FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 26, 2021
Contact: Teddy Tschann
teddy.tschann@state.mn.us
651-402-8841
Commission on Judicial Selection Recommends Sixth Judicial District Candidates to Governor Walz
[ST. PAUL, MN] –The Commission on Judicial Selection announced today that it is recommending six candidates for consideration to fill two vacancies in Minnesota’s Sixth Judicial District. The Commission is recommending three candidates to fill a seat chambered in Duluth and three additional candidates to fill a seat chambered in Hibbing.
The first vacancy in the Sixth Judicial District occurred upon the resignation of the Honorable Shaun R. Floerke. This seat is chambered in Duluth in St. Louis County. The Commission recommends the following candidates for the Duluth seat.
Robert Barnes: Mr. Barnes is a partner at McCarthy & Barnes, PLC, practicing in the areas of personal injury, professional and premises liability, insurance, and arbitration/mediation. He is certified as a Civil Trial Specialist by the Minnesota State Bar Association. Mr. Barnes volunteers as MSBA High School Mock Trial competition judge, and he has served two terms on the Eleventh District Bar Association Ethics Committee. He is a Past President of the Eleventh District Bar Association and a past board member of the Scott D. Anderson Leadership Foundation. He is a lifelong Duluthian.
Amy Lukasavitz: Ms. Lukasavitz is an Assistant St. Louis County Attorney. Her caseload includes juvenile delinquency, truancy, and estate recovery matters. She previously was an Assistant Sixth District Public Defender and CHIPS parent attorney for St. Louis County. Ms. Lukasavitz has an extensive background in restorative justice and treatment courts, having served as the first coordinator for the South St. Louis County DWI Court and Family Dependency Treatment Court. She has also been a team member for the South St. Louis County Mental Health Court and Drug Court. Her community involvement includes volunteering with the Crisis Intervention Team, Duluth Playhouse, and the Volunteer Attorney Program. She is an Iron Range native.
Shawn Pearson: Mr. Pearson is an attorney who represents parents in child protection (CHIPS) matters in Northern Minnesota. He is trained as a mediator and handles a variety of employment discrimination matters in state and federal courts. Previously, he practiced at Mansfield, Tanick & Cohen and Barnes & Thornburg, where he litigated a wide variety of civil matters across the state and in the Minnesota Court of Appeals. Mr. Pearson has also worked as in-house counsel for General Mills and as Assistant General Counsel at Essentia Health. Mr. Pearson’s legal career began as a law clerk in a Chicago-based firm representing workers injured by asbestos. His community involvement includes serving as a mentor through Twin Cities Diversity in Practice and as a board member of the Minnesota Black Chamber of Commerce and Zenon Dance Company. Mr. Pearson also teaches community engagement seminars at Community Action Duluth and the Family Freedom Center and has volunteered as a pro bono attorney for the Children’s Law Center.
The second vacancy in the Sixth Judicial District will occur upon the upcoming retirement of the Honorable Mark M. Starr. This seat is chambered in Hibbing in St. Louis County. The Commission recommends the following candidates for the Hibbing seat.
Hannah Forti: Ms. Forti is an attorney at the Prebich Law Office in Hibbing and the Sixth District Public Defender’s Office. She represents clients in matters involving family law, criminal law, real estate, estate planning, and civil litigation. Ms. Forti serves as a qualified neutral and mediator. She also serves on the Northern St. Louis County Mental Health Court and the Iron Range Domestic Violence Committee. Ms. Forti previously served on the Range Treatment Court. Her community involvement includes serving as a volunteer attorney with the Private Attorney Involvement Program of the Legal Aid Service of Northeastern Minnesota, a member of the Iron Range Equal Justice Committee, a member of the Range Regional Hospital Services Board, and a member of the Chisholm Downtown Revitalization Project. She has previously served as the vice-chair of the Chisholm Community Foundation and as a member of the Twentieth District Ethics Committee.
Bhupesh Pattni: Bhupesh Pattni is an attorney at Trenti Law Firm and the Sixth District Public Defender’s Office. He represents clients on civil litigation, family law, probate, real estate, and felony offense matters. Mr. Pattni is a team member on the Iron Range Mental Health Treatment Court and has performed juvenile justice work representing children in the foster care system and in delinquency and truancy proceedings. He is active in the legal community in Northeastern Minnesota and serves as a member of the Equal Justice Initiative Committee, as a Law Library Trustee, Range Bar Association, and Range Bar Ethics Committee. His community involvement includes serving on the Board of Directors for the Lyric Center for the Arts and on the Board of Directors for the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation.
Jaclyn Simon: Ms. Simon is a Managing Partner at Sellman, Borland & Simon, an Assistant Sixth District Public Defender, and a qualified early neutral evaluator and mediator. She handles criminal defense, family law, mediation, municipal law, real estate, probate, and civil litigation. Previously, she was a CHIPS Parent Attorney for Northern St. Louis County and an associate attorney with Sellman Law Office and the Law Office of James Perunovich. Ms. Simon’s community involvement includes serving as a volunteer attorney with the Private Attorney Involvement Program of the Legal Aid Service of Northeastern Minnesota, a member of the Chisholm Public School Board, a member of the Iron Range Equal Justice Committee, and a member of the Personnel and Policy Committee of the Minnesota Discovery Center.
Minnesota’s Sixth Judicial District consists of: Carlton, Cook, Lake, and St. Louis counties.
For more information about the judicial selection process, please visit our website:
https://mn.gov/governor/administration/judicialappointments/
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