Gail D. Baker

Divorce/Custody/Adoption/Child Support/Juvenile Protection

Because of her interest in children, Ms. Baker became a guardian ad litem in 1985 and has investigated and advocated for children’s best interests in contested custody, parenting time, child protection and termination of parental rights cases. Ms. Baker is a strong advocate for children, their rights and fairness toward them within the court system. That interest lead to Ms. Baker becoming an assistant public defender in 1992 representing children and parents in juvenile delinquency and child protection cases. Ms. Baker was able to expand her experience on behalf of children by learning and becoming involved in more services and activities for and on behalf of children since that time including educational and foster care advocacy, choice and provision of counseling and other appropriate services and as a member of several Minnesota Supreme Court taskforces including the Foster Care and Adoption Taskforce, Co-chair of the CHIPS Rule Committee and member of the Delinquency Rules Committee and national committees and workgroups through the ABA including the Steering Committee on Unmet Legal Needs of Children and the Family Law Section's committees to draft Standards for Representation of Children in Abuse and Neglect cases and most recently the Standards to Represent Children in Custody cases.

During this same time, Ms. Baker has also continued to hone her skills in the dissolution/custody area handling over 1,000 family law matters. Ms. Baker's interest in children makes her a particularly appropriate advocate for families with children as the child's perspective is always foremost in her mind.

EDUCATION

SUFFOLK UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL, Boston, Massachusetts

• JD Degree, June 1981

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA, Minneapolis, Minnesota

• BA Degree Magna cum Laude June 1978

NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY, Evanston, Illinois

ROCHESTER COMMUNITY COLLEGE, Rochester, Minnesota

LEGAL EXPERIENCE

Baker Law Offices
1530 Greenview Drive SW
Suite 210
Rochester, MN 55904
September 18, 1989 to present

State of Minnesota
Assistant Public Defender
July 1, 1992 to August 31, 2000
Representation of children and parents in child protection and juvenile delinquency matters

Ryan & Grinde, Ltd.
Rochester, MN 55901
November 1, 1988 to September 14, 1989

Ryan and VanDerHeyden
Rochester, MN 55903
July 16, 1987 to October 31, 1988

Steward, Perry, Mahler & Bird, P.A.
Rochester, MN 55904
December 31, 1985 to July 15, 1987

Legal Assistance of Olmsted County
Rochester, MN 55902
May 12, 1982 to December 27, 1985
Executive Director and staff attorney

R.C. Ploetz & Associates
Minneapolis, MN 55402
August 1981 to February 1982

Suffolk University Legal Assistance Bureau
Suffolk University Law School
Boston, MA 02114
Academic year 1980 - 1981
Research Assistant to Associate Dean Malcom Donahue

Richard Jones, City Solicitor
Newburyport, MA 01950
Fall semester 1979
Legal research, wrote briefs and drafted pleadings

HONORS

Suffolk University Law School
Phi Delta Phi Legal Fraternity

University of Minnesota
Phi Beta Kappa
Magna cum Laude Graduate

Legal Assistance of Olmsted County
Volunteer Attorney of the Year - 1994 & 1999

Third District Public Defenders
1994 Outstanding Service Award - Juvenile Protection
1997 Outstanding Juvenile Representation Award

Olmsted County Bar Association
Volunteer of the Year 1994-95

Rochester Rotary Risers
Distinguished Service Award 1995-96

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

American Bar Association

Steering Committee on Unmet Legal Needs of Children

• Liasion from Family Law Section 1998-2001
• Committee member 2000-2003

Family Law Section

• Member 1978 to present
• Mediation and arbitration committee 1989-1990
• Publication development board 1989 to present
• Juvenile law and needs of children committee 1990 to present
• Subcommittee to develop standards for representation of children in abuse and neglect cases 1994-1995
• Liasion to the ABA Steering Committee on Unmet Legal Needs of Children 1998 to 2001
• Custody Committee 2000-present
• Subcommittee to develop standards for Representation of children in custody cases

Young Lawyers Division

• District 18 representative 1985-1987
• Publications committee 1985-1990, chair 1987-1990
• Cabinet member 1987-1990
• Pro bono delivery of legal services committee 1985-1987
• Child advocacy and protection committee 1985-1990, vice chair 1986-1990
• Child welfare law tracking project chair, 1986-1990
• National Legal Resource Center for Child Advocacy and Protection-child support advisory board 1986 – 1990
• Campaign ethics committee 1986-1987

Minnesota State Bar Association

Family Law Section - member 1981 to present

Children and the Law committee - member 1997 to present

Young Lawyers Section - member 1981-1990

• Young lawyer delegate to the ABA house of delegates 1987-1989
• Young lawyers Board of Governors representative 1987-1989
• Executive committee member 1984-1989
• CLE/program co-chairperson 1984-1985
• Long range planning committee member 1984-1985

