Ka Bao Jennrich
Legal Assistant

Ka Bao Jennrich is a Law Clerk at Thooft Law and is a third-year law student at the University of St. Thomas School of Law. She is scheduled to graduate in May 2022.

Before going to law school, Ka Bao was an assistant manager for seven years at the historic St. Paul Hotel where she was part of Project Hospitality. She was recognized as Employee of the Month, Manager of the Quarter, and launched projects to reduce expenses, quadruple gift shop revenue, and reduce work-related injuries. She was part of the management team who opened a a Marriott Autograph Collection hotel in Tampa, Florida.

Ka Bao graduated Salutatorian from St. Catherine University with a B.S. in Business Management. In addition, she earned the business department’s highest award, the Lucile Laughlin Award, and gave the commencement speech.

During her time at St. Catherine University, Ka Bao was a motivational speaker for the Mother-to-Mother Program, a journalist and editor-in-chief for the college newspaper, The Wheel. She also played in the chamber orchestra as a violinist. She is still connected to the university through her volunteer work, and was recently featured in “Katies Give Back” week.

Currently at the University of St. Thomas School of Law, she is in her third semester in the Advanced Criminal Juvenile Defense Clinic where she represents and advocates for juvenile and adult defendants. She has secured a CWOP, a dismissal, expunged criminal records, successfully argued for fees in favor of a client, filed a post-conviction petition, and wrote briefs reflecting Minnesota Supreme Court decisions. She is also the president of the Greater Minnesota Practice Cooperative, a student organization that connects law students to judges and lawyers outside the Twin Cities. In 2020, she wrote an article for the Minnesota Women’s Lawyer.

Ka Bao is a proud community servant. In March 2021, she spoke out about violence directed toward the Asian-American community. She is serving a four-year term on the City of North Branch’s planning commission where she is also the vice chair. She is the Asian-American advisory member to the Central Minnesota Council on Aging and serves on the finance committee overseeing grant applications. She is also a member on the Membership Committee for the Minnesota Hmong Chamber of Commerce where she leads the acquisition team. Ka Bao also helps run her family’s businesses.

Ka Bao has been with Thooft Law since January 2020. During her time here, she has worked on business formation, contracts, expungements, firearm restorations, civil litigation, mechanic’s liens, criminal defense, probate, estate planning, family law, government disputes, and IRS tax issues.

On her free time, Ka Bao likes to dine out with her husband, watch her children play sports, garden, hangout with her backyard chickens, workout, or play her musical instruments.