Prior to re-entering private practice, Kathleen was Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court from 1998 to 2006 and served as Associate Justice from 1996 to 1998. Prior to her appointment to the Supreme Court, she served as a Fourth Judicial District Court Judge, chambered in Hennepin County, Minnesota. Kathleen began her legal career in private practice at a large Minneapolis law firm before serving as an Assistant County Attorney in Hennepin County. In 2007, she was recognized by Minnesota Law & Politics as one of the “100 Most Influential Attorneys in State History.”