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Hennepin County
Bar Association		 HCBA Awards



The Hennepin County Bar Association honors individuals and firms for their contributions to the legal profession and the advancement of justice in the community.

Award criteria, submission forms and nomination deadlines for each award will be listed here during the "call for nominations" period each year.
 
Advancement of Justice Award  
Diversity Award  
Professionalism Award  
Pro Bono Publico Award
Walter Mondale Public and Community Service Leadership Award
Professionalism Awards
These awards are presented to members of the bench and bar who best exemplify the pursuit of the practice of law as a profession, including a spirit of public service and promotion of the highest possible level of competence, integrity, and ethical conduct.  Awards are presented by the HCBA’s Professional Conduct and Professionalism Committee in the belief that professionalism fosters respect and trust between lawyers, the judiciary, and the public; serves the best interest of clients; promotes the efficient resolution of disputes; and improves the administration of justice.   Nominations for 2011 Awards are due by April 1, 2011.

View/Print in PDF format:     Judicial Nomination Form      Attorney Nomination Form
 

 2011:  Hon. James Swenson
 2011:  Tom Fraser

 2010:  Hon. Jay Quam
 2010:  Gene H. Hennig  

 2009:  Hon. Lloyd B. Zimmerman
 2009:  Allen I. Saeks

2008:  Hon. Denise Reilly
2008:  Thomas Nelson

2007:  Hon. James Rosenbaum
2007:  Lisa Montpetit Brabbit

2006:  Hon. Cara Lee Neville
2006:  Susan Rhode

2005:  Hon. Susan Richard Nelson
2005:  William Wernz

2004:  Hon. Michael Davis
2004:  Charles Lundberg

2003:  Hon. Kevin Burke
2003:  Neil Hamilton
 
2002:  Trudy Halla 

2001:  Clinton Schroeder 

2000:  John Gould

1999:  Robert Beugen

1998:  Hon. Robert Schefelbein

1997:  George Soule

1996:  Larry Brown

1995:  Robert Hensen

1994:  Harold Field

1993:  Ann Montgomery

1992:  Kathleen Graham

1991:  Hon. Robert Bowen

1990:  Charles Bassford

1989:  Hon. David Doty

 
Diversity Awards
Presented by the HCBA Diversity Committee, these awards recognize an outstanding commitment towards increasing diversity in the legal profession. The purpose of these awards is to recognize both organizations and individuals who have fostered a continuing commitment to increasing diversity in the legal profession and made efforts to increase access to legal services for historically underrepresented individuals.   Nominations for 2011 Awards are due by April 1, 2011.

View/Print in PDF format:   Diversity Award Nomination Form
 

2011: Hamre, Schumann, Mueller & Larson

2010: Michael O. Freeman
2010: Judith Bevis Langevin

2009: Fredrikson & Byron, P.A.

2008: Gray, Plant, Mooty, Mooty & Bennett

2007: Halleland Lewis Nilan & Johnson

2007:  Charles S. Ferrell

2006:  Halleland Lewis Nilan Sipkins & Johnson   
          (Special Award for Continuing Achievement)

2006:  Faegre & Benson

2005:  Bowman & Brooke LLP 

2004:  Halleland Lewis Nilan Sipkins & Johnson

2003:  Blackwell Igbanugo

2002:  Board of Public Defense

2000:  Greene Espel, PLLP

1999:  Gray, Plant, Mooty, Mooty & Bennett

1998:  Dorsey & Whitney

1997:  HealthPartners

1996:  Hennepin County Attorney's Office

1995:  Candlin & Wright
Advancement of Justice Awards
This award is presented by the HCBA Community Relations Committee, and recognizes the contributions of non-lawyers to the justice system. The award goes to an individual or agency that has improved the administration of justice, achieved freedom through law, or increased public understanding of the legal profession and justice system.  Persons/entities are not eligible if they: are attorneys or law firms; work in the judicial system; are elected officials, campaigning for office; are government employees who have made contributions in connection with their jobs; or are directly connected with the legal system, bar association, law schools, legal periodicals or existing legal structures.  Nominations for 2011 Awards are due by 12 noon on April 1, 2011.

View/Print in PDF format:  Nomination Form. 
 
2011:  Genesis II for Families

2010: Minnesota Second Chance Coalition
2010: Andrea Bischoff, MN Wills for Heroes volunteer

2008:  Richard J. Nigon,
          Children’s Law Center of Minnesota volunteer 

 

2007:  Helen Palmer, President,
          League of Women Voters Minnesota

 

2005:  International Leadership Institute

 

2004:  George Williams, volunteer Guardian ad Litem

 

2003:  Lori S. Holmes, CornerHouse

 

2000:  Wallace Neal

 

1998:  Susan Hadley, Womankind Program

 

1997:  Dr. Edward P. Ehlinger,
          High School Legal Clinics

 

1996:  Storefront/Youth Action

 

1995:  Margaret Zach, Star Tribune

 

1994:  Charlie Warner, C.A.S.H
          Richard C. Ericson,  
          Citizens Council on Crime and Justice

 

1993:  Juvenile Crime Prevention Curriculum

 

1992:  Chrysalis, L.A.W. Program

 

