Minnesota chairs of the Fellows of the ABF to be honored

Minnesota State co-chairs, Chief Judge John R. Tunheim, of the United States District Court , District of Minnesota, and Barbara J. Gislason, a solo practitioner in Minneapolis, will receive the Outstanding State Chair Award from The Fellows of the American Bar Foundation (ABF) at the 60th Annual Awards Reception and Banquet from 6-10 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 6 at the San Diego Natural History Museum, Balboa Park, San Diego, Calif.
The Outstanding State Chair Award is given annually to a Fellow or Fellows of the ABF who has, in his or her role as a sitting state chair or co-chair, demonstrated a dedication to the work of the Foundation and the mission of The Fellows through exceptional efforts on behalf of The Fellows at the state level. Selection of the recipient is made by the Fellows Officers, who oversee the national organization.

The Minnesota chapter of The Fellows led by Tunheim and Gislason has been lauded for the number of state events and high level of participation from its members. Gislason has been a key participant in The Fellows’ strategic planning process led by national chair of The Fellows, Honorable Cara Lee T. Neville.

Honorable John R. Tunheim has served as a United States District Judge since 1995. Before his appointment to the federal bench, he was Minnesota’s Chief Deputy Attorney General and the state’s Solicitor General. He was chosen by former President Clinton to lead the U.S. Assassination Records Review Board, for which he received the 1999 James Madison Award from the Coalition on Government Information for his work declassifying government records. An active member of the American Bar Association (ABA) and Minnesota State Bar Association (MSBA), Tunheim is a member and former founding chair of the Council of the ABA Division on Government and Public Sector Lawyers. The division honored him in 2003 with its Clair Nelson Award for Excellent Service to the ABA. He was integral in establishing the Public Law Section of the MSBA, for which he received the section’s Justice Rosalie Wahl Award for Judicial Excellence. Along with serving as a Minnesota co-chair of the ABF Fellows, he is currently chair of the CEELI Council, and a member of the ABA’s National Jury Commission and its Rule of Law Initiative (ROLI) board.

Barbara J. Gislason, of the Law Office of Barbara J. Gislason in Minneapolis, is an attorney with over 35 years of experience in practice areas such as Family Law, Animal Law, Art & Entertainment Law, and Intellectual Property Law. She is internationally recognized as President of the United States Delegation to the Paris-based Union Internationale des Avocats (UIA). Gislason was the founding chair of the MSBA Art & Entertainment Law Section and Animal Law Section. Her groundbreaking contributions to the field of animal law have earned her recognition in the New York Times, and the award for Outstanding Achievement in Animal Law by the Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section. She recently authored the book, Pet Law and Pet Custody Disputes: A New Practice Area Unfolds, for the ABA’s Section of Family Law (publication pending). Gislason is named a Minnesota Super Lawyer and one of the top 50 Women Lawyers in Minnesota by Minneapolis St. Paul Magazine.

Other recipients of 2016 Fellows Awards at the San Diego event include Llewelyn G. Pritchard, Outstanding Service Award; Kimberlé W. Crenshaw, Outstanding Scholar Award; and Selma Moidel Smith, Life Fellow Achievement Award.