Jack Rice Has Again Been Recognized as a North Star Lawyer
I am again honored and gratified to be recognized as a North Star Lawyer by the Minnesota State Bar Association for 2020. #NorthStarLawyer.
North Star Lawyers are MSBA members 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. While I continue to stand up for people in criminal courts, frequently people of color, this year was particularly special in that my co-counsel Willow Anderson, who was also honored as a North Star Lawyer, and I were honored to volunteer our time to represent the man charged with a felony for pulling down the Christopher Columbus statue in front of the Capitol in St. Paul, MN. The case was important, significant and complicated. In many ways, it represented 400 years of systemic harm to the American Indian community but also a complete reconsideration on how we all worked toward justice.
“Mike’s case and this resolution is not just about restorative justice but about transformative justice. There are many perspectives, some who agree and some who disagree, and their voices all matter. What we have been advocating for is to insure that what will grow out of this is that those voices will be heard.”
As we have all seen over the last year with COVID, our client Mike Forcia, George Floyd, Daunte Wright and more, justice is not a given and sometimes has to be fought for. Sadly, sometimes, justice seems to be for those who can afford it. However, if justice is to mean anything, it means that it belongs to all of us. That is is what being a North Star Lawyer is all about.
It is not lost upon me that I come from a privileged place to be in the position to provide my expertise and years of experience as a criminal defense lawyer. However, I’m also very aware that but for a few small changes in circumstances, I could be the person in desperate need.
If justice is to mean anything, it means that it belongs to all of us. That is is what being a North Star Lawyer is all about.
As I get up everyday and put on a suit to walk into a courtroom to fight for a client, I recognize that I am only one of many people in this country who serve. I am honored to be one of many who were recognized for this Award this year. Just to stand amongst them all including my co-counsel Willow Anderson makes me a better lawyer.