With the upcoming retirement of renowned appellate lawyer Kay Nord Hunt after 43 years at Lommen Abdo, the firm’s appellate practice enters a new chapter under the leadership of partner Michelle Kuhl.
For the past decade, Michelle has worked closely with Kay, helping to shape and support the firm’s appellate work. We recently sat down with Michelle to talk about Kay’s legacy, her own path in appellate law, and her vision for the future of the practice.
You’ve worked closely with Kay Nord Hunt for many years. What has that experience meant to you personally and professionally?
I consider myself very lucky to have been able to work with Kay since the beginning of my legal career. Kay ends her career with exactly 750 appeals in the Minnesota appellate courts and I have worked with her on about 125 of them. I have learned a tremendous amount about how to think through legal issues by reading her writings and discussing arguments and strategies with her.
I read somewhere once that what young professionals really need is not just a mentor, but a cheerleader. That is what Kay has been for me. She always believed I could do the work. She encouraged me if I ever had doubts. More importantly, she made it a point to tell others that she had confidence in me, which helped me establish myself in the appellate legal community and grow my own career.
Kay has had an extraordinary 43-year career. From your perspective, what defines her legacy—both within the firm and in the appellate community?
Kay had a really unique career because she came into appellate practice around the time the Minnesota Court of Appeals was created. From the beginning, she has been one of the most frequent advocates to appear before the court and she quickly became one of the most well-respected. Her arguments have helped shape the law in many cases that will continue to be cited long into the future.
Within the firm, Kay is known as a strategic thinker who is always willing to help others when they have a difficult legal issue they want to discuss. Many attorneys at the firm value her insight and respect her opinions.
When did you first realize you wanted to focus your career on appellate law?
I don’t think I realized I wanted to focus on appellate law until after I started working with Kay. I had explored appellate opportunities a little bit in law school, but mainly as a way to see a variety of cases while trying to decide what area to focus on. Working with Kay showed me that appellate law can be a practice area in itself. Like Kay, I enjoy the variety of cases that appellate practice brings and the interesting legal issues that we get to consider. When the opportunity arose to start taking on more responsibility for her cases and build a similar practice for myself, it seemed like a natural fit.
As you step into leadership of the appellate practice, what are your top priorities?
My priority is to build upon the foundation that Kay has created while continuing to grow the firm’s appellate practice and bring it into the next generation.
Kay has built a reputation for excellence. Appellate judges know when they see a brief from Lommen Abdo that it will be clear and well-reasoned. I intend to build on that reputation. Judges should know that the high standards they have come to expect from Kay will continue to be met at Lommen Abdo.
On the other hand, there have been several new judges appointed to Minnesota’s appellate courts recently who may be less familiar with Kay. I view this as an opportunity to establish myself as not just a mini-Kay, but as an excellent advocate in my own right.
As you take on this role, what would you like clients and referral partners to know about working with you?
Kay and I are a lot alike in many ways. If you’ve worked with Kay before, working with me will likely feel very similar. I am always happy to connect with any of Kay’s past clients or referral partners to discuss how we can continue providing excellent service in the future.
Any final thoughts about Kay’s influence on your career or this transition?
Kay’s influence both on my career and the Minnesota legal profession is hard to overstate. While it is impossible to fully replace someone with her experience and impact, I am grateful for the opportunity to carry forward what she has built. I see this transition not as an end, but as a continuation of the standard she set, and I am committed to honoring that legacy in the years ahead.
As Lommen Abdo’s appellate practice enters this next chapter, the transition reflects not just continuity, but strength. With Michelle Kuhl stepping into leadership after years of close collaboration with Kay Nord Hunt, clients and referral partners can expect the same rigor, responsiveness, and strategic insight that have long defined the firm’s appellate work—along with a continued commitment to growing and advancing the practice in meaningful ways.