Alia M. Abdi

Alia M. Abdi is a shareholder and labor and employment attorney who advises employers ranging from global organizations with thousands of employees to small nonprofit organizations. Her practice includes discrimination defense, workplace investigations, leave of absence and disability advice and defense, whistleblower and retaliation matters, wage-and-hour disputes, and complex employment class actions. She also provides preventive employment counseling and training, handles administrative agency responses, advises on reductions in force, and helps employers align workplace decisions with diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

Alia earned a J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School in 2017 and a B.A., magna cum laude, in International Relations from St. Cloud State University. Her legal education and international relations background support a practice that requires careful analysis of workplace laws, organizational priorities, employee relations, and sensitive personnel issues. She is admitted to practice in Minnesota and before the US District Court for the District of Minnesota.

Alia handles sensitive workplace investigations and employment litigation involving allegations of race, age, gender, sex, and ethnicity discrimination. Her experience includes single-plaintiff matters, administrative charges, and complex class actions involving wage-and-hour issues. She also counsels employers on leaves of absence, disability matters, pay equity, DE&I programs, and strategies designed to reduce employment risk. Her industry experience includes retail, manufacturing, automotive, technology, healthcare, restaurant and food service, and nonprofit organizations.

Alia M. Abdi is active in organizations connected to employment law, diversity, and the legal profession. She serves as a board member of the Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers and co-chairs the Diversity & Inclusion Committee of the Federal Bar Association’s Minnesota Chapter. She has also served on the Somali American Bar Association board and joined the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity Pathfinder Program in 2022. Her work combines employment litigation, preventive counseling, investigations, training, and practical guidance for employers managing complex workforce concerns.

Law Office Affiliations

• Attorney, Nilan Johnson Lewis PA
• Board Member, Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers, 2025
• Member, Minnesota State Bar Association
• Co-chair, Federal Bar Association, Minnesota Chapter
• Past Board Member, Somali American Bar Association

Licensed State

• Minnesota

Education

• University of Minnesota Law School
  Juris Doctor (JD)
• St. Cloud State University
  Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Awards & Badges