Minneapolis (06-29-08): -- The Hennepin County Bar Association (HCBA) welcomes Jewelie Grape and Sarah Dunn to membership on the Executive Committee for the 2008-09 bar year that begins July 1. Grape was elected to the association’s officer ranks as secretary, beginning a five-year leadership track that will have her serve as president for 2011-12. Dunn was elected by the HCBA’s New Lawyers Section as chair for the 2008-09 year, and in that role she serves a one-year term on the association’s Executive Committee.
Jewelie Grape serves as the associate general counsel for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s Board of Pensions. She started her career in the business world, working as a financial analyst for Red Owl Stores and as a human resources representative for Chevron Oil Company. Her role as a benefits specialist for American Express sparked her interest in the legal profession, and so she enrolled in law school at William Mitchell College of Law. There she added her J.D. to her undergraduate degree in business and her master’s degree in industrial relations. Following law school Grape began her legal career at Leonard Street & Deinard prior to her current position.
Grape has a long record of service with the HCBA, including serving on the Board of Directors and the Finance and Planning Committee, chairing the Corporate Counsel Section, and serving on the steering committee of the HCBA’s Leaders Impacting the Nonprofit Community (LINC) program. She looks forward to the broader responsibilities as an association officer.
Grape takes time for herself in traveling, reading, playing the piano, and spending time with friends. She recently completed a mission trip to Haiti, evidencing her continuing devotion to public service.
Sarah Dunn is a professional legal recruiter with Robert Half Legal, a position she took after three years as an associate with the Meagher & Geer law firm where she practiced in the areas of construction and products liability litigation. She completed undergraduate studies at the University of Minnesota where coursework in alternative dispute resolution techniques and a post-graduation internship with the Hennepin County Juvenile Court spurred an interest in the study of law. Dunn is a 2004 graduate from Hamline University School of Law.
From the beginning of her legal practice Dunn has been active in bar association work, with the HCBA, Minnesota State Bar Association, and the American Bar Association. Her dedication to the New Lawyers Section is reflected in a variety of leadership roles. She believes that young lawyers need opportunities to meet colleagues, learn about careers, develop an understanding of the legal and business sides of the profession, and enhance their general knowledge of the law, as well as participate in service opportunities. She hopes to stimulate the spirit of volunteerism among new lawyers in Hennepin County.
With her husband, Brent, Dunn enjoys relaxation by the lake, fishing, and appreciation of the outdoors.
The Hennepin County Bar Association is a professional society representing more than 8,000 area attorneys with a wide variety of services for the community and the profession. The association strives to ensure the fairness and accessibility of the legal system by promoting public understanding and confidence in our system of justice and by working along with the courts to improve the administration of justice.