Legal Assistance to the Disadvantaged committee - member 1984-1990

MSBA membership drive chair for Olmsted County 1987-1988

Mock trial attorney coach - Pine Island High School 1990-1998

Olmsted County Bar Association

• Member 1981 to present
• Family law committee member 1981 to present
• Law library committee 1984 to present
• Law day committee chair 1983 and 1984, member 1990 to present,
• Board of Directors member 1983-1987
• Treasurer 1984 to 1986
• Bicentennial of Constitution committee chairperson, 1986 to 1987
• Volunteer of the year 1994 to 1995
• Vice-president 1996-1997
• President 1997-1998
• Secretary 1999-2001

Third District Public Defenders

• Coordinator juvenile law task force 1993-1998
• Outstanding service award - juvenile protection 1994 & Outstanding juvenile representation 1997
• County attorneys association and public defender trial skills training - Bemidji, Minnesota June 1994
• Third district juvenile dispositional guidelines committee 1995
• Speaker and trainer on Juvenile protection rules and procedures at local, regional and state conferences 1997-2001

Minnesota Supreme Court Appointments

• Foster Care and Adoption Taskforce 1996-97
• CHIPS Rules Committee - Co-chair 1997-2000
• Ad hoc member of Guardian ad Litem curriculum committee 1997
• CHIPS Curriculum committee - 2000
• Delinquency Rules Committee - 2001-present

Minnesota Department of Human Services
Children’s Justice Act taskforce member 1998 to present

Olmsted County Court System

• Teach Custody and Dissolution classes - 1982 to present
• Third district custody mediation committee 1987 to 1988
• Indigent court costs committee 1987 to 1989

Legal Assistance of Olmsted County

• Juvenile protection rules and procedures committee 2000 to present
• Children’s Justice Initiative Taskforce - 2000 to present
• Volunteer Attorney 1985 to present
• Volunteer attorney of the year 1993, 1994 & 1999

Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services

• Volunteer 1985 to present
• Wabasha volunteer attorney of the year - 2001

Civic & Business Activities

Reading Center/Dyslexia Institute of Minnesota

• Board of Directors 1997 to present
• Vice chair 2000 to 2003
• Chair 2003 to present

City of Rochester - Charter Commission

• Member 1995-2002
• Secretary, 1996-97
• Vice-Chair 1997-99
• Chair 1999-02

Rochester Public Schools

• High School Mentorship program 1992-2001
• Teach alternative education and pregnant teen classes on family law issues 1992 to present

Rochester Risers Rotary Club

• Charter Member since June 1988
• Newsletter Committee 1988-93,
• Club Service Committee Chair 1988-89
• Secretary 1989-90
• President Elect 1990-91
• President 1991-92
• Bylaws Committee 1994-95
• Vocational Service Chair 1997-98
• Community Services Chair 1999-2000

Rochester Area Pastoral Counseling Center - Advisory Committee Member 1986-99

YWCA/Rochester Area Family Y

• Y-Pals Program 1986-98
• Financial Committee Member 1986-90
• Board of Directors 1988-95
• Treasurer 1990-91
• Second Vice-president 1991-92
• First Vice-president 1992-93, President 1993-94
• Y Resource Center Advisory Board Member 1994-97
• Chair Taskforce on status 1996

Consumer Credit Counseling Services - Rochester Advisory Board Member 1985-94

Rochester Area Vocational Technical Institute

• Legal Secretary Advisory Board Member 1984-99
• Guest Lecturer 1984 to 1989

Aiimsonion Clinic - Chemical Dependency Advisory Committee 1990-98

Boy Scouts of America - Legal Explorer Law Post - Advisor 1987-89

Parents Anonymous Advisory Board - Board Member 1985-86

Olmsted County Community Social Services Advisory Board - Evaluation Committee Member 1984-87

Future Scan 2000 Affordable Housing Task force - taskforce member 1986

SPEAKING/TEACHING ENGAGEMENTS

Custody and Dissolution Planning classes - 1983 to present
Divorce-what you need to know - 1985-95
PAIIR (parenting classes) on wills - 1989-95
Technical school classes on family law & wills - 1985-95
Will presentations to church and community groups - 1984 to present
Tough love parental support group on changes in juvenile law - 1995-99
Dodge County Guardian ad litem training on family and juvenile law and court proceedings - 1995
State Public Defenders Conference

• Foster Care and Adoption Taskforce recommendations and legislative changes- September 1997
• New CHIPS rules - September 1998
• CHIPS Rules - February 2000

PUBLICATIONS

Author and editor of America's Children Still at Risk, American Bar Association, 2001

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