Congratulations to John Choi '95, who was recently sworn in as Ramsey County Attorney, becoming the first Asian-American county attorney in Minnesota. Choi is the first Korean-American to hold a county attorney's post in the nation.
Before entering Hamline Law, John earned his bachelor’s degree from Marquette University. In addition, John was a Humphrey Fellow at the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. Prior to being sworn in as Ramsey County Attorney on January 3, 2011, he was an attorney with McGrann, Shea, Carnival, Straughn and Lamb.
John served as the Saint Paul City Attorney from 2006-2010, where he led a public law agency and prosecution office of 70 employees with an $8 million budget. Among his many accomplishments as City Attorney, John prudently managed the City’s tort liability budget, resulting in record lows for payouts and judgments in 2007, 2008 and 2009. In addition, John initiated a data-driven approach to manage resources and evaluate outcomes in his office and developed a strong working relationship with his employees.
During his tenure as the Saint Paul City Attorney, John was the 2009 recipient of the Joseph Mulligan Award, which is given to the top city attorney in North America for public leadership. He was also the 2009 recipient of the Saint Paul Jaycees' Warren B. Hart Award for Public Leadership and the Dispute Resolution Center's Kay Pranis Award for Leadership in Restorative Justice.
Prior to his appointment as City Attorney, John was a partner at Kennedy & Graven, a law firm specializing in local government law. In private practice, John focused on government relations, administrative law, municipal law and civil litigation, rising to the level of partner within six years of graduating from law school. He also served on the firm's Executive Committee. Designated a “Super Lawyer” by Minnesota Law and Politics, John serves on the board of the Ramsey County Bar Association.
In his spare time, John serves our community as a volunteer board member of several Saint Paul non-profits including: Sounds of Hope and St. Paul Youth Services. John is also an active member with Saint Paul Rotary Club number 10. John enjoys cooking, reading the newspaper cover-to-cover, following the Minnesota Twins, and spending time with his family.