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HCBA
Honors Two for Dedication to Professionalism
Minneapolis (5-25-06): --
The Hennepin County Bar
Association (HCBA) recognizes two individuals each
year—a judge and a lawyer—for their commitment to the
highest of professional standards in the legal
community. These Professionalism Awards are granted in
the belief that professionalism serves the best
interests of clients, fosters respect and trust between
lawyers and the public, promotes the efficient
resolution of disputes, and improves the administration
of justice. The 2006 Professionalism Awards
recognize the Honorable Cara Lee Neville, of the
Fourth Judicial District, and Susan Rhode, of
Moss & Barnett. Recipients were honored at the Annual
Meeting of the HCBA, Thursday, May 25.
Judge
Cara Lee Neville
received the 2006 Professionalism Award recognizing her
devotion to the profession and to the rule of law. She
is a committed champion of the independence of the
judiciary in a responsive, fair, and accessible system
of justice. Judge Neville has served on numerous
law-related committees, task forces, and commissions,
never tiring as she promotes the profession.
Judge Neville has served on
the governing council of the HCBA and has also shown a
long-time commitment to the Minnesota State Bar
Association (MSBA), most recently as the co-chair of the
Hurricane Katrina Relief Committee. In addition, she
served on the Board of Governors and Executive Committee
of the American Bar Association (ABA) and chaired the
ABA’s Criminal Law Section and their Coalition for
Justice. Judge Neville is currently showing her
dedication to the bench as well as the bar by serving on
the commission appointed to rewrite the model judicial
code, a monumental task in the wake of the recent
Republican Party of Minnesota v. White decision.
Prior to being appointed a
judge in Municipal Court (1983-86), and the Hennepin
County District Court in 1986, Judge Neville served both
as an Assistant Hennepin County Attorney, and an
Assistant Hennepin County Public Defender. She is a
graduate of William Mitchell College of Law (1975).
Susan Rhode
has been awarded the 2006 Professionalism Award
for exemplifying 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.
Ms. Rhode’s accomplishments
and contributions to profession are widely recognized.
She invariably earns the respect and gratitude of
opposing counsel and the bench for her unfailingly civil
handling of disputed matters—an especially difficult
feat due to the fractious nature of family law.
Rhode has been a leader and
an agent for change in the bar. She was one of the
early members of the Collaborative Law Institute, and
has served for a number of years on the HCBA Ethics
Committee, this past bar year as vice-chair. Rhode is
also an active leader, participant, and teacher for the
annual “Divorce Camp” of the American Academy of
Matrimonial Lawyers, and a frequent lecturer at
continuing legal education programs.
A member of Moss & Barnett’s
Board of Directors, Rhode provides leadership to the law
firm and plays an important role in their management.
One of her main contributions has been her selflessness
in working on the firm’s Associates Committee, which
mentors and trains new attorneys.
Ms. Rhode is a 1985 graduate
of Hamline University School of Law and has been with
Moss & Barnett since 1987.
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