{"id":18364,"date":"2022-05-19T08:00:53","date_gmt":"2022-05-19T13:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/?p=18364"},"modified":"2022-05-18T10:49:36","modified_gmt":"2022-05-18T15:49:36","slug":"justice-tomljanovich-55-honored-at-women-in-law-celebration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/news\/2022\/05\/19\/justice-tomljanovich-55-honored-at-women-in-law-celebration\/","title":{"rendered":"Justice Tomljanovich \u201955 honored at Women in Law celebration"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Former Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Esther Tomljanovich ’55, visiting with attendees of the Women in Law celebration at Mitchell Hamline on May 12, 2022.<\/p><\/div>\n

In 2000, when William Mitchell College of Law was celebrating its 100th<\/sup> anniversary, former Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Esther Tomljanovich \u201955 was asked how the school could bring that history into the present. She suggested restarting the tea, an event from her time as a law student and young lawyer when women weren\u2019t allowed in the legal profession and needed a safe space to encourage and celebrate each other.<\/p>\n

In its reborn version, the tea \u2013 which continued after Mitchell\u2019s combination with Hamline Law \u2013 would include fancy hats from a bygone era and be a celebration of women in the law by women in the law.<\/p>\n

Last week, when the 20th<\/sup> such event was held (after two years off because of the pandemic), the event was all about Justice Tomljanovich to honor her for both creating the event and for her long career in the law.<\/p>\n

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Available hats at the Women in Law celebration on May 12, 2022.<\/p><\/div>\n

Tomljanovich was the only woman<\/a> in her class when she started at St. Paul College of Law in 1950, and her law degree \u201cdid not open doors to law firms,\u201d noted attorney and emcee Carolyn Chalmers. Instead, she went to work for the Revisor of Statues, an office that works with the Minnesota Legislature to write the state\u2019s laws.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I went to law school, I was competition for nobody,\u201d said Tomljanovich, in a video prepared for last week\u2019s event. \u201cThat\u2019s because I wasn\u2019t going to get the job they wanted. I wasn\u2019t going to get the interview for the job they wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Justice Esther Tomljanovich ’55 snaps a selfie with Ava Marie Cavaco ’17 at the Women in Law celebration on May 12, 2022.<\/p><\/div>\n

Even when she became a mother and left the working world, Tomljanovich remained active in civic matters, serving on boards and hosting events at her house. In 1974, the legislature appointed her to be Revisor of Statues. She served there until 1977, when \u2013 through \u201ccourageous persistence,\u201d according to Chalmers \u2013 she was appointed a district court judge. She served on that bench \u2013 winning reelection in 1978 and 1984 \u2013 until 1990, when Gov. Rudy Perpich appointed<\/a> her to the Minnesota Supreme Court, where she served until her retirement in 1998.<\/p>\n

During her career in the law, Tomljanovich continued to mentor women and help them gain representation in the legal profession. Imani Jafaar \u201804, a lead risk consultant for Target, was one of the first Mitchell students to win a scholarship created in Tomljanovich\u2019s name. She recalls the former justice spending several hours with her and two other recipients at an event where the scholarship was awarded.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt an instant connection with you,\u201d Jafaar told Tomljanovich, in a video during last week\u2019s event. \u201cOur friendship has meant everything to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Jim Jacobson, Medica general counsel and Mitchell Hamline trustee, visits with Justice Tomljanovich at the Women in Law celebration on May 12, 2022.<\/p><\/div>\n

When she retired from the bench, Tomljanovich spent 20 years on the board of the health insurance company Medica. Jim Jacobson, the company\u2019s general counsel and a Mitchell Hamline trustee, noted Tomljanovich never forgot her roots \u2013 growing up poor in northern Minnesota \u2013 in the work, always asking whether a new policy was good for the company\u2019s members. Tomljanovich also helped create the Medica Foundation, which has awarded millions of dollars to nonprofits that offer services for those in need.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I gave legal advice to the board,\u201d Jacobson added, \u201cthe first thing they\u2019d do is turn to Esther and say \u2018do you agree?\u2019 And I\u2019d hold my breath to wait for an answer.\u201d<\/p>\n

To help meet a goal at Mitchell Hamline to raise $50,000 for the Esther Tomljanovich scholarship for women in the law<\/a>, Medica donated $25,000.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe question I was asked the most when I went on the court was \u2018do women make a difference?\u2019\u201d said Tomljanovich, in her remarks. \u201cI\u2019ve been a mom, trying to manage a sick kid when there was a trial with maybe out-of-town witnesses. And you somehow had to manage.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur experiences were different, and it was important to bring those experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

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