Assistant Professor of Law
Peter Larsen is a Minneapolis-born attorney, activist, and public-facing academic who has been working in the area of civil rights since 2008. After clerking for the Hon. Brent Appel (ret.) of the Iowa Supreme Court, he opened his own law firm focused on civil rights litigation. He previously drafted legislation for the Iowa-Nebraska NAACP and served on their Legal Redress Committee, a legal researcher for the Institute for Justice Reform and Innovation, a policy researcher for the Wrongful Conviction Division of the Iowa State Public Defender’s Office, as a member of the Bail Reform Task Force for the Iowa State Bar Association, and Vice-Chair and Commissioner of the Minneapolis Commission on Civil Rights. He also serves as a commentator in local and national media, and regularly presents in academic, legal, and public contexts.
In addition to his work in civil rights, he previously worked in policy and governance roles for a variety of Minnesota nonprofits, including as chairman of the Minneapolis Television Network, policy chair of the Minnesota Women’s Consortium, and board member of the Domestic Abuse Project and Our Justice. Other roles in Iowa included as a legal and policy researcher for the Harkin Institute and as a member of the Council on the Status of Women. The common thread in all of his work is using law as a means of challenging systemic inequality while centering equity and inclusion. Whether through scholarship, advocacy, or teaching, he strives to center voices that are traditionally excluded and to make legal knowledge accessible, actionable, and accountable to the public.
Education
Ph.D., University of Iowa, expected 2026
J.D., Drake University Law School, 2019
M.A., University of Chicago, 2017
B.A., Augsburg University, 2013
A.A., Minneapolis Community and Technical College, 2011
Relevant Experience
911±¬ÁÏÍø of Law: Assistant Professor of Law, 2024–Present
Larsen Law Firm: Owner and Attorney-at-law, 2021–Present
University of Iowa, Instructor, 2020–24
Iowa Supreme Court: Law Clerk to Justice Brent Appel, 2019–20
Institute for Justice Reform and Innovation: Legal Researcher, 2018–19
The Harkin Institute: Legal and Policy Researcher, 2018–19
Organizational Leadership & Service
Minnesota Supreme Court Advisory Committee on the Rules of Public Access to Records of the Judicial Branch (2025-Present)
Transformation and Reentry through Education and Community (TREC) Academic and Cultural Worker Advisory Committee (2025-Present)
American Constitution Society—Minnesota Lawyers’ Chapter – Board Member (2025-Present)
Infinity Project (2025-Present)
Reproductive Justice Working Group, University of Iowa (2022-2024)
Iowa Association of Justice (2022-2024)
Drake Recent Alumni Engagement Board (2022-2024)
Iowa State Bar Association – Solo & Small Firm Section Council (2023-2024); Bail Reform Task Force (2021-2022)
Council on the Status of Women, University of Iowa (2021-2024)
University of Iowa Graduate Student Senate (2021-2023)
Iowa-Nebraska NAACP – Legal Redress Committee Member (2021-2024)
Capital Improvement Program Advisory Committee, Ramsey County, MN (2015)
Domestic Abuse Project (2015)
Minnesota Women’s Consortium (2014-2015)
Our Justice (2013-2015)
Teaching
Civil Rights
Constitutional Powers
Constitutional Liberties
International Human Rights
State Constitutional Law
Awards & Recognitions
Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award (2022)
Predoctoral Research Fellow, University of Iowa Public Policy Center (2021)
Drake Law School Award for Equity & Inclusion (2019)
Drake Law Student Bar Association President’s Student Service Award (2019)
ABA National Student Haiku Competition, Runner-Up (2016)
Christensen Scholar (2012-2013)
Nobel Peace Prize Forum Scholar (2012)
Rose Rees Peace Award (2008)
Bar Admission
United States Supreme Court, 2023
Iowa, 2019
