ST. PAUL, MN -The Commission on Judicial Selection announced today it is recommending five candidates to Governor Mark Dayton for consideration to fill the three current vacancies in Minnesota's First Judicial District. These vacancies were created upon the retirements of the Honorable Thomas G. McCarthy, the Honorable Richard C. Perkins, and the Honorable Richard G. Spicer. Judge McCarthy's seat will be chambered at Gaylord in Sibley County, Judge Perkins' seat will be chambered at Chaska in Carver County, and Judge Spicer's seat will be chambered at Hastings in Dakota County.

Eric Braaten: Mr. Braaten is an attorney at Braaten and Braaten, P.A., where his practice focuses on family law, including dissolutions, adoptions, paternity, custody, and various post-dissolution enforcement issues. Mr. Braaten also serves as a mediator, and previously practiced at the law firms of Nicklaus Braaten and Hollenhorst, P.L.L.C., and Katz and Manka, Ltd. Mr. Braaten is a member of the Family Law Division of the Minnesota Bar Association, serves on the Carver County Low Fee Family Law Panel, and is a boys and girls basketball coach.

Sharon Freiling: Ms. Freiling is a partner at the South St. Paul firm of Montpetit, Freiling and Kranz, L.L.P., practicing primarily in family law, juvenile law, and criminal law. Ms. Freiling also serves as an Assistant Public Defender for the First Judicial District in the Juvenile Court Division, and as a contracted attorney for parents involved in the Dakota County Child Protection system. Ms. Freiling serves on the Executive Board of the Dakota County Bar Association, and is a member of the Children's Justice Iniative and the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative Court Process Committee.

Christopher Lehmann: Mr. Lehmann is a partner at Grannis and Lehmann, P.A., where his practice consists of estate planning, wills, probate matters, residential real estate transactions, and family law. Mr. Lehmann also serves as an Assistant Public Defender for the First Judicial District and previously was an Assistant City Attorney for the City of St. Paul. Mr. Lehmann is a South St. Paul City Councilmember, and the President of the South Metro Fire Department Joint Powers Board and the Dakota County Bar Association.

Timothy Looby: Mr. Looby is a partner at Melchert Hubert Sjodin, P.L.L.P., where he practices in family law, including marriage dissolutions, child custody, and spousal maintenance. Previously, his practice has also consisted of wills, real estate, business, employment, criminal, and municipal law. Mr. Looby is a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, a volunteer attorney with Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services, and a board member of the Community Foundation for Carver County.

Cynthia McCollum: Ms. McCollum is a senior attorney in the Hennepin County Public Defender's Office, where she supervised a team of lawyers and maintains a caseload of adult felony and misdemeanor cases and juvenile cases. Ms. McCollum also serves as an adjunct professor of law at the William Mitchell College of Law and the Hamline University School of Law. Ms. McCollum is Co-Director of the North Central Regional Trial Skills Program for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy and is the former Chair of the Board of Directors for the Minnetonka Anchor Club.

Minnesota's First Judicial District consists of Carver, Dakota, Goodhue, Le Sueur, McLeod, Scott and Sibley Counties.

An announcement of the appointments will be made following an interview process over the next few weeks.