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Susan M. Holden
Susan M. Holden, a partner in the firm, has distinguished herself representing injured people. Her career accomplishments include several million-dollar recoveries for her clients.

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Local lawyer, Blaine resident makes a difference

New Orleans is still recovering from the hurricane damage and flooding of 16 months ago...and a local area resident is continuing to play an important role in the continuing recovery.

When a lawyer becomes Minnesota State Bar President, it is a true honor. The many years practicing law will well prepare one for surprises. But for Susan Holden, consumer attorney at Sieben, Grose Von Holtum & Carey law firm, her term as state bar president was not at all what she expected. Nothing could have prepared her for what would take place during her term. It was during her July 1, 2005-June 30, 2006 term that Hurricane Katrina struck.

After hearing the news, Holden's thoughts immediately went back to the 1997 Red River Valley flooding that occurred in Minnesota, putting many of her colleagues and friends out of their homes and offices. She remembered the devastation and quickly realized that what hit close to home nearly a decade ago was only a small fraction of what her counterparts in the coastal areas of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama were facing. The hurricane struck the Gulf region on Aug. 29, 2005, and Holden immediately decided that the Minnesota State Bar Association would do all it could to help.

Within a few days, the Minnesota Bar's Task Force was organized and focused its efforts into three areas: raising money, gathering office furnishings, and delivering legal services to those who were in need. The Task Force set ambitious goals - particularly for Holden in the area of fundraising. But, with the generosity of Minnesota lawyers, their goals were exceeded. "The lawyers of Minnesota displayed amazing generosity. All I had to do was ask and they rose to the occasion," Holden said. "They donated their time, money and gently used office furnishings. And it's not over yet."

The effect of their effort is beyond measure but here is only a portion of what the Minnesota State Bar was able to accomplish thus far in the Gulf Coast states:

* Cash donations of more than $425,000 - and five truckloads of office furniture - and free legal services to many in need of help as a result of Katrina's devastation;

* A message of support that Minnesota lawyers stand with their Gulf Coast colleagues in crisis.

"Once people had gotten the necessities of living (food, clothing, shelter), we figured the best way to help communities come back was to make sure there were resources for providing victims access to free legal services that would help them navigate the maze of FEMA applications and appeals, evictions, mortgage foreclosures and dealing with the other roadblocks that stand in the way of people rebuilding their lives or their homes," Holden said. "We also focused on helping Gulf Coast lawyers get back on their feet into new or temporary offices so they could help rebuild their own communities."

Holden's leadership of the Minnesota State Bar Association's Katrina Relief effort gave a fresh view of what lawyers and the legal profession can accomplish. Together the lawyers of Minnesota contributed more than any other state bar association in the country toward rebuilding after Katrina.

"Leading this effort has truly been the highlight of all the many rewarding experiences I've had as bar president," Holden said. "I am particularly proud of what we accomplished in that effort. It was a good example of the role a bar association can serve in organizing its members, marshalling their good will and focusing their efforts in order to accomplish more together than any single lawyer or law firm could do alone. It was also a good example of the positive role lawyers can play in the recovery after a disaster."

Robert O'Dell, an attorney at law practicing in Vancleave, Miss., was a recipient of some of the office furniture shipped by the MSBA. O'Dell said, "Locally the sense of concerned community is impressive and inspiring. However, I believe that the most heartfelt generosity came from the distant shores of 10,000 lakes."

Holden and members of the MSBA Task Force have been in discussions with AARP about partnering with them and South East Louisiana Legal Services to help elderly clients by assisting them with housing issues, block grant eligibility, FEMA benefits/appeals and other issues affecting their homes. Mark Moreau, director of program services at Southeast Louisiana Services, said that the challenges they have faced are unreal. "Our staff, board and clients are forever grateful and indebted to the Minnesota Bar for their extraordinary support in our time of need. Without the Minnesota Bar's help, we would be in a much worse situation than we are."

Hurricane Katrina changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. As the rebuilding continues, Susan Holden and the Minnesota State Bar Association can be proud of the role they have played in the recovery from this disaster.

(Editor's note: This article about Blaine resident Susan Holden and the Minnesota State Bar Association's relief efforts in the Gulf region was a submitted piece.)