As partner at Culberth & Lienemann, LLP, Celeste E. Culberth handles cases of employment mediation, discrimination litigation and alternative dispute resolution for the people living in the Twin Cities in Minnesota. Her services are available to businesses that require training and legal advice for their employment practices, individuals who have been bullied at school or feel their civil rights have been violated, and lawyers and clients as they work through a mediator to find creative solutions during civil litigation.
Ms. Culberth is admitted to practice in Minnesota state courts, as well as before the Supreme Court of the United States, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit Court and the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota. At the University of Minnesota in 1989, she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy, then attended Mitchell Hamline School of Law where she graduated cum laude with a Juris Doctor in 1992.
A passionate advocate for the members of her community, Ms. Culberth volunteers with as an amicus attorney for Lambda Legal, as an attorney for Cancer Legal Line and for the Minnesota AIDS Project. She volunteered her time to achieve a landmark consent decree in the Anoka-Hennepin Bullying Resolution and was given the National Center for Lesbian Rights Community Partner Award in 2012. She was named Minnesota Lawyer Attorney of the Year in both 2012 and 2016 and achieved the Circle of Excellence.
Currently, Ms. Culberth serves on the Board of the Eighth Circuit National Employment Lawyers Association as the immediate past president. Ms. Culberth is also the Minnesota Lavender Bar Association’s past chair, a previous member of the Minnesota State Bar Association Diversity Task Force and a current board member for the Employee Lawyers Association of the Upper Midwest.
Practice Areas
- Employment
- Civil Rights
Bar Admissions
- Minnesota, 1992
- U.S. District Court District of Minnesota, 1993
- U.S. Court of Appeals 8th Circuit, 1999
- Supreme Court of the United States of America, 2008
Education
- Hamline University School of Law, St. Paul, Minnesota
- J.D. – 1992
- Honors: cum laude
- Law Review: Hamline Law Review, Member, 1990 – 1991
- University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
- B.A. – 1989
- Major: Philosophy
Published Works
- Justin Cummins and Celeste Culberth, “A New Day for the ADA: How the ADA Amendments Act Restores Accessibility to Justice,” Minnesota Trial Lawyer, Summer 2009
- Leslie Lienemann and Celeste Culberth, “Extricating Title VII from the Quagmire of McDonnell Douglas: The Plain Language Solution,” The Hennepin Lawyer, March 1, 2013.
Classes / Seminars
- “Working with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission as Plaintiff’s Counsel: To Intervene or Not to Intervene and Other Cooperating Issues", 35th Annual Labor & Employment Law Institute, Fall 2008
- “A New Day for the ADA?", Minnesota Regional Lavender Law, January, 2009
- "State Court: The Place to Be? The View from Different States", Eighth Circuit National Employment Lawyers Conference, April 2010.
- “Retaliation Update” , Upper Midwest Employment Law Institute, May 2010.
- "Through the Looking Glass: Telling Your Story First", Eighth Circuit NELA Conference, April 2016.
- "Implicit Bias in the Court System and Suggestions for Practical Ways to Inoculate Against Its Affects", Eighth Circuit NELA Conference, April 2018.
Honors And Awards
- Super Lawyer, Minnesota Law and Politics Magazine
- 2016 Minnesota Lawyer Attorney of the Year
- 2012 Minnesota Lawyer Attorney of the Year
- 2012 National Center for Lesbian Rights Community Partner Award
Professional Associations And Memberships
- Past Chair, Minnesota Lavender Bar Association
- Board Member of the Employee Lawyers Association of the Upper Midwest
- Past Member, Minnesota State Bar Association Diversity Task Force
- Eight Circuit National Employment Lawyers Association, Immediate Past President
Past Employment Positions
- Hamline University School of Law, now known as Mitchell Hamline, Adjunct Faculty
- Third Judicial District of the State of Minnesota, for Hon. Ancy Morris, Debra Jacobson, and Roger Plunket, Judicial Law Clerk
- Associate, Kelly & Berens, P.A.
Pro Bono Activities
- Lambda Legal, Volunteer Amicus Attorney
- Cancer Legal Line, Volunteer Attorney
- Minnesota AIDS Project, Volunteer Attorney
- Minnesota United for All Families
- Tubman (f/k/a Chrysalis) Employment Law Clinic, Volunteer attorney