Susan M. Coler

Susan M. Coler is a Partner at Halunen Law, focusing on both employment law and whistleblower litigation. As an MSBA-certified Labor and Employment Law Specialist, she represents individuals in cases involving workplace retaliation, discrimination, and wrongful termination. She is also a key member of the firm’s False Claims Act (FCA)/Whistleblower Practice Group, litigating major fraud cases involving government funds across the country.

Susan earned her J.D., cum laude, from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law in 1989 and was named to the Order of the Coif. She also served on the Northwestern University Law Review. In addition, she holds an M.P.S. in Pastoral Studies from Loyola University, an M.M. in Music History from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory, and a B.A., summa cum laude, in Music from Mundelein College in Chicago.

Minnesota attorney Susan M. Coler is a seasoned whistleblower and employee-rights advocate with deep experience in False Claims Act (FCA) litigation and retaliation claims. A former law clerk to the Hon. Robert G. Renner of the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, she has successfully pursued retaliation cases both within FCA actions and as standalone employment lawsuits. Susan leverages her strengths in complex legal analysis and persuasive storytelling to build powerful cases for employees and whistleblowers. Notably, she represented a whistleblower in a landmark FCA case against a global pharmaceutical company that secured an $800 million civil settlement as part of a $1.5 billion global resolution—one of the largest healthcare fraud settlements in FCA history.

Susan regularly speaks at legal conferences on employment and whistleblower law. She holds an AV® Preeminent™ rating from Martindale-Hubbell, has been selected to Super Lawyers since 2008, and is repeatedly listed among Minnesota’s Top 50 Women Attorneys. She also received the Karla Wahl Dedicated Advocacy Award in 2015.

Law Office Affiliations

• Partner, Halunen Law
• Member, Minnesota Bar Association
• Member, Illinois Bar Association
• Member, Federal Bar Association
• Member, National Employment Lawyers Association

Licensed State

• Minnesota
• Illinois

Education

• Northwestern University School of Law
  Juris Doctor (JD)
• Loyola University
  Master of Professional Studies (MPS)
• University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory
  Master of Management (MM)
• Mundelein College
  Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Awards & Badges