Lori Semke to Lead New Lawyers of the Hennepin County Bar Association

Minneapolis (06-22-05): -- The New Lawyers Section (NLS) of the Hennepin County Bar Association (HCBA) has elected Lori Semke as chair for the 2005-2006 bar year. A graduate of the University of Iowa College of Law, Semke has been an associate with Flynn Gaskins & Bennett since 1999, during which time she has also been involved in the wide range of NLS programming. Semke practices in civil litigation, focusing primarily on product liability, commercial litigation, and insurance defense.

As chair, Semke will also represent the New Lawyers Section for a one-year term on the HCBA Executive Committee and the HCBA Board of Directors. Semke expressed her commitment to being a fair-minded voice and enthusiastic representative not just for the new lawyers, but for the bar association’s membership as a whole.

Semke has been actively involved in the HCBA’s New Lawyers since coming to Minnesota, serving as community service director, treasurer, secretary and vice-chair. Semke’s greatest contribution to the NLS has been her ongoing involvement with community service projects. She also serves on the HCBA Finance and Planning Committee and is an active member of The Hennepin Lawyer Committee. Semke also volunteers for the Children’s Law Center, representing children in the foster-care system.

Semke also volunteers considerable time to community service outside of the legal realm. For three years Semke has been involved in coordinating volunteers for the Twin Cities Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk. And last summer, she chaperoned a group of teenagers on a weeklong service project in rural Tennessee, helping to repair dilapidated homes.

During her year as NLS chair, Semke hopes to continue her commitment to service by improving and expanding the programs sponsored by the New Lawyers Section. “I am proud of the many great traditions and programs we have in place,” Semke said, “Still, I think it’s healthy for an organization to revisit its programming to see if there are other untapped areas that could benefit and entice our members, as well as evaluate if all of our programs are still working as they should. I plan to initiate that self-evaluation this year as chair. With the strong team of leaders we have on the NLS board, I am confident we are going to have a great year.”
 

Other New Lawyers Section officers for 2005-2006 are:
Vice-Chair: Elizabeth Moffitt (Leonard, Street & Deinard)
Secretary: Kirsten Smith (Courey, Kosanda & Zimmer)
Treasurer: Scott Marks (Faegre & Benson)

The Hennepin County Bar Association is a professional society representing nearly 8,000 area attorneys with a wide variety of services for the community and the profession. The New Lawyers Section consists of bar members admitted to practice before the Minnesota Supreme Court within the past six years, or who are 36 years of age or younger. The HCBA 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 through its members with the courts and community to improve the administration of justice.

# # # # #

Photo available by email on request. Contact colleen@hcba.org
 
Interviews can be arranged through Duane Stanley, HCBA Communications Director at duane@hcba.org

Hcba:dds:050622