Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, a Delaware limited liability partnership | This website contains attorney advertising.

Charles F. Knapp

Partner

Overview

Chuck Knapp is a nationally recognized litigator who represents employers in employment-related litigation matters throughout the country. Chuck is tenacious, proactive and responsive in advocating for clients and has particular experience in complex employment litigation matters, including trade secret misappropriation, noncompete, wage/hour and executive employment disputes.

Employment Litigator

Chuck has served as lead trial counsel in employment cases venued throughout the country in state and federal courts. His litigation outcomes have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Reuters, Chicago Tribune, ABA Journal and Bloomberg.

Chuck litigates:
  • Trade secret, non-competition, business interference and CFAA claims
  • Wage and hour claims, including exempt/non-exempt classification, off-the-clock work and tip pooling claims
  • ERISA benefit and breach of fiduciary duty claims
  • Executive compensation disputes
  • Class action employment discrimination and breach of contract cases
  • Discrimination, harassment, disability, retaliation and leave claims

Chuck has successfully briefed and/or argued petitions for certiorari and appeals before the United States Supreme Court and numerous state and federal courts of appeal.

Employment Counselor

Chuck uses employment litigation experience to advise employers on a variety of workplace issues. For example, he helps clients develop executive, non-competition, non-disclosure, non-solicitation and other employment agreements, and has managed company-wide wage/hour audits.
 
Chuck’s experience serving as an interim in-house employment counsel for a national financial services company has given him valuable insight into what in-house lawyers and human resources executives need and expect from outside counsel.

Credentials

Bar Admissions

Minnesota

Court Admissions

U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan
U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota

Education

University of Iowa College of Law
J.D. with high distinction, Order of the Coif, Law Review (1991)

University of Notre Dame
B.A. with honors (1986)

Insights & Events

Latest
Updates September 2025

FTC Abandons Noncompete Rule and Signals Plan to Target Unlawful Noncompete Agreements Through Individual Enforcement Actions

What Does This Mean for Employers?
7 min read  
News August 2025

Faegre Drinker Attorneys Recognized in Best Lawyers in America 2026 Edition

17 min read  
Updates July 2025

Supreme Court Decision in Trump v. CASA Does Not Affect Ryan Court’s Universal Injunction of the FTC Noncompete Rule

Opponents of the Noncompete Rule Must Wait to See Whether the FTC Will Withdraw Its Appeal of Ryan
4 min read  
Recorded Webinar June 25, 2025 CLE

Recent Developments in Noncompete and Trade Secret Law and Tips for Drafting Enforceable Agreements - Webinar

2025 Labor & Employment Law Developments: Staying on Top of Your Game
2 min read  
News June 2025

Faegre Drinker Practices and Attorneys Named Among Leaders in Chambers USA 2025 Guide

17 min read  
Updates January 2025

FTC Files Opening Brief in Fifth Circuit Appeal Defending Noncompete Rule

Ryan LLC v. Federal Trade Commission, No. 24-10951 (5th Cir. Jan. 2, 2025)
3 min read  
Updates December 2024

Top 10 Noncompete Developments of 2024

For Employers, a Roller Coaster Year in Noncompete Law
12 min read  
Recorded Webinar December 03, 2024 CLE

Trade Secrets: Recent Developments and Hot Topics - Webinar

2 min read  
Speaking Engagement Recap August 15, 2023

Special Wage Issues and Work-Hour Requirements

Bonus Post-Institute Seminar
1 min read  
Speaking Engagement Recap May 24, 2021

2021 Upper Midwest Employment Law Institute

1 min read  
Other Perspectives
  • Top 10 Noncompete Developments of 2024
    Republished in Law360, January 15, 2025
  • 10 Major Developments And Trends In State And Federal Non-Compete Regulations
    Republished in HR Legal & Compliance Excellence, January 31, 2024
  • Minnesota Employment Law: Legislative Reforms And Their Implications
    Republished in HR Legal & Compliance Excellence, June 30, 2023
  • Ban On Post-Employment Non-Competes: Minnesota To Join The League
    Republished in HR Legal & Compliance Excellence, May 31, 2023
  • IT for the Labor and Employment Lawyer
    Labor and Employment Law Institute, 2017
  • Elimination of Bias in Minnesota: A Conversation With Justice Alan Page
    Employment Law Today, 2017
  • The New Federal Defend Trade Secrets Act: What Employers Need to Know and Recent Development
    Upper Midwest Employment Law Institute St. Paul, Minnesota 2017
  • New Law Prohibits Employers From Asking Applicants About Salary History
    Co-author, The Recorder, October 2017
  • Complex Employment Litigation Trends 
    Employment Law Today, 2015
  • Corporate Wellness Update — What Can You Do? What Can’t You Do?
    Upper Midwest Employment Law Institute, 2015
  • Minnesota Employment Litigation Study
    Employment Law Today, 2014
  • What Is "Sex" Discrimination Under Title VII? The Current Landscape in the Courts and the EEOC
    Labor and Employment Law Institute, 2014
  • EEOC Update: Litigation Tactics and Approaches
    Minnesota CLE, 2014
  • Hiring From a Competitor: Tips for Mitigating Your Risk
    Client In-House Presentation, 2014
  • Restrictive Covenants in the Global Workplace
    Upper Midwest Employment Law Institute, 2013
  • Ethical Traps for In-House Counsel
    Employment Law Today, 2013
  • Best Practices for Properly Setting Up Your Next Noncompete Case
    Employment Law Today, 2013
  • Drawing the Line Between Possibility and Plausibility: An Update on Federal Courts' Application of Twombly's/Iqbal's Pleading Standards in FLSA Collection Actions
    Minnesota CLE, 2013
  • The Fair Labor Standards Act
    Client In-house Presentation, 2013

Leadership & Community

Professional Associations

  • Minnesota State Bar Association — Labor and Employment Section Governing Council (Past Chair)

Civic Activities

  • Milkweed Editions — Board Member
  • St. Paul Chamber Orchestra — Former Governing Member
  • Minneapolis Hockey Association — Former Vice President
  • Academy of Holy Angels — Former Chair, Board of Trustees
  • Notre Dame Club of Minnesota
  • Loaves & Fish — Volunteer

Firm Leadership

  • Chuck led the firm’s employment litigation team, and serves as the senior partner of the firm’s Minneapolis employment litigation practice.

Honors

  • Chambers USA — Minnesota, Labor & Employment, 2007-25
  • Best Lawyers®— Litigation  Labor and Employment, 2011-26; Employment Law - Management, 2011-26 (Lawyer of the Year - Employment Law, 2020, 2026)
  • Faegre Drinker — Pro Bono Honor Roll, 2021
  • Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) Patent 1000: The World's Leading Practitioners, 2014
  • Minnesota Law & Politics — Top 40 Employment Lawyers
  • Minnesota Super Lawyers — Employment Litigation: Defense, 2003-23
  • Martindale-Hubbell — AV Peer Review Rating
Awards Methodology
No aspect of these recognitions has been approved by the highest court of any state.