Erik Hansen is the managing partner of Burns & Hansen, P.A., where he represents businesses and individuals in complex civil litigation, appeals, and business transactions. With more than 25 years of legal experience, Erik has handled high-stakes disputes in state and federal courts throughout Minnesota and across the country, while building long-standing relationships with business owners who rely on his counsel for significant transactions and ongoing business decisions. 

Erik brings a powerful combination of appellate insight, litigation experience, and practical business judgment to his work. His ability to cut through complex legal issues, anticipate challenges, and identify what matters most allows him to approach each matter with clarity and strategic purpose. 

Complex Civil Litigation and Minnesota Appellate Law 

Erik has spent much of his career handling complex, multimillion-dollar civil litigation in state and federal courts. He has argued approximately 100 cases before state and federal appellate courts and particularly enjoys the intellectual challenge of appellate advocacy, from examining difficult legal questions to developing persuasive arguments. 

His extensive appellate experience also shapes his approach to trial litigation. Erik understands that decisions made early in a case can have significant consequences on appeal, and he approaches litigation with the entire process in mind. 

To position each case for the strongest possible outcome, Erik works backward from the legal questions and facts that will ultimately determine its success. He uses that analysis to guide every stage of litigation, from focused discovery and evidence gathering to persuasive written and oral advocacy, ensuring each step serves a clear strategic purpose. 

Business Transactions and Strategic Corporate Counsel 

Erik's business law practice grew naturally out of his litigation experience. After helping business owners resolve costly disputes, he often found himself advising them on how to avoid similar problems in the future. Over time, those relationships developed into ongoing partnerships, with clients turning to Erik for guidance as their businesses grew and their legal needs evolved. 

Today, Erik advises businesses on corporate transactions, acquisitions, commercial contracts, real estate matters, regulatory and compliance issues, ownership disputes, and business transitions. His experience includes multimillion-dollar transactions, intellectual property matters, and historic redevelopment projects involving complex legal, financial, and regulatory considerations. 

Erik particularly enjoys helping clients navigate the many moving pieces of a business decision. He recognizes that every transaction involves some degree of risk, and his role is to help clients understand their legal options and make sound decisions based on their goals and circumstances. 

Clear Advice and Professional Integrity 

Erik believes clients deserve more than a technical explanation of the law. He takes the time to break complicated legal questions into understandable pieces, explain the practical consequences of different approaches, and provide a realistic perspective on potential outcomes. 

For Erik, effective representation requires candid advice, sound judgment, and the professional integrity to recognize when a particular course of action may not serve a client's best interests. 

Leadership, Mentorship, and Service to the Legal Profession 

As managing partner, Erik maintains high standards for legal work and client representation while taking a collaborative approach to mentoring the firm's attorneys. He regularly works with associates and partners to review legal arguments, discuss case strategy, and strengthen written submissions. 

Erik has also been actively involved in Minnesota's legal community throughout his career. He previously chaired the Minnesota State Bar Association's Appellate Law Section, spent a decade on the Minnesota Supreme Court's Advisory Committee on Rules of Civil Appellate Procedure, and has frequently presented continuing legal education programs on appellate practice. 

He has served as a mentor through the University of St. Thomas School of Law for more than 20 years, reflecting his belief that attorneys have responsibilities extending beyond their individual clients and cases. 

Community Involvement and Personal Interests 

Growing up in a small Minnesota town, Erik watched his father, an attorney who later became a judge, contribute his time to local organizations. That example helped shape Erik's commitment to community involvement, which continues through his work with Rethos, the Mitchell Lake Association, and Blue Fox Arts. 

Outside the office, Erik enjoys traveling, fishing, reading, and spending time with his family. A longtime soccer enthusiast and former youth coach, he is an avid Minnesota United supporter. Whether through his professional work, community involvement, or personal interests, Erik remains deeply connected to the Minnesota communities he has called home throughout his life. 

Education 

• University of Minnesota Law School, Minneapolis, Minnesota 
  • J.D., 2000, Dean's List 
• University of Minnesota–Morris, Morris, Minnesota 
  • B.A., Political Science and European Studies, 1997, with Honors and with Distinction 

Bar Admissions 

• Minnesota, 2000 
• U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota, 2001 
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit, 2001 
• U.S. District Court, Western District of Wisconsin, 2009 
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit, 2015 

Representative Cases 

• R.P. Air, Inc. v. Great Gulf Corp., No. A20-0721, 2021 WL 957322 (Minn. Ct. App. Mar. 15, 2021) 
• St. Paul Park Refining Co. LLC v. Domeier, 950 N.W.2d 547 (Minn. 2020) 
• In re Tillman Infrastructure LLC, No. A19-1824, 2020 WL 4432034 (Minn. Ct. App. Aug. 3, 2020) 
• Quality Companies, LLC v. Albertson, 2019 WL 3886875 (Minn. Ct. App. Aug. 19, 2019) 
• Peterson v. Richfield Civil Service Commission, 864 N.W.2d 340 (Minn. 2015) 
• Greg Peterson v. Richfield Civil Service Commission, No. A13-2337 (Minn. Ct. App. 2013) 
• Preservation Alliance of Minnesota and Cultural Landscape Foundation v. City of Minneapolis, 2012 WL 2488149 (Minn. Dist. Ct.) 

Honors and Recognition 

• Named to the Minnesota Super Lawyers list annually since 2016 and the Rising Stars list from 2006-2014 
• Attorney of the Year, Minnesota Lawyer, 2016 
• Up & Coming Attorney, Minnesota Lawyer, 2006 
• Senior Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America 
• Barrister, Order of Veritas, Litigation Counsel of America 
• Barrister, Order of Certus, Litigation Counsel of America 
• North Star Lawyer, 2013–2015 
• Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Award, 2013 
• Peavey Plaza litigation recognized among the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Top 10 Preservation Victories, 2014 

Professional Associations and Leadership 

• Minnesota State Bar Association 
  • Appellate Law Section, Chair, 2014–2015 
  • Appellate Law Section, Governing Council, 2009 
  • Membership Committee, Chair, 2005–2007 
  • Membership Committee, Member, 2000 
  • Publications Committee, Member, 1998 
  • Law & Literature Committee, Member, 1999–2001 
  • Pro Bono Unemployment Compensation Appeals Program, 2006–2009 
• Minnesota Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Rules of Civil Appellate Procedure, Member, beginning 2008 
• Litigation Counsel of America, Fellow, beginning 2008 
• Hennepin County Bar Association 
• University of St. Thomas School of Law, Mentor 

Selected Classes and Seminars 

• Civil Appeals A-to-Z: Perfecting the Appeal or Filing a Writ, 2022 
• How to Appeal to the Minnesota Court of Appeals, 2020 
• Appellate Practice: 2019 Appellate Year in Review — Significant Minnesota Appellate Court Decisions and Rule Changes, 2019 
• How to Appeal to the Minnesota Court of Appeals, 2017 
• Year in Review: Minnesota Supreme Court and Court of Appeals, 2010