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This year’s Volunteer of the Year Award goes to Judie Rush, who is being recognized for her distinguished record of service as a volunteer probation supervisor.  Judie served on the Lawyers Professional Responsibility Board from 2010 to 2016, where she also served as Board Chair for many years, including extending her term as Chair to assist the Office in the transition between directors.  Additionally, she was a volunteer investigator on the 2^nd District Ethics Committee for several years.  She has served as respondent’s counsel and provides ethics education.  She has taught professional responsibility at both Hamline School of Law and William Mitchell College of Law, and currently serves as the Director of Mentor Externship Programs at St. Thomas School of Law.

Judie was nominated and is receiving this award in recognition for more than 18 years of service to the discipline system and, in particular, her recent work as a probation supervisor with an emphasis on supervising lawyers who struggle with lawyer wellness issues that impact their ability to competently and ethically practice law.  Judie, having worked as a solo practitioner for many years, understands the unique challenges, both professional and personal, that solo practitioner’s face.  Judie exemplifies compassion but combines it with a firm insistence on progress and personal accountability.  Judie helps her probationers understand that the best practice is preventative. 

When Judie accepts an assignment as a probation supervisor, she conducts a comprehensive ethics audit and helps her probationers develop good internal systems to ensure an ethical practice.  Judie also understands that, until a lawyer addresses the personal issues that impact their practice, they will not be successful or happy in the legal profession.  Judie’s empathy and passion for helping others has allowed her to engage in difficult conversations with her probationers.  The probationers that Judie has supervised have received fewer complaints and have completed their probations under circumstances that, without her intervention, the Director’s hope for a successful probation was unlikely.  This is time-consuming and demanding work, which Judie selflessly undertakes, devoting countless hours to help other lawyer’s stay on track and practice ethically. 

Congratulations to Judie Rush, this year’s Volunteer of the Year, and thank you for your dedicated service and commitment to assisting others in the ethical practice of law.