1990:  Teri Dewey,
          Education Services Department, Star Tribune

 

1989:  Larry Schmidt, Help Center Four

 

1987:  Matthew Stark

 

1986:  Minnesota Center for Community Legal   
          Education

 

1981:  The Crime Victim Center
          Beverly Ottum
          Amy Raedeke, Minneapolis Library
          Farmers & Mechanics Bank
          Barb Braun, WCCO-TV

1981:  The Crime Victim Center
          Beverly Ottum
          Amy Raedeke, Minneapolis Library
          Farmers & Mechanics Bank
          Barb Braun, WCCO-TV

1978:  “How do you plead?” - KTCA-TV
          “Moore on Sunday” - WCCO Radio
         

 

1976:  Dutch Katenbaum,
          Sr. Citizen’s Forum-KMSP-TV
          Dean Rebuffoni, Minneapolis Tribune
          Auli Kilpelainen, The Bugle - Breck High School
          Curtis Beckman, WCCO-A.M.
          Charles Sorlein, WCCO-TV
          Larry Davenport, Post Publications

 

1975:  Dutch Katenbaum,
          Sr. Citizen’s Forum-KMSP-TV

 

1974:  WCCO Radio
          Midwestern Educational Television
          KTCA-TV
          Larry Schmidt, WCCO-TV
          Frank Premark, Minneapolis Tribune
          Peter Vanderpoel

 

1973:  "Moore on Tuesday", WCCO-TV
          Gwenyth Jones, Minneapolis Star
          "Newgate Project" U Of M Resources
          "You the Jury: Law Day 1972", WCCO Radio

 

1971:  Austin C. Wehrwein, Minneapolis Star

 

1969:  Austin C. Wehrwein, Minneapolis Star
          Richard H. Boucher, KSTP Radio

 

1968:  Gwenyth Jones, Minneapolis Star

 

1966:  Donald E. O'Brien, WCCO-TV

 

1965:  Alvin J. Remmenga, Minneapolis Star

 

1964:  Jay Edgerton, Minneapolis Star
Pro Bono Publico Awards
The Hennepin County Bar Association, in keeping with its declared values and mission, gives three pro bono awards annually to recognize individuals for their commitment to legal services.  Through the giving of these awards the association seeks not only to honor specific individuals but to encourage volunteerism and service by others in the broad arena of legal services seeking to serve an often-documented, unmet need.  The Distinguished Service Award recognizes an individual for career-long work on behalf of the community and the two Excellence Awards recognize current or recent excellence in service by individuals from the private sector and from the public/government/judicial sector.  Nominations for the 2012 Awards are due December 9, 2011.  View/Print Nomination Form. 
 

Year

Distinguished Service

Private Sector

Public Sector
2011 Thomas W. Tinkham Keith S. Moheban Roderick (Rick) J. Macpherson III
2010 Mark Carter Nicole Moen Nancy McLean
2009 Irene Opsahl William Fisher Susan Ledray
2008 Mary Cullen Yeager Gary Hansen Patricia Siebert
2007 Thomas S. Fraser Blake Shepard, Jr. Hon. Thomas L. Johnson
2006 Bricker Lavik Ian Ball Abigail Turner
2005 Gregory Merz Karen Canon Hon. Bruce Peterson
2004 Steven E. Carlson Laurel E. Learmonth Hon. Lloyd B. Zimmerman
2003 William D. Hittler Nancy A. Wiltgen Jeremy Lane
2002 J. Marquis Eastwood Charles J. Lloyd and Steven Pincus Hon. Stephen Aldrich
2001 Bradley Thorsen Daniel R. Tyson Colleen R. Beebe
2000 Clinton Cutler Alain Baudry Hon. Nancy Dreher
1999 Leonard Lindquist Richard Kampa David Ramp
1998 Candee Goodman Richard Kempf Melvin Burstein
1997 Theresa Hughes Bruce Peterson Karl Doss
1996 James Dorsey Sunny Kim Susan Carroll
1995 John D. Levine Jerrold Bergfalk Patrick Burns
1994 Seymour J. Mansfield Bricker Lavik William R. Kennedy
1993 Robert J. Hauer, Jr. Mark A. Carter Larry McDonough
1992 Hon. Douglas K. Amdahl James L. Baillie William E. McGee
Walter Mondale Public and Community Service Award
This award is selected by the steering committee for the LINC (Leaders Impacting the Nonprofit Community) program. The award is presented annually at the graduation ceremony for the LINC participants.  Named after its first recipient, the award celebrates those who have dedicated their working lives to public service and to meeting the needs of the larger community, consistent with the goals and mission of the LINC program.
 

2010: Hon. H. Peter Albrecht (retired), Hennepin County District Court

2009: The Honorable Pamela G. Alexander, President, Council on Crime and Justice

2008: Joe Selvaggio, Executive Director, Microgrants

2007: Jon Pratt, Executive Director, Minnesota Council of Nonprofits

2006: Arvonne Fraser, Former U.S. Ambassador, U.N. Commission on the Status of Women

2005: Walter Mondale, Former Vice President of the United States

   

Legal Notice

Hennepin County Bar Association.   600 Nicollet Mall #390,Minneapolis, MN 55402.   Phone: 612-752-6600.