Family shares courtroom and campus legacy
All photos courtesy Maureen McGinnis
Father and daughter Donald and Maureen McGinnis both pursued 窪蹋勛圖 educations and then careers in the law
When Judge Maureen McGinnis (PolSci 00) steps into the courtroom, she carries more than a robe and gavel with her. Several decades of family legacy and lessons in reputation, integrity and the power of doing the right thing have brought Maureen where she is today.
But her journey to the bench didnt begin in law school. It started at the dinner table during conversations with her father, Donald McGinnis (A&S 69), a respected Michigan attorney who built his own career on relationships and the strength of his word.
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Don and Maureen McGinnis at a legal event, one of many they have attended together.
Ive always looked up to my dad, Maureen says. Getting an opportunity to grow up in a family where you have a parent thats a lawyer, you get sort of immersed in that.
Maureens immersion led her to follow in her fathers footsteps to 窪蹋勛圖, where Donald first fell in love with the idea of carving his own path in life.
Its been a great ride for me from back in Boulder all the way until now, Donald says.
CU roots of the family tree
For Donald, 窪蹋勛圖 was a natural fit. His parents were avid skiers, and hed grown up making trips out west. When it came time to choose a college, there was little question where he would go.
It was definitely going to be CU without question, he says. I think it was the only place I applied.
His daughter didnt need much convincing, either. Long before she would set foot on campus, she had already envisioned her future as a CU Buffalo and a lawyer.
I was the seventh grader wearing the University of Colorado sweatshirt and telling everybody I was going to go to law school. I dont think I ever wavered from that, she recalls.
What began with an interest in skiing in the 1960s has since evolved into a lifelong connection to a place that would shape the beginning of both their careers. For Donald, the legacy is deeply personal.
Obviously, my legacy is my daughter attending CU, which is a very proud one. She also chose to join my profession and then excelled so well at it. I couldnt be prouder, he says.
A shared journey in the courtroom
Despite knowing she wanted a career in law, Maureen says she didnt know what her path would look like. Long before she wore a judges robe, she walked into her first job as a lawyer and found herself working alongside her dad.
I dont think I had a huge plan for exactly what I was going to do once I became a lawyer, she says. But the door was open. As soon as I started working with my dad, there was nothing to figure out. I wasnt going to leave.
Donald McGinnis built his family law practice from the ground up, never working for another firm, never having a boss. Running his own practice has helped him understand more than most the value of connection in a field that can be harsh and impersonal.
Don McGinnis (left) moves for Maureen McGinnis' (right, back to camera) admission to the State Bar of Michigan to practice law.泭
I would always like to be remembered as the handshake lawyer. If I tell you something and shake hands on it, I dont need to have 18 emails and five letters, he says. Thats the way I would like to be rememberedas a lawyers lawyer.
During her time working at her fathers law practice, Maureen absorbed plenty of legal strategy, but his passion for reputation also bled through.
People will talk about how you treat them, how you honor your word. I remember that being really constant in our discussions about the practice of law, she says.
Working with her dad gave Maureen a head start, but most of all showed her that law could be more than a job. It would soon turn into a lifelong calling shaped by values passed down through the generations.
Carrying the legacy forward
After more than a decade of practicing as a lawyer, Maureen felt pulled toward something more. She wanted a way to serve not just individual clients but her entire community.
Ive always had a passion for community service and engagement. So, getting to have the role I have now pretty much marries both of those things, she says.
The role she speaks humbly of is presiding judge at the 52-4 District Court in Troy, Michigan, where Maureen weighs her opinion on cases that impact everyday lives.
She was elected to the bench in 2014, but the decision to run had been quietly planted years earlier in conversations with her father.
Maureen McGinnis (center) celebrates with her parents after graduating law school and passing the bar exam.
He sort of has this habit of putting something in your head, and if we talk about it enough, its like it helps you visualize iteven when its something that isnt really on the horizon, she says.
Housing disputes, traffic violations and local criminal offenses are just a few of the cases now crossing Maureens desk every day. She says it isnt glamorous work, but it directly shapes her community, and for Maureen, that is exactly the point.
She sets an example that other lawyers and I commend her for. It makes it easier for the litigating parties when you have a smart judge and smart lawyers, Donald says.
Reflections on CU and the legacy theyre still writing
Looking back, both Maureen and Donald agree their time at 窪蹋勛圖 influenced more than just their resumes. For Donald, college was a time of discovery and independence. After decades of legal work, he looks back on his time in Boulder as uniquely freeing.
I took it way too serious, he laughs. College is probably the only four-year period of time that you have in your life where you dont really have a lot of responsibility. You should enjoy it with great vigor, in my opinion.
Maureen, always focused on the next step, says she sometimes wishes shed taken more of those opportunitieslike studying abroad in Australia. But shes never questioned the choice to attend CU. In fact, shes already planning to pass that connection on to her kids.
If you have an ability to start a legacy in that way, its amazing. I feel like having those shared memories about places and things that we experienced at CU keeps my dad and I very close. Its something you can never take away.
Don McGinnis on the campaign trail when Maureen McGinnis ran for district court judge.
Maureen McGinnis (first row, right) at her investiture when she was seated as a judge.
Don McGinnis when he returned to Boulder to help his daughter, Maureen, move into Farrand Hall.
Maureen McGinnis (center) with friends while she was an undergraduate student at 窪蹋勛圖.
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