Governor Dayton Appoints Eric J. Braaten, Christopher J. Lehmann, Timothy J. Looby, and Cynthia L. McCollum to Fill First Judicial District Vacancies

ST. PAUL, Minn., Sept. 15 -- Gov. Mark Dayton, D-Minn., issued the following news release:

Today, Governor Mark Dayton announced the appointment of Mr. Eric J. Braaten, Mr. Christopher J. Lehmann, Mr. Timothy J. Looby, and Ms. Cynthia L. McCollum as District Court Judges in Minnesota'sFirst Judicial District. Mr. Braaten will be replacing the Honorable Richard C. Perkins, and will be chambered at Chaska in Carver County. Mr. Timothy J. Looby will be replacing the Honorable Thomas G. McCarthy, and will be chambered at Gaylord in Sibley County. Mr. Christopher J. Lehmann and Ms. Cynthia L. McCollum will be replacing the Honorable Richard G. Spicer and the Honorable Robert R. King, Jr., and will both be chambered at Hastings in Dakota County. "I have great confidence that Mr. Braaten, Mr. Lehmann, Mr. Looby, and Ms. McCollum will provide excellent service to the people of the First Judicial District," said Governor Dayton. "Their legal credentials, strong work ethics, and demonstrated service to their communities have prepared each of them well for these important positions."

Eric J. Braaten: Mr. Braaten is an attorney at Braaten & Braaten, P.A., where his practice focuses on family law, including dissolutions, adoptions, paternity, custody, and various post-dissolution enforcement issues. Mr. Braaten also serves as a mediator, and previously practiced at the law firms of Nicklaus Braaten & Hollenhorst, P.L.L.C., and Katz & Manka Ltd. He has received the NorthStar Service Award for his commitment to pro bono service, and earned his B.A. from Saint Olaf College and his J.D. from the Marquette University Law School. Mr. Braaten has extensive appellate court experience, is a member of the Carver County Low Fee Family Law Panel, and is active in his three children's school activities. Christopher J. Lehmann: Mr. Lehmann is a partner at Grannis & Lehmann, P.A., where his practice consists of estate planning, wills, probate matters, residential real estate transactions, and family law. Mr. Lehmann also serves as an Assistant Public Defender for the First Judicial District, and previously was an Assistant City Attorney for the City of St. Paul. He earned his B.A. from Concordia College in Moorhead, MN and his J.D. from the William Mitchell College of Law. Mr. Lehmann is a South St. Paul City Councilmember, and the President of the South Metro Fire Department Joint Powers Board and the Dakota County Bar Association. Timothy J. Looby: Mr. Looby is a partner at Melchert Hubert Sjodin, P.L.L.P., where he practices in family law, including marriage dissolutions, child custody, and spousal maintenance. Previously, his practice has also consisted of wills, real estate, business, employment, criminal, and municipal law. He earned his B.S. from Bemidji State University and his J.D. from the University of Minnesota School of Law. Mr. Looby is a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, a volunteer attorney coach and judge for the Minnesota State Bar Association state high school mock trial program, and a member of the Waconia Lions Club. Cynthia L. McCollum: Ms. McCollum is a senior attorney in the Hennepin County Public Defender's Office, where she supervises a team of lawyers and maintains a caseload of adult felony, adult misdemeanor, and juvenile cases. Ms. McCollum also serves as an adjunct professor of law at the William Mitchell College of Law and the Hamline University School of Law. She earned her B.A. from the University of Minnesota and her J.D. from the William Mitchell College of Law. Ms. McCollum has been Lead Faculty or Co-Director of the North Star Regional Trial Skills Program for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy, and is the former Chair of the Board of Directors for the Minnetonka Anchor Club.

Minnesota'sFirst Judicial District consists of Carver, Dakota, Goodhue, LeSueur, McLeod, Scott, and Sibley Counties. More information on the Commission on Judicial Selection, as well as vacancies it is currently considering, can be found at http://mn.gov/governor/appointments/judicial-appointments/ Headshots of the appointees can be downloaded below:

* Eric J. Braaten (http://mn.gov/governor/images/Braaten_Eric.jpg) * Christopher J. Lehmann (http://mn.gov/governor/images/Lehmann_Christopher.jpg) * Timothy J. Looby (http://mn.gov/governor/images/Looby_Timothy.jpg) * Cynthia L. McCollum (http://mn.gov/governor/images/McCollum_Cynthia.png)

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