Pro Bono

• Model Pro Bono Policy, 2007 - For Government/Public Attorneys and Agencies
• Report and Recommendation to the Minnesota State Bar Association
  
  Reports
  Annual Report Archives
  
  

MSBA Public Law Section
Annual Report for 2007-08

By: Barry R. Greller, Co-Chair of the Public Law Section
      Louis A. Thayer, Co-Chair of the Public Law Section

The Public Law Section of the MSBA had another active year:

Continuing Legal Education: During the past twelve months the Public Law Section sponsored the following continuing legal education courses for a total of more than 12 CLE credits:

Public Law Section News: The Section continues to publish and send its members the Public Law News, the section’s newsletter. The newsletter has been cited locally and nationally for its quality and content and has been noted as an example of a successful bar association newsletter. Regular features include profiles of public law offices and public lawyers, discussion of current legal issues and recent court decisions, data practices opinion indices, and notices of upcoming CLE’s of interest to public lawyers. The Public Law Section distributes the newsletter to most of its members by e-mail.

Community and Public Service: The Section continued its active involvement in the community through public service this past year. The Section coordinated a day of work on a Habitat for Humanity project. Section members and friends cooked and served meals every other month throughout the year for over fifteen hundred people through the Loaves and Fishes program.  The Section contributed to the LRAP Program, which provides assistance with the repayment of student loans, monetarily and by participating in the Race for Justice.  The Section "adopted" twenty+ families for holiday gift giving last year.

Section Committees: Seven committees of the Section continued to perform the essential planning and implementation work that enables the Section to operate. The Committees include the Newsletter Committee, the Awards Committee, the Community / Public Service Committee, Data Practices Committee, the Local Government Committee, Membership Committee, and Pro Bono Legal Services Committee. The Committees offer an opportunity for Section members to become actively involved in the work of the Section. Please contact one of the Public Law Section Co-Chairs if you would like to become involved in the work of any of the committees.

This past year the Section has placed specific emphasis on pro bono activities.  The Pro Bono Legal Services Committee reviewed the Minnesota State Bar Association’s pro bono policy and suggested changes to encourage greater involvement by attorneys in public law departments and government agencies, which the MSBA Assembly approved.

Law Students: The Public Law Section continued to work on its goal of developing relationships with law students and the local law schools. We added two law students to the executive council: Michael at Hamline University School of Law and Ellen at St. Thomas University School of Law.  We continued to have two student representatives to the Council over the past year.  Additionally, members of the Public Law Section attended receptions held at the local law schools to provide law students the opportunity to learn about the exciting work being done in public law.  We also participated in a public sector recruitment event sponsored by the law schools.

Diversity Efforts:  The Public Law Section has also been actively working towards the goal of eliminating bias and promoting diversity in the bar by participating in minority recruitment conferences at the four law schools and attending law student recruitment open houses.

2008 Public Law Section Award Recipients
Each year the Executive Council of the Public Law Section recognizes outstanding achievements of attorneys and judges engaged in public service and in the public practice of law.  Through these awards, we celebrate the commitment to public service and the public practice of law.   This year the Public Law Section is proud to present another annual award for outstanding work by a public sector attorney in providing pro bono legal services. This year the awards committee worked hard to increase the number and diversity of the people nominated.  The process was very successful with a high number of nominations from a wide diversity of public law backgrounds.  The selection process was very challenging for the Executive Council. 

The 2008 award recipients and former recipients are:

1.         Rosalie E. Wahl Judicial Award of Excellence

2008 recipient is:
Honorable Russell A. Anderson, Chief Justice, Minnesota Supreme Court

            2.         Douglas K. Amdahl Public Attorney Career Achievement Award

2008 recipients are:
Lane Ayres, Senior Assistant, Hennepin County Attorney, Juvenile Division (ret.)
Honorable Allen Oleisky, Fourth Judicial District (ret.)
Jeanne Schleh, Ramsey County Attorneys Office (ret.)

3.         Julius E. Gernes Prosecutor Award of Excellence

2008 recipient is:
Jeffrey R. Edblad, Isanti County Attorney’s Office

4.         William E. McGee Public Defender Award of Excellence

2008 recipient is:
F. Richard Gallo, Jr., Minnesota Public Defender’s Office
 
5.         Public Attorney Awards of Excellence

2008 Public Attorney Award of Excellence: Public Law Office
Jay M. Heffern, former, Minneapolis City Attorney
 
2008 Public Attorney Award of Excellence: Government Agency
Virginia Rae Bly, Minnesota Department of Human Services

            6.         Pro Bono Attorney Award of Excellence

2008 Pro Bono Award of Excellence
Kathie L. Battle-Sayles, Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services

- Last Updated 07/01/08-