Maher begins duties as First District judge

Appointed by Governor Mark Dayton, Judge Jessica J.W. Maher began her judicial duties as a district judge in McLeod County in mid-August with her formal investiture ceremony taking place Aug. 14. Maher replaced Judge Terrence Conkel, who retired in August.
Maher earned her J.D. (juris doctor) from the University of Minnesota Law School. While in law school, Maher worked part time as a law clerk in the Office of the General Counsel at the University of Minnesota. After graduation, Maher worked as a judicial law clerk to the Judge Gary Crippen, Minnesota Court of Appeals for one year. Before her judicial appointment by Dayton, Maher was a shareholder at the Minneapolis-based law firm of Walling, Berg and Debele, practicing family and juvenile law for 17 years.
Maher says that becoming a judge was not originally a goal in the beginning of her career: “In the more recent five to 10 years is when I really started thinking about it and really looking at pursuing this role … I reached a point where I was confident enough that I could do this work and do it well. I saw judges in my practice every week. I saw judges doing a great job. I wanted to be like them so I started working towards that goal.”
For more about Judge Maher, see the Oct. 11 print edition of The Chronicle.