  |
|
|
|
|
Member Spotlight By Sharon Van Dyck Kate Flom was recently elected president of the Minnesota Trial Lawyers’ Association, the fifth woman to hold that position. By stepping forward to lead this state’s plaintiffs’ bar, Kate continues a life and career in which she has always stood tall and stood out, paving the way for her clients and others. She has consistently looked forward, observed and absorbed her surroundings, and then acted, frequently forcing change on behalf of vulnerable individuals who are poorly equipped to help themselves. Guided by a keen sense of fairness coupled with rock solid common sense, Kate is a doer. Minnesota’s citizens are better off as a result. Kate Flom is the third of four children. She decided she wanted to be a lawyer in the 6th grade after watching Judd for the Defense on television. At that time she was certain that she would work as a criminal defense lawyer – a goal she actually fulfilled later in her life. In high school Kate began her journey into activities formerly closed to women as she became a member of an Explorer troop, one of the first troops in the United States to allow girls to participate. As an Explorer she participated in a mock trial, further whetting her appetite for the legal profession. Kate attended Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, graduating in 1977 with a bachelor’s degree in economics. For a short while before going to law school she moved to Breckinridge Colorado to experience life more directly. There she worked as a “ski bum” and as a construction worker – another job historically not open to women. As a construction worker Kate plowed roads, put down sand and operated a jack hammer. Life, ever the great teacher, brought home to Kate some of its harsh realities when she witnessed a workplace accident in which a co-worker was crushed to death in a crane accident. In 1978 Kate moved to Minnesota to be near her sister and attended Hamline University’s newly created law school. Torts was her favorite class because it “made sense” to her as a system to spread the cost of wrong conduct away from the person injured by that conduct. She felt her interests focus on a desire to help individuals cope with society and some of the harshness that life brings their way. Those thoughts were enhanced by her work in the Minneapolis City Attorney’s office during law school where she prosecuted misdemeanor cases. Upon graduation with her law degree in 1982 Kate spent about 7 months as a law clerk for Hennepin County District Court Judge Charles Porter before she joined the Hennepin County Public Defender’s Office in 1984. It was at the Public Defender’s office that Kate hit her stride. Kate’s life as a public defender brought her full circle, back to her original 6th grade Judd for the Defense dreams. Kate made the most of the job, accumulating significant courtroom experience, managing a punishing schedule, and making sure that her clients were treated fairly by the criminal legal system. The job demanded versatility, and Kate performed. She was in court on a daily basis handling everything an urban county has to offer - traffic tickets to first degree murder, sometime both on the same day. During her years as a public defender Kate made a significant impact on the law through her work for individual clients. For example, Kate handled the case in which the Minneapolis Disorderly House ordinance was declared unconstitutional from the district court to the Minnesota Supreme Court. She is justifiably pleased with the result, since the ordinance allowed the police to raid and arrest anyone found in a “disorderly house” without a warrant, even if their most egregious action was to be present on the premises drinking pop. In 1990, after spending 6.5 years in the courtroom as a public defender Kate’s professional life took a new turn. She was offered a job in the private sector litigating personal injury cases at the firm Meshbesher & Spence. Although she had never tried a civil case, Kate was ready for something new. She would continue to work with individuals, this time individuals like the co-worker who was crushed on the job, and make a difference in individual lives in a different context. Kate took the job, and from 1994 to the present she has been an active, increasingly successfully personal attorney. Kate is now a partner at Meshbesher & Spence. She loves her job, and her enthusiasm flows into the work she does. When asked about memorable cases, Kate describes a product liability case tried in the early 1990s in which her client got his left hand caught in a metal slitter machine, resulting in a degloving injury from fingertip to elbow and the loss of several fingers. She brought a case on behalf of a woman afflicted with longstanding psychological and emotional problems who was sexually abused by her psychiatrist. The psychiatrist lost his license, and the victim was compensated in a confidential settlement. Kate represented a construction worker who fell three stories through a hole on the construction site. And, again undeterred by constitutional issues, Kate successfully represented a former husband who, with his wife, sought counseling from his minister. The minister ultimately fell in love with the wife, counseled in favor of a divorce, and ultimately married the wife. In each case Kate clearly likes her clients. She enjoys learning the ins and outs of the machines, construction sites, security systems, counseling and medical issues each case brings. She is an enthusiastic champion for her clients and the justice system. Kate’s personal life is consistent with her work. She has served on the board of directors and is still actively involved in Working Opportunities for Women (WOW), a non-profit organization whose mission is to assist women working on career development. The organization specifically caters to economically and educationally deprived women. She has been actively involved in community organizations. She has served on the board of directors for the American Lung Association of Hennepin County. Kate’s involvement in professional activities include chairing a subcommittee on plain language jury instructions for the Minnesota State Bar Association, being president of the Minnesota Consumer Alliance, and being active on the Board of Governors, Executive Committee, and officer track of the MTLA. Her involvement in her work and professional activities are supported by her husband, Malcolm Reed, and two stepdaughters. Kate credits them with giving her balance. Kate Flom personifies what is good about the legal profession. Over twenty years after first beginning work as a lawyer, she remains committed, enthusiastic and hard working. She gives to her clients, her family and her community. Kate serves as a model for what a woman can achieve as a lawyer.
|
|
Send mail to
webmaster@mwlawyers.org with
questions or comments about this web site.
|
