Paul Sprenger
Encyclopedia
Paul C. Sprenger is an American
attorney. One of the founding partners of Sprenger + Lang, PLLC, he is now of counsel
to that firm.
Sprenger remains lead counsel on a television writers' age discrimination lawsuit which began in 2000. The case involved claims of widespread age discrimination in the television production and talent agency industries. These claims have been pursued for years with help from other firms and organizations, such as AARP
.
Sprenger earned a B.A.
from the University of Michigan School of Business Administration
in 1962 and his J.D.
from the University of Michigan Law School
in 1965. From 1965 until 1977, Sprenger practiced law with the Minneapolis business/defense law firm of Johnson & Sands, becoming a partner there in 1970. In 1977, Sprenger began his own firm, with a primary focus on employment discrimination class action
s. In 1989, Sprenger merged his firm with Jane Lang
's firm based in Washington, D.C. to form Sprenger + Lang, PLLC.
In Minneapolis in August 1988, Sprenger filed Lois E. Jenson and Patricia S. Kosmach v. Eveleth Taconite Co. in U.S. District Court This became the first sexual harassment discrimination class action lawsuit in the U.S., and is known as Jenson v. Eveleth Taconite Co.
A fictionalized account of the landmark case was made into a 2005 film, North Country
, with Woody Harrelson
portraying the lead attorney "Bill White," acting in the Paul Sprenger role.
Sprenger is the treasurer of the Tregaron Conservancy
, an environmental non-profit organization
that restores and maintains the Tregaron
historic estate in Washington, D.C.
Sprenger serves on the Board of Directors of the Atlas Performing Arts Center
and serves as the Treasurer of the organization. Sprenger is a Trustee of the Sprenger.Lang Foundation, a non-profit organization promoting arts and arts education. Paul Sprenger and his wife Jane Lang
were included in Washingtonian
magazine's 2007 list of Washingtonians of the year.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
attorney. One of the founding partners of Sprenger + Lang, PLLC, he is now of counsel
Of counsel
Of counsel is often the title of an attorney who is employed by a law firm or an organization, but is not an associate or a partner. Some firms use titles like "counsel," "special counsel," and "senior counsel" for the same concept...
to that firm.
Sprenger remains lead counsel on a television writers' age discrimination lawsuit which began in 2000. The case involved claims of widespread age discrimination in the television production and talent agency industries. These claims have been pursued for years with help from other firms and organizations, such as AARP
AARP
AARP, formerly the American Association of Retired Persons, is the United States-based non-governmental organization and interest group, founded in 1958 by Ethel Percy Andrus, PhD, a retired educator from California, and based in Washington, D.C. According to its mission statement, it is "a...
.
Sprenger earned a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from the University of Michigan School of Business Administration
Ross School of Business
The Stephen M. Ross School of Business is the business school of the University of Michigan. Numerous publications have ranked the Ross School of Business' Bachelor of Business Administration , Master of Business Administration and Executive Education programs among the top in the country and the...
in 1962 and his J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
from the University of Michigan Law School
University of Michigan Law School
The University of Michigan Law School is the law school of the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor. Founded in 1859, the school has an enrollment of about 1,200 students, most of whom are seeking Juris Doctor or Master of Laws degrees, although the school also offers a Doctor of Juridical...
in 1965. From 1965 until 1977, Sprenger practiced law with the Minneapolis business/defense law firm of Johnson & Sands, becoming a partner there in 1970. In 1977, Sprenger began his own firm, with a primary focus on employment discrimination class action
Class action
In law, a class action, a class suit, or a representative action is a form of lawsuit in which a large group of people collectively bring a claim to court and/or in which a class of defendants is being sued...
s. In 1989, Sprenger merged his firm with Jane Lang
Jane Lang
Jane Lang is an arts philanthropist and arts education promoter in Washington, DC. She has been characterized as a neighborhood activist, the primary force responsible for revitalizing a run-down area of Washington, D.C....
's firm based in Washington, D.C. to form Sprenger + Lang, PLLC.
In Minneapolis in August 1988, Sprenger filed Lois E. Jenson and Patricia S. Kosmach v. Eveleth Taconite Co. in U.S. District Court This became the first sexual harassment discrimination class action lawsuit in the U.S., and is known as Jenson v. Eveleth Taconite Co.
Jenson v. Eveleth Taconite Co.
Lois E. Jenson v. Eveleth Taconite Co. was the first class-action sexual harassment lawsuit in the United States, filed in 1988 on behalf of Lois Jenson and other female workers at the EVTAC mine in Eveleth, Minnesota on the state's northern Mesabi Range, which is part of the Iron...
A fictionalized account of the landmark case was made into a 2005 film, North Country
North Country (film)
North Country is a 2005 American drama film directed by Niki Caro. The screenplay by Michael Seitzman was inspired by the 2002 book Class Action: The Story of Lois Jenson and the Landmark Case That Changed Sexual Harassment Law by Clara Bingham and Laura Leedy Gansler, which chronicled the case of...
, with Woody Harrelson
Woody Harrelson
Woodrow Tracy "Woody" Harrelson is an American actor.Harrelson's breakthrough role came in the television sitcom Cheers as bartender Woody Boyd...
portraying the lead attorney "Bill White," acting in the Paul Sprenger role.
Sprenger is the treasurer of the Tregaron Conservancy
Tregaron (estate)
Tregaron is a estate in Washington, D. C..The property, originally part of a larger estate, "Twin Oaks", was bought by Gardiner Greene Hubbard, founder of the National Geographic Society, in the 1880s, and named "The Causeway". His daughter Mabel married Alexander Graham Bell, and inherited the...
, an environmental non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
that restores and maintains the Tregaron
Tregaron (estate)
Tregaron is a estate in Washington, D. C..The property, originally part of a larger estate, "Twin Oaks", was bought by Gardiner Greene Hubbard, founder of the National Geographic Society, in the 1880s, and named "The Causeway". His daughter Mabel married Alexander Graham Bell, and inherited the...
historic estate in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Sprenger serves on the Board of Directors of the Atlas Performing Arts Center
Atlas Performing Arts Center
The Atlas Performing Arts Center is a multiple space performing arts facility located on H Street Northeast in Washington, DC. Housed is a renovated Art Deco movie house the facility is home to several arts organizations....
and serves as the Treasurer of the organization. Sprenger is a Trustee of the Sprenger.Lang Foundation, a non-profit organization promoting arts and arts education. Paul Sprenger and his wife Jane Lang
Jane Lang
Jane Lang is an arts philanthropist and arts education promoter in Washington, DC. She has been characterized as a neighborhood activist, the primary force responsible for revitalizing a run-down area of Washington, D.C....
were included in Washingtonian
Washingtonian (magazine)
Washingtonian is a monthly magazine distributed in the Washington, DC area since 1965. The magazine describes itself as "the magazine Washington lives by." The magazine's core focuses are local feature journalism, guide book-style articles, and real estate advice.-Editorial Content:Washingtonian...
magazine's 2007 list of Washingtonians of the year.