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Hennepin
County Bar Association
Honors Two for Dedication to Professionalism
Minneapolis (5-22-08):
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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 2008
Professionalism Awards, presented at the
at the Annual Meeting of the
HCBA, Thursday, May 22, recognized the Honorable
Denise D. Reilly, judge of the 4th
Judicial District (Hennepin County) Court, and Leonard
Street and Deinard attorney
Thomas F. Nelson.
Judge Denise
Reilly
receives
the 2008 Professionalism Award recognizing her devotion
to the profession and to the rule of law as well as the
independence of the judiciary. Judge Reilly was
nominated by Lynn Anderson, General Counsel for the
Holiday Companies, who has known her since junior high
school and also as a colleague at Lindquist & Vennum.
Together they had worked with former Chief Justice
Robert Sheran. The former justice had declared that
Reilly “had the makings of a first rate judge.” “He was
right,” says Anderson.
A graduate of the College of Wooster and the William
Mitchell College of Law, Reilly clerked for U.S.
District Judge Robert G. Renner before joining the
Lindquist & Vennum law firm. She then served as
Assistant United States Attorney, Chief of Narcotics and
Firearms Section, for eight years prior to being
appointed to the bench by Gov. Arne Carlson in 1997.
She served over seven years on Juvenile Court bench,
including serving as chief judge.
Reilly is an adjunct professor at the University of
Minnesota Law School, and has presented at Department of
Justice conferences in Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Costa
Rica on the topic of children victims and witnesses in
human trafficking. She is also involved in a number of
civic and community activities, including the Sheltering
Arms Foundation, Loaves and Fishes, and House of
Prayer. It is with juvenile justice, both in her
professional duties and in her civic involvement that
the HCBA Professionalism Committee recognized her
wide-ranging contribution.
Thomas Nelson
is the recipient of the 2008
Professionalism Award for a lawyer. The annual
award is presented to a member of the Hennepin County
Bar who “best exemplifies the pursuit of the practice of
law as a profession, including the spirit of public
service and promotion of the highest level of
competence, integrity, and ethical conduct.”
Nelson is a graduate of St. Olaf College, Yale
University, and the University of Connecticut School of
Law. Prior to entering the practice of law, Nelson
worked in education. He clerked for Judge Thomas J.
Meskill of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second
Circuit and began his practice with a Connecticut law
firm prior before returning to Minnesota. He is a
shareholder at the Leonard Street and Deinard law firm.
He has characterized his practice as “Door Law,” which
he defines as “whatever comes in the door.” His
professionalism has been recognized in his work within
the legal community in the wider community through his
civic involvements.
The Hennepin County Bar Association is the largest of
Minnesota’s local bar associations, with a membership of
over 8,000 members, serving the profession and the
public.
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Hcba:dds:080522
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