Warning! Robert Tennessen Puts All on Notice

WHEN ROBERT TENNESSEN FLEW BACK TO MINNESOTA in 1961 after serving in the Air Force, he wasted no time establishing his roots. But the self-described “farm kid” from Lismore didn’t spend time learning the fine art of crop rotation; he attended law school. By the 1980s, he had grown his very own law firm.

Tennessen also became a state legislator. That’s when he penned the infamous Tennessen Warning Notice, which requires state and local governments to explain why information is being sought and what use will be made of it. He doesn’t mind the notoriety, though. “It is probably most amusing to me when I am given the Tennessen Notice,” he jokes.

In the meantime, Tennessen’s firm was growing even though his own preferred areas of practice––which include data security and privacy work––were becoming more specific. “My practice has evolved over the years to very focused areas of law where being part of a large firm is not important or particularly beneficial,” he says.

So despite having plenty of extracurricular activities keeping him busy––he’s served on the board of directors for the Guthrie Theater and the Greater Lake Country Food Bank, and on the Basilica of St. Mary Finance Council, to name a few––he has opened a new firm: Tennessen Law. Isn’t that a risky move during an economic recession? “Obviously starting a new business or a law firm is always risky,” Tennessen says. “Fortunately I have a very loyal and competent assistant and some very loyal national clients who have been with me for as long as 20 years.”

–– Courtney "Coco" Mault

First published in Minnesota Law & Politics magazine.