Member Bio
Jessica E. Schwie is a shareholder with Kennedy & Graven, Chartered. With more than twenty years of civil litigation experience and success, Jessica has developed a solid reputation amongst her clients and in the community as a detailed, thorough and assertive trial lawyer, investigator, and pre-litigation advisor that is able to manage difficult situations, and, oftentimes, public matters. The nature of her practice requires her to appear frequently in state and federal courts, as well as administrative agencies, such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and Minnesota Department of Human Rights.
Jessica has been named to the lists of Super Lawyer, Top Attorneys, Top Women Attorneys, Lawyers of Distinction, Up & Coming Attorney, and Rising Star. From 2010 through 2019, she served on the Board of Directors of the Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association, holding various positions of leadership and ending as Past President.
Prior to entering law school, Jessica studied and worked in the areas of sales, management, and economic/financial forecasting. While in law school, she gained valuable experience working for three years as a law clerk at the League of Minnesota Cities and as an extern for Hennepin County Judge Allen Oleisky. Thereafter, she clerked for Minnesota Court of Appeals Chief Judge Edward Toussaint, Jr. In 2001, she joined the firm of Jardine, Logan & O'Brien, P.L.L.P., rose to partner, and chaired the firm's Appellate, Government, and Employment Law groups.
Utilizing her appellate experience, Jessica served as an Appellate Practice Adjunct Professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law. She also served as the Minnesota Defense Lawyer Association Board Member Liaison to the Amicus Subcommittee which submits brief on issues affecting civil litigation.
Jessica is married to a member of law enforcement, has two children, serves as a Picture Person with the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and is active in autism and special needs advocacy. Together with her family, she is an outdoor enthusiast and enjoys good food, drinks, and reading.
Jessica has this to say about Kennedy & Graven:
"I endeavor to achieve excellence in civil litigation and am honored to be a part of Kennedy & Graven because of its tradition of working collaboratively to provide sound, effective and efficient representation to its clients."