Meet Geoffrey A. Miller (he/him)
Staff Attorney, Justice North

 How long have you been with Justice North and what led you there?

"I started my law career with my father in my father's firm and worked alongside him for 20 or so years. After he passed and I was on my own in a solo practice, I found it really isolating. I saw a temporary position advertised with MMLA while another attorney was on sabbatical. I got the position, and I fell in love the culture and the work. When the other attorney came back, I knew I wanted to be a legal aid attorney. When the position opened up with Justice North in Pine City, I decided it would be worth an hour drive to be a part of legal aid again. And I am so glad I did. I've been with Justice North for 6 years. I'm exhausted by the end of the day, but always excited to start my day at Justice North the next morning."

In your acceptance remarks for the Dawn Carlson Family Advocate Award, you mentioned your reminder as a former hockey coach that “an assist is as good as a goal.” Can you elaborate a bit on how that applies to legal aid work?

"I played hockey until I was in my fifties. I was the goalie, and I joke that being a legal aid attorney is a lot like being a goalie—you're always stopping shots coming at you from every angle. My favorite player growing up was Bobby Orr. He was an amazing defenseman and while he could score (and often did), what he was best known for was putting the puck on a forward's stick so they could just tap it into the net. In hockey stats, a player gets one point for an assist or one point for a goal--this is often referred to in the hockey world as "an assist being as good as a goal." In truth, the assist is often times the more important play. The team at Justice North regularly makes incredible assists. I just have to stand at the net and tap it in."

What advice would you give a new legal aid lawyer?

"First, I would tell a new legal aid attorney, how lucky they are to be here. Being asked to help is a gift to the person being asked. We are all so lucky to be able to help people in need. I would also tell them to really listen (people need to tell their stories) and to withhold judgement. We are not here to judge, we're here to help."

How do you relax and recharge in your free time?

“Most of my co-workers know I relax and recharge by throwing pots. (I don't mean against the wall, I mean ceramics.) I've been working on a project throwing each of my coworkers a customized coffee cup. I also enjoy skiing, live music, travel, and spending time at our cabin.”

What would surprise people to learn about you?

“People might be surprised to learn I was an English major in college. That's not really unusual for an attorney, but while most people tend to major in something they are naturally good at, I was better at math and science. I became an English major because I knew I needed to become a better writer, and I love reading. Also, I'm a bit of a Grateful Deadhead, which may surprise some, but more often it’s more surprising to Deadheads that I'm an attorney.”