~ Will be taking position with National Arbitration Forum ~

First Lady Mary Pawlenty announced today that she will be resigning from her position as a District Court Judge effective February 12 to become General Counsel for the National Arbitration Forum, one of the nation’s largest providers of out-of-court dispute resolution services.

“Serving as a district court judge has been an incredible honor,” First Lady Mary Pawlenty said. “Minnesota has one of the finest judicial systems in the nation. After 12 years as a judge, I’m looking forward to starting the next chapter in my career, which will continue to focus on dispute resolution.”

The First Lady was appointed to the bench in 1994 as a district court judge in the First Judicial District by then-Governor Arne Carlson. Her work as a judge includes all levels of criminal, civil, family, and juvenile cases.

The National Arbitration Forum (FORUM) was founded in 1986 and has become one of the largest providers of out-of-court dispute resolution services in the nation. Providing a full spectrum of dispute resolution services, including arbitration and mediation, FORUM resolved legal claims worth more than $3 billion in 2005. The company has tripled the number of claims it has handled annually over the past three years. FORUM has over 150 employees and has established a distinguished neutral panel of over 1,500 attorneys and retired judges throughout the U.S. and in 29 countries. Headquartered in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, FORUM also has offices located in New Jersey and Los Angeles. More information on FORUM can be found on their website at http://www.arb-forum.com/.