JAN 18, 2011 PROGRAM:
The Role of the Ramsey County Attorney
The office has responsibility for all felony-level adult prosecutions and all juvenile prosecutions in the county, in addition to a wide range of civil law functions and child support enforcement. Choi is committed to implementing reforms in the criminal justice system and keeping the community safe. He intends to emphasize crime prevention, intervention in the lives of kids who get into trouble, an innovative efforts to prevent criminals from reoffending.
Prior to becoming County Attorney, John was the Saint Paul City Attorney where he led a public law agency and prosecution office of 70 employees with an $8 million budget. Throughout his tenure, John was innovative in making reforms and finding efficiencies in the criminal justice system. His accomplishments include: working with police and the legislature to develop a new tool to prevent gang violence; forming a working group of 20 cities across the nation to hold lenders accountable in the mortgage foreclosure crisis; and working with police to create new protocols to obtain convictions and better serve victims of domestic abuse. In addition, John created innovative diversion and restorative justice programs in the areas of bad check prosecutions, invalid license cases and obstructing legal process arrests. Because of these accomplishments, John's colleagues from across the country recognized his innovative leadership in awarding him as the International Municipal Lawyers Association's Top City Attorney in the United States and Canada in 2009.
In addition to his public commitment, John was in private practice for over a decade. Following law school, he went to Hessian, McKasy, & Soderberg. He then went to Kennedy & Graven where he focused on government relations, administrative law, municipal law and civil litigation, rising to the level of partner within six years and earning the designation of “Super Lawyer” by Minnesota Law & Politics. John was also at the firm of McGrann, Shea, Carnival, Straughn & Lamb briefly before being elected Ramsey County Attorney in the fall of 2010.
John immigrated to St. Paul at the age of three with his parents from South Korea. His family started their American experience in low income housing in Saint Paul. He has now become the first Asian-American county attorney in Minnesota and the first Korean-American in this position in the country. Choi says “My parents were looking for a better life when they came here. When I think about how far I have come—immigrating to America at the age of three with my parents and now being given the great honor and privilege to serve as your next Ramsey County Attorney, I am struck with what an amazing country this is.”
John graduated from St. Thomas Academy High School, Marquette University and Hamline University School of Law, and was a Humphrey Fellow at the University of Minnesota. In his spare time, John serves the community as a volunteer board member of several Saint Paul nonprofits, including: Sounds of Hope, and St. Paul Youth Services. He also serves on the board of the Ramsey County Bar Association and is member of the Saint Paul Rotary Club.
John will be speaking on a his role as County Attorney and the Second Look Initiative, a new initiative that he will unveiled to the media earlier in the day.