KAREN ANN ARTHURS MACLAUGHLIN
Rochester,Minnesota
Summary
Experienced public service attorney and elected school board member seeking judicial appointment in the Third Judicial District (Rochester or Winona).
Overview
35
35
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Rochester Public School Board Director
Rochester Public Schools
01.2021 - Current
- Elected member of seven person board, represent district with about 90,000 constituents, 18,000 students, and 3,000 staff
- Led effort to draft, present, and pass safety gun storage resolution; resolution passed unanimously in August, 2023
- Key focus areas include student safety, education equity, removing racial disparities in discipline and student opportunities, role of school resource officers; rewrote and modernize school resource officer contact with local police department in April, 2022, to include more equitable language and joint focus to avoid criminalizing normal adolescent behavior
- Legislative Committee Member, 2022 to present (one of three members); develop school board legislative platform, track state legislation impacting school board and education, present legislative platform and discuss proposed state legislation with local legislators
- Board hired interim superintendent in April, 2021; made key motion in March, 2022, to offer him a contract and remove the interim title; motion passed unanimously
- Elected Board Treasurer for 2022-2023 term, elected Board Clerk for 2023-2024 term
Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services
02.2019 - Current
- Represent and advise low income clients in cases of domestic abuse, divorce/dissolution, and child custody for local legal aid non-profit law office funded with Legal Services Corporation funding
- Representative work: In 2021, I represented a client in a third party custody trial and ultimately resolved the case with terms favorable to my client after 17 days of trial (all via ZOOM due to the COVID-19 pandemic), including expert witness testimony, very challenging family dynamics and trauma history, and approximately 300 exhibits
- Training and refresher training includes topics of child abuse (child testimony and adverse childhood experiences), client trauma and vicarious trauma, mental and chemical health, domestic violence, mediation, firearm laws, safety planning, working with immigrant clients
- Recently completed "Community Lawyering" training offered as part of our organization's racial justice work through the Shriver Center on Poverty Law.
Mom's Demand Action Volunteer
01.2018 - Current
- Event speaker and volunteer, attended 2023 "Advocacy Day at the Capitol" and lobbied local legislators in support of gun sense bills (active volunteer since 2018, I do recall attending an earlier organizing meeting shortly after the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting in December, 2012, meeting may have been early 2013)
US Bank, Trust Department
04.2016 - 02.2019
- Trust Relationship Manager
Campaign Manager for Candidate for Olmsted County Attorney
02.2018 - 11.2018
Olmsted County Attorney's Office
06.1999 - 04.2016
- Senior Assistant County Attorney (2005-2016)
- Assistant County Attorney (1999-2005)
- Prosecuted all levels of juvenile delinquency cases, serious delinquency cases referred for criminal prosecution, and other adult prosecutions as assigned
- Tried approximately 200 felony cases to the court and approximately 5 felony cases to a jury
- Cases included gun crimes such as aggravated robbery and assault with a weapon/firearm, including a trial involving a juvenile repeatedly threatening a younger child with an unsecured firearm in their home
- Spent approximately 20% of time prosecuting sexual assault cases
- Approximately 25% of case load involved domestic violence cases
- Actively engaged with crime victims to seek further victim input related to charging, plea negotiations, and case resolution, and extensive victim contact preparing for trial
- Advised county departments on issues related to juvenile delinquency prosecution, including data privacy
- Developed and cultivated close working relationships with crime victims, probation officers, law enforcement, and other attorneys
- Participated in practice area and multi-disciplinary committees and teams, including: Minnesota County Attorney's Association Juvenile Delinquency Committee; Member and Co-chair of Olmsted County Sexual Assault Interagency Council (SAIC); Found, Engaged, Connected (Olmsted County Community Services)
- Training (presenter): SAIC law enforcement training; prosecutor panel representative at Minnesota Community Corrections Sex Offender Training (regional training, 2014); Olmsted County Victim Services Volunteer Advocate Training (2010, 2014)
- Invited by Rochester Public School principals to present about assault and "hazing" (2003)
- Specialized training (participant/attendee): Working with Immigrant Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Victims (2000); Trial Advocacy School (2001); CornerHouse Forensic Interviewing (2001); National Child Abuse & Maltreatment Conference (2002); Child Sexual Exploitation (National Center for Missing and Exploited Children) (2004); "He Said, She Said" sexual assault training (2006); MNCASA Annual Conference (2012); Understanding Barriers Faced by Ex-Offenders in the Criminal Justice System (2015); Transgender 101 (2015); Olmsted County Leadership 101 Cohort Member (2015-16); plus multiple other trainings involving domestic violence prosecution and sexual assault prosecution.
