Minnesota Lawyer
Government Relations, Minnesota State Bar Association
It took a little while for Bryan Lake to figure out what he wanted to do after college.
“I got a philosophy degree from the University of Minnesota and was able to think deep thoughts about unemployment,” he says.
After working at a couple of “starter” jobs, Lake enrolled at William Mitchell College of Law. He worked for a law firm between his second and third years, and the following year landed a job in the nonpartisan state House of Representatives research department. Lake, who has always loved politics and policy, had found his calling.
After graduation from Mitchell, where he edited the Law Review from 2007 to 2008, Lake set up scores of informational interviews with lobbyists, ultimately landing a job in government relations with the Twin West Chamber of Commerce.
In 2009, he became government relations director for the Minnesota State Bar Association. Lake has worked closely with Lloyd Grooms, a shareholder with Winthrop & Weinstine, who works as a contract lobbyist for the association.
“The most fortunate thing in my career has been getting to work with him. He’s been a fantastic mentor,” Lake said. “I’ve learned pretty much everything I know from him.”
Lake mostly works with the bar association’s sections and committees, which determine which laws in their practice areas need to be changed to best serve clients, said Tim Groshens, executive director of the MSBA.
During the past legislative session, Lake worked on probate and trust administration and child custody legislation, lobbying legislators and Gov. Mark Dayton.
Lake takes the concerns of the legal profession and translates them into the legislative process, which most lawyers don’t understand, Groshens said.
“He is a newer lawyer, but he has a great gift of communication,” Groshens said. “He can be concise and comprehensive. Many of us struggle to be either.”
