Wilkinson Stekloff Associate Guus Duindam has been recognized with the Minnesota State Bar Association (MSBA) President’s Award as a member of the Rule of Law Amicus Brief Team, which was honored for its extraordinary efforts representing the MSBA as amicus curiae in two federal lawsuits.
MSBA President Tom Pack selected the team—which included Mark Bradford, Guus Duindam, Peter Hennigan, Annika Misurya, Ashley Patyk, Norman Pentelovitch, William Pentelovitch, and Anna Petosky—for its work helping the MSBA advocate for the rule of law during a period of heightened immigration enforcement activity in Minnesota.
In announcing the award, President Pack praised the team’s commitment and service: “When our community needed thoughtful legal leadership, this team stepped forward without hesitation. They donated countless hours, brought extraordinary skill and judgment to their work, and helped the MSBA raise its voice in support of the rule of law during a challenging and consequential time.”
As part of the Rule of Law Amicus Brief Team, Guus co-authored two amicus briefs on behalf of the MSBA and several affinity bar organizations addressing the impact of federal immigration enforcement practices on Minnesota communities and the administration of justice.
In Hussen v. Noem, a putative class action challenging alleged racial profiling by ICE, the amicus brief highlighted the effects of immigration enforcement practices on access to counsel, participation in court proceedings, and public confidence in the legal system. In Minnesota v. Noem, a challenge to the federal government’s “Operation Metro Surge,” the brief described the broader harms that intimidation and aggressive enforcement tactics can have on the rule of law and the ability of lawyers and courts to serve their communities.
This award-winning work reflects Guus’s broader commitment to pro bono advocacy. Most recently, he represented a Minnesota resident from El Salvador who was arrested and detained by masked ICE agents while on his way to work. Alongside Kate Hibbard of Cargill, Guus pursued both habeas relief and bond proceedings before an immigration judge. After extensive briefing, the immigration court accepted key legal arguments advanced by the team and ordered the client’s release on bond, allowing him to return home to his wife and son while continuing to pursue his asylum claim.
Guus has also devoted substantial time to other pro bono matters throughout his career. Earlier at Wilkinson Stekloff, he worked on a family law matter involving a mother seeking protection from an abusive spouse and represented an incarcerated individual in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit concerning prisoners’ rights and access to federal courts. Since returning to the firm following a judicial clerkship for Justice Sotomayor on the Supreme Court of the United States, alongside Associates Dino Hadziahmetovic and Connie Gong he has represented a plaintiff in a civil rights action arising from an allegedly unlawful stop and arrest. Additionally, Guus is currently working on multiple pro bono matters in partnership with the Legal Aid Society of DC.
Guus earned a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School and a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Michigan, after graduating summa cum laude from Illinois College, where he studied philosophy, history, and political science.
The MSBA President’s Award is presented annually by the president of the Minnesota State Bar Association to recognize individuals whose efforts have provided outstanding support and assistance to the Association and its mission. Wilkinson Stekloff congratulates Guus and the entire Rule of Law Amicus Brief Team on this well-deserved recognition.