FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
January 6, 2022
Contact: Claire Lancaster
claire.lancaster@state.mn.us
651-219-2975
Commission on Judicial Selection Recommends Workers’ Compensation Court of Appeals Candidates to Governor Walz
[ST. PAUL, MN] – The Commission on Judicial Selection announced today that it is recommending three candidates for consideration to fill a vacancy on Minnesota’s Workers’ Compensation Court of Appeals. The vacancy occurred upon the retirement of the Honorable Gary M. Hall.
Kathryn Carlson: Ms. Carlson has been in private practice since 1993, practicing solely in the area of workers’ compensation. She is currently an attorney at Hipp Carlson Law, PLLC, and she was previously an attorney at Gilmore, Aafedt, Forde, Anderson & Gary. Throughout her career she has advised and advocated for injured workers, as well as employers and insurers, at all levels of the workers’ compensation system. She also represents several medical insurers in intervention matters and serves as a mediator in workers’ compensation disputes. Ms. Carlson is a frequent speaker at continuing legal education seminars on workers’ compensation topics. Ms. Carlson has also served on the Board of Directors for Minnesota Youth Athletic Services since 1999.
Thomas Christenson: Mr. Christenson is a workers’ compensation attorney and shareholder with Quinlivan & Hughes, PA in the firm’s St. Cloud office. Mr. Christenson owns his own firm, managing an active workers’ compensation practice, representing parties involved in workers’ compensation claims across Minnesota. He is also involved in civil actions in Minnesota state and federal courts and is licensed to practice in Wisconsin, North Dakota state, and federal courts. He is a frequent lecturer and educator on workers’ compensation topics. Mr. Christenson serves as President and member of his homeowners association Board of Directors, and he coaches baseball, soccer, mock trial, Odyssey of the Mind, and Destination Imagination teams.
Sandra Grove: Judge Grove has served as a workers’ compensation judge at the Minnesota Office of Administrative Hearings for nine years. Before working as a workers’ compensation judge, she was a lead attorney at the Law Offices of Stilp & Grove. Judge Grove practiced as a civil litigator for more than 25 years and has represented both employees and employers/insurers. She enjoys mentoring new attorneys and judges and has served as a Minnesota Lavender Bar law student mentor. She has taught as an adjunct professor of legal writing at William Mitchell College of Law and has also served on the faculty for continuing legal education programs. Judge Grove has also served on the Board of Directors of Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers, including as Chair in 2016. Her other volunteer work incudes service on the MSBA Professionalism Committee and as an MSBA High School Mock Trial competition judge.
For more information about the judicial selection process, please visit the Governor’s Judicial Appointments webpage.
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