{"id":20320,"date":"2025-11-13T08:49:24","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T14:49:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/alumni\/?p=20320"},"modified":"2025-11-13T09:35:02","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T15:35:02","slug":"clinton-campion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/alumni\/2025\/11\/13\/clinton-campion\/","title":{"rendered":"From Minnesota to Alaska: A life of service and connection"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

Clinton Campion ’99<\/p><\/div>\n

When he was just 12 years old, sitting in the back of a federal courtroom, he watched his father testify in a high-stakes drug conspiracy case. The two prosecutors questioning him left a lasting impression. \u201cThat day,\u201d Clinton Campion \u201999<\/strong> recalled, \u201cI knew I wanted to be a prosecutor.\u201d<\/p>\n

The moment sparked a career that would span continents, courtrooms, and causes\u2014and eventually lead him from St. Paul, Minn., to Anchorage, Alaska, where he now serves as a member and an owner of Sedor Wendlandt Evans & Filippi. There, he practices litigation, education law, health care law, and employment law.<\/p>\n

A Minnesota native, Campion always envisioned a future of public service. His father, Michael, worked in law enforcement for the State of Minnesota and on the DEA Task Force in the 1980s. \u201cPublic service was just part of my upbringing,\u201d he said. \u201cI planned to be a prosecutor in Minnesota, go into the Army as a judge advocate, and then come home to serve my community.\u201d<\/p>\n

When it came time to choose a law school, William Mitchell College of Law felt like a natural fit. \u201cIt\u2019s where you went if you wanted to practice law in Minnesota,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was a place focused on creating good practitioners, not just scholars.\u201d<\/p>\n

During his time as a student, several professors shaped his approach to the law\u2014and to life. He remembers John Sonsteng\u2019s clarity in teaching criminal law; the quiet confidence of Curt Stine, who taught interviewing and counseling; and the hands-on impact of Brad Colbert \u201985 and the Legal Assistance to Minnesota Prisoners (LAMP) Clinic. \u201cMy second year, I worked at the Ramsey County Attorney\u2019s Office,\u201d he said. \u201cThe next year, I was at the LAMP Clinic helping people in prison with civil issues. Seeing both sides\u2014prosecution and defense\u2014made me a more balanced prosecutor.\u201d<\/p>\n

After graduating in the late 1990s, he joined the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General\u2019s Corps, serving in Kosovo and defending soldiers in Iraq and Kuwait during the early years of the Iraq War. \u201cThere was no playbook,\u201d he said. \u201cWe hadn\u2019t been in combat like that for a generation. You learn to think on your feet and figure things out.\u201d Those experiences, he said, gave him confidence and perspective that continue to guide him today.<\/p>\n

Eventually, Alaska called\u2014first through his military service, then through the state\u2019s need for skilled prosecutors. Campion served in the Alaska Army National Guard from 2009 to 2015. He then became the district attorney in Anchorage in 2015, where he found both professional purpose and personal challenge. \u201cIt was demanding work,\u201d he said. \u201cRewarding, but hard on family life. After our third child was born, I realized I wanted new challenges\u2014and more time with my family.\u201d<\/p>\n

He transitioned to civil practice in 2017, joining his current firm as a partner. The learning curve was steep but fulfilling. \u201cI had no civil experience when I came here,\u201d he said, \u201cbut I wanted to grow as a lawyer. Now my work is varied\u2014I litigate, advise clients, and serve as general counsel for the Archdiocese of Anchorage-Juneau. I plan to be here the rest of my career.\u201d<\/p>\n

Life in Alaska suits him. He and his wife, Karen, are raising three children\u2014Martin, Claire, and Hannah\u2014along with a rescue dog named Violet. They spend their free time hiking, fishing, and exploring the outdoors. \u201cIf you like to challenge yourself physically, Alaska\u2019s a great place to live,\u201d he said. \u201cYou just have to dress for the weather\u2014there\u2019s no bad weather, just bad gear.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite living and working in Alaska, his connection to Mitchell Hamline remains strong. At an alumni reception hosted at Campion\u2019s firm, he reunited with fellow graduates including former mentor Judge Eric Aarseth \u201990, who helped him navigate his early career in Alaska. \u201cThat\u2019s the great thing about Mitchell Hamline alumni,\u201d he said. \u201cWe help each other. The connections are real.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Other alumni and guests at the reception were Judge Kari McCrea \u201901, Emil Betro \u201921, Jeremy Conkling \u201922, Chantal Mullinax \u201913, Andrew Sundboom \u201910, Louis Swanson \u201921, Marvin Weinrick \u201924\u2014as well as Lucille Carter, a current 3L blended-learning student from Alaska\u2014and Mitchell Hamline President and Dean Camille Davidson, Vice President of Enrollment Ann Gemmell \u201912, and Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving Barbara Klas \u201991.<\/p>\n

Campion also sees opportunities for the next generation. \u201cAlaska needs more lawyers,\u201d he said. \u201cOur bar is aging, and there\u2019s a real shortage of practitioners. Mitchell Hamline students, especially those in the blended-learning option, should consider Alaska\u2014even if just for a clerkship or a few years. It\u2019s a rewarding place to practice, and the skills you learn at Mitchell Hamline translate here perfectly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reflecting on his path, he sees one unifying theme: purpose. \u201cI\u2019m not driven by the bottom line,\u201d he said. \u201cI do work that\u2019s meaningful, that helps people. That\u2019s what I learned at Mitchell Hamline. Being a good practitioner and doing what\u2019s right for your clients\u2014that\u2019s success.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When he was just 12 years old, sitting in the back of a federal courtroom, he watched his father testify in a high-stakes drug conspiracy case. The two prosecutors questioning him left a lasting impression. \u201cThat day,\u201d Clinton Campion \u201999 recalled, \u201cI knew I wanted to be a prosecutor.\u201d The moment sparked a career that … <\/p>\n

From Minnesota to Alaska: A life of service and connection<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2537,"featured_media":20332,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[161,3,165,162,175,163,1],"tags":[178],"class_list":{"0":"post-20320","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-alumni","8":"category-alumni-spotlight","9":"category-features","10":"category-feature","11":"category-homepage","12":"category-news","13":"category-news-and-events","14":"tag-alumni","15":"entry"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20320","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2537"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20320"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20320\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20332"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20320"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20320"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20320"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}