An introduction to Gail Chang Bohr's life and work, produced when she received the first ever William Mitchell College of Law Warren E. Burger Distinguished Alumni Award in 2007.
About Gail
Gail was born in Kingston, Jamaica, the ninth of fifteen children of Chinese parents who were immigrants to the West Indies. She moved to the United States in 1962 to attend Wellesley College in Massachusetts on a full scholarship and earn a bachelor's degree in Sociology. From there she began her nineteen-year career in social work, earning a master's degree from the Simmons College School of Social Work. She was a psychiatric social worker in Boston, taught social work in Hong Kong, and was a licensed clinical social worker in California and Minnesota. She served in a variety of medical settings, working directly with clients, and also training and mentoring colleagues in her field.
In 1987, Gail entered law school because she believed that a law degree would strengthen her ability to advocate for children and families. She was editor and then executive editor of William Mitchell Law Review. She clerked for Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice A. M. "Sandy" Keith from 1991 to 1992 and was an associate at Faegre & Benson law firm from 1992 to 1995.
The centerpiece of Gail's legal career has been her service as Executive Director of Children's Law Center of Minnesota, a position she has held since the center opened in 1995. Under Gail's stewardship, CLC has represented more than 1,200 youth in foster care with the assistance of a small staff and more than 250 volunteer lawyers trained by the center. In addition to representing children in court, Gail advocates for policy and systemic reforms for children and serves on national and statewide taskforces, including the American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Litigation Children's Rights Litigation Committee Working Group. She is also a founding member of the National Children's Law Network. Gail has also served as a Conciliation Court Judge in Hennepin County since 2003, deciding cases with a monetary value of $7,500 and under.
Gail has been married for 36 years to Dr. Richard Bohr, Professor of History and Director of Asian Studies at the College of St. Benedict and St. John's University. They have two children: Aaron, a teacher, and Jessica, a First Lieutenant in the United States Air Force. The Bohr family has lived in the Como Park neighborhood of Saint Paul since 1981.
