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Member Spotlight By Peg Corneille Many lawyers take circuitous journeys finding their passion in the legal profession, but Sue Dosal’s journey has been different than most. Dosal discovered her passion for judicial administration early, even before she became a lawyer. Since then she has followed that passion to graduate school, law school, and her current position as State Court Administrator, a position she has held since 1982. As the State Court Administrator, Dosal manages the Minnesota state court system. Her most recent responsibility has been supporting a fundamental transformation of the judicial branch of government in Minnesota. Dosal has been a key mover behind this 15-year transformation as the judicial system in Minnesota has changed from being based in the 87 counties – each having its own source of funding, its own employees, and its own priorities – to a unified system with 300 judges and 2900 employees funded entirely by the state legislature. On July 1, this transition will be completed and a newly created 19-voting member Judicial Council, chaired by the Chief Justice, will be put in place to govern the unified judicial branch. Dosal was first exposed to judicial administration issues as a child. Growing up in Minneapolis, Dosal was familiar with the courts and the law because she was the daughter of Judge Theodore Knudson, who served for more than 25 years on the Hennepin County District bench, including as its chief judge. Judge Knudson’s children learned about the legal profession on Sunday afternoons when he took them to his chambers where Sue and her 3 siblings would play in the courtroom while he worked. Dosal was inspired by her father’s example. “From my earliest memories, I knew my father was devoted to the law and to the improvement of the administration of justice,” Dosal said. “I hope some of that rubbed off on me.” Another passion helped her get started in judicial administration. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota, Dosal moved to Colorado where opportunities for downhill skiing were plentiful. While in Denver, she found work with the Institute for Court Management, a newly created entity founded at the urging of Chief Justice Warren Burger and funded by grants from the American Bar Association and the Ford Foundation. The Institute had been designed to introduce management concepts and modernize the courts throughout the country. Historically, courts were county-based and locally managed. In 1974, the Institute envisioned the judiciary of the late 20th century being managed by professional court administrators at the state and federal level. While working at the Institute, Dosal took the next step in pursuing her interest in judicial administration -- she started a master’s program in judicial administration at the University of Denver College of Law. The program was one of the first in the country and she was in the first graduating class. With her master’s in judicial administration, she went to Florida to work first as a Deputy State Court Administrator and later as a staff director in the Florida legislature. The state of Florida was in the midst of judicial reform and Dosal was part of the movement. After a few years gaining valuable experience, Dosal returned to Denver and started at the University of Denver again – this time as a law student. Midway through law school, she accepted a position with the newly created National Center for State Courts, which at that time had a regional office in St. Paul. She assumed responsibility as a court management consultant and transferred to William Mitchell College of Law for her final years of law school. In 1979, she was awarded her law degree by her father, Judge Knudson, a long-time member of the board of trustees at William Mitchell. After receiving her degree she became a senior staff attorney for the National Center for State Courts. She traveled throughout the country while in this position, helping state and local judiciaries on a broad range of court management projects. In 1982, with her law degree and several years of experience, Dosal was ready to accept the position she holds today as State Court Administrator. She went to work for Chief Justice Douglas Amdahl whom she refers to today as a mentor and friend. Her first assignment was to help pass the constitutional amendment creating the intermediate Court of Appeals and then get it organized. Once the Court of Appeals was created, Dosal’s next major assignment was to oversee the construction of a new building – the Minnesota Judicial Center – which would, for the first time, bring all of the state appellate courts under one roof. The construction of the Judicial Center presented many challenges, not the least of which was preserving the nearly 100 year old Minnesota Historical Society building while constructing an extensive addition to hold the courtrooms, chambers, and ancillary offices for the employees of the judicial branch. Her next project – and one that is ongoing today – was that of facilitating the unification of the Minnesota court system. This project will continue to engage a substantial amount of her time for at least the next several years as the Judicial Council develops and implements new statewide policies and priorities. Dosal compares the unification of the court system to the challenges of carrying out a merger complete with the challenges of “bringing cultures together.” The challenge, she says, is to “retain the uniqueness of the individual counties and districts” while unifying the system so that there is an “equitable delivery of state services regardless of where you live in this state.” Managing change is the issue, Dosal says. In addition to this consuming project, Dosal has also been instrumental in promoting access to justice projects such as Chief Justice Kathleen Blatz’s Children’s Justice Initiative, facilitating and expanding the state-wide Guardian Ad Litem project, establishing a certification program for court interpreters and implementing a 21st century information system for the state. On a day to day basis, she is busy keeping up with management issues within the judicial branch, including facing the legislature every biennium for state funding and the challenge in recent years of state deficits and budget cut backs. Dosal is married to Frank Dosal, and is the proud mother of Elizabeth, a recent graduate of the University of Wisconsin, and Michael, a student at the University of North Dakota. Dosal is a bridge player and a longstanding member of a bridge club – in fact her bridge club has been in existence as long as her interest in judicial administration. She has no intention of giving up either any time soon. Her next challenge will be whatever the job tosses at her – and based on past experience, there will be more challenges on the way. Although Dosal doesn’t think of herself as a pioneer in judicial administration, she is one. When she began her career, there was no science of court administration, and there were no women in the field who she could rely on for mentorship. She is a pioneer and a founder, and Minnesota has been fortunate to have her vision, passion and skills.
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