Jack Rice Recognized as North Star Lawyer

I am honored to be recognized as a North Star Lawyer by the Minnesota State Bar Association for 2019.  #NorthStarLawyer.

North Star Lawyers are members of the Minnesota State Bar Association who have provided at least 50 hours of pro bono legal services annually to low-income people at no fee and without expectation of fee. I regularly stand up in Court for men and women, frequently people of color, who have no legal representation but desperately need help. 

I have been doing this for many years. Maybe it is about self-preservation. I could so easily have been one of these people that I stand beside, frequently seen as a statistic. But for a small roll of the dice, turning left rather than turning right, and an extraordinary amount of luck, this so so easily could have been me. I also had a brother who served as the rudder for my life. 

Its interesting in that we all can serve. We all can make a difference. We all have skills and gifts and connections. We just have to figure out what those skills, those gifts are. Maybe it is standing in the street, chanting "Arms Up, Don't Shoot." Maybe it is being the good cop who says, "not only will I serve my community but I will stand up and say something when other officers don't." Maybe it is figuring out how to reorganize a police system. Maybe its making sure your neighbor eats today or raising a child who will do all of those things. They all matter. 

The fact that I just happen to have the privilege of putting on a suit and walking into a courtroom to speak for others still amazes me. It also isn't lost upon me just how much of a privilege it truly is. 

I am also honored to serve in a profession that is often maligned but has some of the most dedicated people on the planet. While I am one of hundreds who have received this honor, I am honored and humbled to stand among them. Each of them makes me better.