In 2006, Gernander was named a “Rising Star” in the legal profession by Minnesota Law & Politics.

• University of Minnesota Law School, Minneapolis, Minnesota
  • J.D. – 1996
• University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • B.A. – 1992
  • Honors: With Honors

• Minnesota, 1996
• U.S. District Court District of Minnesota, 1998
• U.S. District Court Eastern District of Wisconsin, 2009
• U.S. Court of Appeals 8th Circuit, 1999
• U.S. Court of Appeals 11th Circuit, 2021

• New Laws that Impact Engineers, Engineering Minnesota, July, 2008
• An Electronic Discovery Primer (Minnesota E-Discovery Working Group 1 Report), William Mitchell Law Review, 2013

• Milsap vs. Special School Dist. No. 1, 1999 WL 391859 (Minn. Ct. App.)
• Grudnoske vs. Determan Welding, 1999 WL 690194, 1999 (Minn. Ct. App.)
• Equus Computer Systems, Inc. vs. Northern Comp. Systems, Inc., 2001 WL 1636487, (D. Minn.)
• Anderson vs. Spreiter, et al., 2008 WL 4287386, (D. Minn.)
• Maxwell vs. Winge Construction Services, Inc., 2009 WL 1751556 (Minn. Ct. App.)
• NR 86 Inc. vs. K. N. Hitecho, Ltd., 2011 WL 3155792 (D. Minn.)
• The Janice Kaunas Samsing Revocable Trust vs. Walsh, 2015 WL 4523580 (Minn. Ct. App.)
• Stoneridge Software Inc. vs. Sopris Systems LLC, 2017 WL 1192230 (Colo. Ct. App.)
• SIS LLC vs. Stoneridge Software Inc., 2023 WL 164067 (11th Circ.)
• NR 86 Inc. Vs. K. N. Hitecho, Ltd., 2011 WL 3155792 (Dist. of Minn. 2011)

• Rising Star, Minnesota Law & Politics, 2006
• Martindale-Hubbell, AV Rated
• North Star Lawyer, 2022-2023

• Construction Lien Law, Lorman Business Center, Inc., May 6, 2009
• “You Love it, You Hate it. Now You Have to Live With it: E-Discovery,” William Mitchell College of Law, October 4, 2013
• Change Orders in Minnesota, Lorman Business Center, Inc., May 8, 2014
• “Overview of Contract Law and Change Orders,” Change Orders in Minnesota, 2014
• “When Do I need to Call the Lawyer?”, Hedberg Education Day Seminar, 2013
• “The Ethics of Dealing with Dissatisfied Clients,” Legal Services Statewide Conference, 2022

• Businesses and Business Owners
• Contractors, Builders, Developers, and Owners
• Individual

• Hellmuth & Johnson, PLLC, Attorney & Partner, 2005 to 2009
• Private practice, 1998 to 2004
• Judicial lawclerk, 6th Judicial District, 1996 to 1998

• Minnesota State Bar Association
• Minnesota State Bar Association Court Rules and Administration Committee, Member, 2007 to 2022
• Minnesota Supreme Court Advisory Committee on the Rules of Civil Procedure, 2014 to 2022
• Minnesota State Bar Association Civil Litigation Section Council, 2023-
• Fourth District (Hennepin County) Ethics Committee, Member, 2006 to 2020
• Federal Bar Association
• American Collectors Association Member Attorney Program (past member)
• Minnesota Asphalt Pavement Association (past member)