HCBA Awards

Association 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.

View Advancement of Justice Awards

View Diversity Award Recipients

View Professionalism Award Recipients

View Pro Bono Publico Award Recipients

View Walter Mondale Public and Community Service Leadership Award Recipients

Professionalism Awards
These awards are presented to a 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.

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. Charles Lundberg
2004: Michael Davis

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.

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.

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

1978: “How do you plead?” - KTCA-TV
“Moore on Sunday” - WCCO Radio
Gwenyth Jones, Minneapolis Star & Tribune

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.

Year	Distinguished Service	Private Sector	Public Sector
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, and was named for the inaugural recipient.

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

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