Alumni Speaker Series with Jerry Blackwell ’84 on his prosecution of the Chauvin trial

This event took place on September 23, 2021.

Jerry W. Blackwell ’84 is the founding partner, CEO, and chairman of Blackwell Burke P.A. He serves as national and trial counsel for several major corporations, having represented them in federal and state courts in 47 states and internationally. Jerry is an experienced trial lawyer with nationwide experience defending class actions, toxic tort, commercial disputes, products liability, and other high-stakes complex cases.

Mr. Blackwell is also an active member of his community. Most recently, he served as a lead Special Assistant Attorney General in the successful prosecution of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd. In 2020, in tandem with the Clayton Jackson McGhie Memorial, Jerry and his firm secured the first posthumous pardon in Minnesota history for Max Mason, a young Black man who was wrongfully convicted of raping a White woman in 1920.

Jerry is a founder of the Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers (MABL), a bar association that promotes the professional development of Black lawyers, judges and law students in Minnesota, and advances education, excellence, and racial equity in the pursuit of justice. In 2011, Governor Mark Dayton appointed him to serve as an at-large member of the Minnesota Commission on Judicial Appointments. He served two terms until 2019.

At Carolina, Jerry was a political science major and was a member of the North Carolina Fellows Program, the BSM Gospel Choir, the Clef Hangers, and the Chancellor’s Committee on Food Services, among many other campus activities. He received his Juris Doctor from the University of North Carolina School of Law and is the recipient of numerous awards, including Minnesota Attorney of the Year, Benchmark Litigation Minnesota Litigation Star, BTI Client Service Super All Star, the National Bar Association Commercial Section Cora T. Walker Award, Minnesota Minority Business Owner of the Year, and Minnesota Super Lawyer.

When he is not zealously defending clients, Jerry enjoys beekeeping and meditation, and is an avid hobby farmer.

Read more about Jerry's work on the Chauvin Trial: http://www.moreheadcain.org/2021/04/s...

Blackwell is an upcoming guest on the Catalyze podcast. Subscribe ahead of its release (fall 2021): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...