Michael J. Galvin Jr. (’57) Receives Minnesota State Bar Association Lifetime Achievement Award

The Minnesota State Bar Association (MSBA) has presented its Lifetime Achievement Award to Michael J. Galvin Jr. (’57). The award is given only rarely by the MSBA, and is reserved for those members who have made extraordinary and impactful contributions to the bar, the legal profession, and the community throughout their careers.

Galvin is a native of Winona, Minn., where he attended Cotter High School. He later graduated from Cretin High School and the College of St. Thomas, both in St. Paul, and he served overseas as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force from 1952-54. After graduating from the Law School, Galvin joined Minneapolis-based Briggs and Morgan in 1957, practicing primarily in the areas of labor and employment law, business litigation, and municipal law. He is a qualified arbitrator and mediator under Rule 114. He has been a staunch advocate for the importance of the MSBA in the professional development of attorneys. He encouraged young attorneys not only to join the bar association, but to play an active role. He also served as MSBA president from 1994-95.

Galvin served as outside legal counsel for the St. Paul Port Authority for many years, helping the agency through many transitions that helped reshape St. Paul. He has also been a leader in the community, with leadership roles in the Saint Paul Chamber of Commerce, the North Star Council of the Boy Scouts, and the St. Paul Winter Carnival, among others. He has led and served on many boards, including those at St. Catherine’s University and the University of St. Thomas Law School. In 2000, Galvin was named a “Great Living St. Paulite” by the St. Paul Chamber of Commerce. In recognition of Galvin’s service to the city of St. Paul and its businesses and community organizations, Mayor Chris Coleman (’87) recently issued a proclamation declaring June 23, 2016, as “Michael Galvin Day.”

“Michael has been a mentor to generations of Briggs attorneys to whom he is a beloved partner, role model, colleague and friend,” said Greg Stenmoe, managing partner of Briggs and Morgan. “He is the firm’s historian, an exceptional storyteller, and never fails to impress with his clever Irish wit, wisdom, and charm. This award could not have gone to a more deserving person.”