Hans Lodge

Biography

Hans Lodge is a zealous advocate and is dedicated to protecting the rights of consumers in and out of court. Mr. Lodge assists consumers who have been denied jobs or housing due to inaccurate criminal and civil record history information reporting in their employment screening and tenant screening background check reports. Mr. Lodge also assists consumers who have been denied credit due to inaccurate information reporting in their credit reports and have suffered harm due to unlawful debt collection behavior.

Mr. Lodge primarily focuses his practice on claims brought under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”) on behalf of consumers against Consumer Reporting Agencies (“CRAs”), which include the “Big 3” national credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and Trans Union; and various employment and tenant screening CRAs throughout the country. The majority of Mr. Lodge’s inaccurate employment and tenant screening cases under the FCRA involve consumers whose criminal record histories have been mixed with other consumers who have the same or similar names and personal identification information. The majority of Mr. Lodge’s inaccurate credit reporting cases under the FCRA involve consumers whose credit reports have been mixed or merged with other consumers who have the same or similar names and personal identification information as well as living consumers who are inaccurately reported as deceased and, consequently, as not having a credit score.

Mr. Lodge is an aggressive and strategic litigator who has a reputation of working tirelessly to get favorable outcomes for his clients. Mr. Lodge understands how frustrating it can be trying to deal with employment and tenant screening background check companies, credit reporting agencies, credit bureaus, and debt collectors, and has a passion for helping clients navigate these areas of the law during their times of need.

Prior to joining the Firm, Mr. Lodge combined his passions for fighting for the little guy and oral advocacy by representing consumers in individual and class action litigation where he held businesses, banks, background check companies, credit bureaus, and debt collectors accountable for illegal practices. As an Associate Attorney at a consumer rights law firm, Mr. Lodge represented consumers who had trouble paying their bills and were abused and harassed by debt collection agencies, some of whom had their motor vehicles wrongfully repossessed, bringing numerous individual and class action claims under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (“FDCPA”).

Mr. Lodge also represented consumers who had trouble obtaining credit, employment, and housing due to inaccuracies in their credit reports and employment and tenant screening background check reports, bringing numerous individual and class action claims under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. As an Associate Attorney at a national employment and consumer protection law firm, Mr. Lodge represented consumers who purchased defective products and employees misclassified as independent contractors, bringing class action claims under consumer protection statutes and the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”).

Mr. Lodge grew up in the Twin Cities and received his Bachelor’s Degree from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota, where he double-majored in Political Science and Communication Studies and graduated with honors. His first experience resolving quasi-legal disputes began as a Student Representative on the Campus Judicial Board, where he served for three years and resolved numerous complex disputes between students and the College. His interests in sports and ethics took him to New Zealand, Australia, and Fiji, where he studied Sports Ethics.

During his time at Marquette University Law School, Mr. Lodge concentrated his legal studies on civil litigation and sports law. As a second-year law student, Mr. Lodge gained valuable experience working as a law clerk for the Honorable Joan F. Kessler at the Wisconsin Court of Appeals. He also served as a member of the Marquette Sports Law Review where he wrote and edited articles about legal issues impacting the sports industry.

As a member of Marquette Law’s moot court team, his brief writing and oral advocacy skills earned him a regional championship and an appearance in the national competition at the New York City Bar Association. Mr. Lodge was also a member of Marquette’s mock trial team, finishing in third place at the regional competition at the Daley Center in Chicago, Illinois.

Mr. Lodge is admitted to practice law in the United States District Court, District of Minnesota; United States District Court, Eastern and Western Districts of Wisconsin; United States District Court, District of Colorado; United States District Court, Western and Southern Districts of Texas; United States District Court, Eastern District of Michigan; and both Minnesota and Wisconsin state courts.

In addition to practicing law, Hans Lodge is an Adjunct Professor at Concordia University, St. Paul, where he teaches a sports law course in the Master of Arts in Sports Management program. He is also a professionally-trained umpire and umpires Little League, high school, Division II and III college baseball, legion, and amateur baseball throughout Minnesota and the Upper-Midwest. In his free time, Mr. Lodge enjoys working out, long-distance running, road biking, bowling, going to concerts, playing ping pong and softball, and kayaking on Lake Minnetonka.