Thomas Deans has been a member of Knutson, Flynn & Deans since 1978 and is a senior partner in the firm. Prior to his joining the firm, he served as Minnesota Senate counsel from 1973 to 1978. Mr. Deans attended Northwestern University, and graduated cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1973. He is a member of the American Bar Association, the Minnesota Bar Association, the Ramsey County Bar Association, the NSBA Council of School Attorneys, the Minnesota School Boards Association Council of School Attorneys, the National Association of Bond Lawyers, and the Minnesota Governmental Relations Council. He served as president of the MSBA Council of School Attorneys in 1994 and 1995.

Mr. Deans has served as legal counsel to numerous Minnesota school districts and cities in the areas of municipal and school finance, reorganization, elections, legislation, and school and municipal law. He is general counsel to the Minnesota School Boards Association and is the legal part of its lobbying team. He also represents the Minnesota School District Liquid Asset Fund Plus, and the Minnesota Association of Governments Investing for Counties.

Mr. Deans is a nationally recognized bond counsel. He has served as bond counsel on hundreds of school district building bond and refunding bond issues and has worked extensively on bond and levy referendum elections, lease purchase financings, certificate of participation financings and tax and aid anticipation borrowings.

Serving as legal counsel to the Minnesota Senate Education Committee, Mr. Deans was involved in legal and policy research and statutory drafting. He was legislative liaison to the Department of Education, the four post-secondary educational systems and the various educational organizations. In addition, he was a primary draftsman of the 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, and 1978 omnibus education aid bills, as well as other major educational legislation.

Mr. Deans is a frequent lecturer and guest speaker at various Minnesota School Boards Association, Minnesota Association of School Business Officials, Continuing Legal Education and School Law seminars and conferences regarding various school law and municipal issues, school and municipal finance, lobbying, and the legislative process.

Mr. Deans was named by Minnesota Law & Politics Magazine as a Super Lawyer in 2003.

email: tdeans@kfdmn.com

assistant: Pat Wood