Marketing and Advertising Positions
01.1989 - 01.1994
Candidate for Olmsted County Attorney
- Campaigned to represent county with about 90,000 voters, key campaign platform included reducing gun violence, particularly in the context of domestic violence and reimagining justice system and justice system reform; received almost 39% of the vote (opponent was 16-year incumbent with significant name recognition and also used to be my boss)
- Endorsed by Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund
- Inaugural training cohort of Demand a Seat candidate training
- Recognized as Mom's Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate
- March for our Lives speaker, local rally, Rochester, Minnesota, June 29, 2022
- Endorsed by Women Winning and strong pro-choice candidate, recognizing that abortion care is healthcare and promising not to prosecute anyone who has, provides or assists with an abortion if elected
- More information: www.maclaughlin4oca.com or https://www.facebook.com/maclaughlin4oca
Local Minnesota Democrat-Farm-Labor (DFL) Party Volunteer
- Local Senate District Secretary (approx
- 2017-19), State Delegate (2018), Local Caucus Delegate (2000, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022), Caucus Resolutions Co-Chair (2018) and Chair (2020), Campaign Volunteer
The Honorable Robert Birnbaum
- Staff attorney for district court judge
- Researched and wrote bench memoranda, orders and memoranda.
Ramsey County Attorney's Office
- Researched and wrote criminal appellate briefs filed in the Minnesota Supreme Court and the Minnesota Court of Appeals and other memoranda
- Delivered an oral argument before the Minnesota Court of Appeals.
Anoka County Attorney's Office
United States Attorney's Office, Minneapolis Office
Office of State Senator Ellen Anderson
01.1996
Education
Juris Doctor -
WILLIAM MITCHELL COLLEGE OF LAW (NOW MITCHELL HAMLINE COLLEGE OF LAW)
St. Paul, MN05.1998
Bachelor of Science in Business - Marketing
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA, Carlson School of Management
Minneapolis, MN06.1989
High School Diploma -
CLAYTON HIGH SCHOOL
Clayton, WI05.1985
Skills
- Legal Research
- Legal writing
- Alternative dispute resolution
- Client Counseling
Certification
ATTORNEY, MINNESOTA, 284300, 1998-01-01
Community Activities And Awards
- Moveon.org, "Nobody is Above the Law", Lead local advocate and local protest organizer/leader, 2018-01-01, 2019-12-31
- Moveon.org, "Resistance Summer", Volunteer Community Mobilizer, 2017-01-01, 2017-12-31
- ACLU People Power, "Freedom Cities", Host and Group Leader, 2017-01-01
- Indivisible Rochester, Immigration Interest Group Leader, 2017-02-01
- Indivisible Rochester, Gun Control Interest Group Member, 2017-01-01, 2019-12-31, Pro bono legal advisor
- Olmsted County Human Rights Commission, Commissioner, 2016-01-01, 2019-12-31
- Legal Assistance of Olmsted County, Senior Wills Clinic, 2017-01-01, 2017-12-31
- Legal Assistance of Olmsted County, Landlord Tenant Hotline Advocate/Volunteer, 2009-01-01, 2012-12-31
- American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO, Vice-President, Member of Organizing Committee and Member, 2014-01-01, 2016-12-31
- Minnesota State Bar Association, 1998-01-01, 2000-12-31
- 3rd District Bar Association, 2016-01-01
- Olmsted County Bar Association, 1998-01-01
- Hillary Clinton Campaign, "Victory Counsel" Member, 2016-01-01
- Olmsted County Democratic-Farm-Labor Party, 2000-01-01
- Little Free Library, Steward, 2014-01-01
- Rochester Neighborhood Resource Center, Board Member, 2003-01-01, 2005-12-31
- Olmsted County Victim Services, Award Nominee, 2002-01-01, 2002-12-31
- San Diego Junior Chamber of Commerce, "Member of the Year", 1994-01-01, 1994-12-31
Prior Legal Name
Karen Arthurs
Timeline
Rochester Public School Board Director
Rochester Public Schools
01.2021 - Current
Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services
02.2019 - Current
Campaign Manager for Candidate for Olmsted County Attorney
02.2018 - 11.2018
Mom's Demand Action Volunteer
01.2018 - Current
US Bank, Trust Department
04.2016 - 02.2019
Olmsted County Attorney's Office
06.1999 - 04.2016
Office of State Senator Ellen Anderson
01.1996
Marketing and Advertising Positions
01.1989 - 01.1994
Candidate for Olmsted County Attorney
Local Minnesota Democrat-Farm-Labor (DFL) Party Volunteer
The Honorable Robert Birnbaum
Ramsey County Attorney's Office
Anoka County Attorney's Office
United States Attorney's Office, Minneapolis Office
Juris Doctor -
WILLIAM MITCHELL COLLEGE OF LAW (NOW MITCHELL HAMLINE COLLEGE OF LAW)
Bachelor of Science in Business - Marketing
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA, Carlson School of Management
High School Diploma -
CLAYTON HIGH SCHOOL
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