Please join the ACS Minneapolis-St. Paul Lawyer Chapter for the Third Annual Justice David Lillehaug Award for Distinguished Leadership Ceremony, where we honor a leader in the local progressive legal community who has demonstrated a commitment to advancing a vision of the Constitution and law that enhances individual rights and liberties, and promotes genuine equality, access to justice, democracy and the rule of law.

We congratulate this year's recipient, Jerry Blackwell. Mr. Blackwell is the founding partner, CEO, and chairman of Blackwell Burke P.A. He is an experienced trial lawyer with nationwide experience defending class actions, toxic tort, commercial disputes, products liability, and other high stakes complex cases. He is also a founder of the Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers. Recently, Mr. Blackwell served as a Special Assistant Attorney General in the trial against former Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, for the murder of George Floyd. He was a critical part of the prosecution team, where examined numerous fact witnesses, including the teen who filmed the longest and clearest bystander video of the death of George Floyd. Mr. Blackwell presented the State's medical expert witnesses and the Hennepin County Medical Examiner and cross-examined the only medical expert called by the defense, Dr. David Fowler.

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