Minneapolis lawyers recognized with the International Association of Prosecutors Special Achievement Award

Mary Young, Corey Gordon, Tony Atwal and Desweon Hinds (Minneapolis) have been honored as members of the special prosecution team from the Derek Chauvin trial with the International Association of Prosecutors (IAP) Special Achievement Award.

The IAP recognized the State of Minnesota's special prosecution team, led by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, with this annual award, which is given for carrying out professional duties in the face of hardship or adversity, or for other outstanding accomplishments deserving of special recognition.

Young, Gordon, Atwal and Hinds joined Norton Rose Fulbright's Minneapolis office last year from Blackwell Burke P.A., a boutique trial law firm founded by recently appointed Judge Jerry W. Blackwell. The team worked on all aspects of the trial with Mr. Blackwell, and the prosecution team secured the conviction of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd.

Gordon and Atwal accepted the award at the IAP's 28^th Annual Conference and General Meeting in London on September 24.

Young, who is the firm's Minneapolis office Partner-in-Charge, represents clients in complex matters across a broad range of substantive legal areas, including product liability, class actions and mass torts. She applied her experience, developed in complex civil litigation, in working with the State's medical expert witnesses to synthesize complex concepts into clear and understandable information for the jury.

Gordon is an experienced trial lawyer whose his practice includes products liability defense, class action defense, toxic and environmental torts litigation, commercial litigation, appeals and other complex litigation. He previously served as a deputy attorney general for the State of Minnesota.

Atwal focuses his practice on all aspects of commercial trial and appellate litigation, representing clients in complex lawsuits nationwide in federal and state courts. He assisted the trial team with pre-trial motions, legal issues arising during trial, and post-trial motions and appeals.

Established in 1995, the IAP is an international community of prosecutors with more than 180 organizational members representing 177 continents. According to the IAP, the organization is "committed to setting and raising standards of professional conduct and ethics for prosecutors worldwide, promoting the rule of law, fairness, impartiality and respect for human rights and improving international cooperation to combat crime."