Kay M. McCleary
Legal Assistant
kmccleary@hansendordell.com
651-332-8761
Sheila Moe
Paralegal
smoe@hansendordell.com
651-332-8714
“People are our business.” -Frederick E. Kaiser
Frederick E. Kaiser has always been interested in law and politics––from his college days as an intern for the late Senator Hubert H. Humphrey, to his law school days during which he authored a police manual, to his 26 years as managing attorney for Hartford Insurance Group, to his current position as partner at Hansen Dordell. Fred joined Hansen Dordell in 2002, specializing in personal injury, workers’ compensation, insurance defense, mediation and arbitration. He cites the firm’s enduring reputation for providing quality legal services while maintaining a civil bearing in its practice. “Everyone at Hansen Dordell is a vigorous advocate for their client, making our points without ever forgetting that we are officers of the court and must always be respectful of the people we represent, the people on the bench and our opponents,” he says.
Fred has been an adjunct professor of law at William Mitchell College of Law.
One could say Fred has always had high aspirations in law and politics. While he interned for the estimable Senator Humphrey (authoring numerous position papers for the Senator during that time), he spent part of each day operating the elevator at the U.S. Capitol building, saying, “Going up!” to dozens of Senators and members of the U.S. House of Representatives––gaining some valuable first-hand insights as to the ups and downs of politics.
Fred is an avid fisherman, both fly and hardware. His favorite fishing spots are in Alaska, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories. His favorite fish to catch are rainbow trout, brown trout, lake trout, smallmouth bass and arctic grayling. The biggest freshwater fish he ever caught––and this is no tall tale––weighed over 50 pounds, although in saltwater he has caught them even bigger. He and his wife Susan have one son, Andrew, daughter-in-law Brooke, and two grandchildren Weston and Hayden. Tragically we lost our son Andrew to cholangiocarcinoma in 2020.
Education
- Juris Doctorate Degree (J.D.), University of Minnesota Law School (1972-1975)
- Bachelor of Arts Degree (B.A.), St. Cloud State University (1968-1972)
- Major, Political Science
- Minors, Management-Finance and Sociology
Bar Admissions
- Minnesota
- U.S. District Court- District of Minnesota
- Rule 114 ADR Neutral Mediator
Areas of Practice
- Workers’ Compensation
- Workers’ Compensation Mediation
- Workers’ Compensation Defense
- Personal Injury
- Insurance Defense
- Hennepin County Bar Association
- Ramsey County Bar Association
- Minnesota State Bar Association
- American Bar Association
- Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association
- University of Minnesota President’s Club
- Williams Scholarship Fund
- Named to 2017 Edition of The Best Lawyers®, Inclusion in the area of “Workers’ Compensation Law – Employers”
- Selected to the Minnesota “Super Lawyers” list by Minnesota Law and Politics
- Selected to “The Best Lawyers in America 2019” list in the 2019 edition of Best Lawyers
- Workers’ Compensation Law
- Adjunct Professor of Law, William Mitchell College of Law
- Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry- Medical Symposium
- Multiple onsite seminars regarding Workers’ Compensation, Litigation, and Personal Injury practice
Fred’s Focus Areas
Workers’ Compensation
We have extensive experience in workers’ compensation litigation. We take pride in working with the insurers, self-insured employers, and third-party administrators to bring about the most successful resolution of workers’ compensation matters.
Workers Compensation Mediation
Workers’ compensation mediation can save both sides’ litigation and discovery costs by working to resolve the issues prior to incurring the costs associated with expert depositions, hearing preparation, and possible appeals.
Personal Injury
Individuals look to us for representation in matters involving personal injury. Whether the matter involves an automobile accident, slip-and-fall, dog bite, products liability, dram shop claims, natural gas explosion or other injury-producing event, we have the experience, technical knowledge and resources to represent you.
Insurance Defense
At Hansen Dordell we work with large national insurance companies on matters requiring our solid litigation experience in state and federal courts. We take pride in the impressive roster of insurance carriers and their insureds we work with each day.
