Joe Atkins is a Minnesota attorney and a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives

Minnesota House of Representatives

The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house in the Minnesota State Legislature. There are 134 members elected to two-year terms, twice the number of members in the Minnesota Senate. Each senate district is divided in half and given the suffix A or B...

 representing District 39B, which includes portions of Dakota County

Dakota County, Minnesota

Dakota County is the third most populous county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The county is bordered by the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers on the north, and the state of Wisconsin on the east. Dakota County comprises the southeast portion of seven-county Minneapolis-St. Paul, the thirteenth...

 in the southeastern Twin Cities

Twin cities

Twin cities are a special case of two cities or urban centres which are founded in close geographic proximity and then grow into each other over time...

 metropolitan area. First elected in 2002, he is currently in his fourth term, and chairs the House Commerce and Labor Committee. He previously served as the Mayor of Inver Grove Heights

Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 29,751 people, 11,257 households, and 7,924 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,038.8 people per square mile . There were 11,457 housing units at an average density of 400.1 per square mile...

 from 1992–2002.

Biography

Born in South St. Paul

South St. Paul, Minnesota

South St. Paul is a city in Dakota County, Minnesota, immediately south and southeast of the city of Saint Paul, Minnesota. It is also southeast of West St. Paul, Minnesota. The population was 20,160 at the 2010 census. It is notable as one of the historic major meat packing cities in the United...

, Atkins grew up in Inver Grove Heights. After graduating from Simley High School

Simley High School

Located in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, Simley High School had its first graduating class in 1961. The school was named after I.T. Simley, the retired Superintendent of Schools from South St. Paul who served as a consultant to Inver Grove Heights during the district’s transition years. Simley’s...

 in 1984, he earned his B.A. from the University of Minnesota

University of Minnesota

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...

-Twin Cities in 1988 and his Juris Doctorate magna cum laude from William Mitchell College of Law

William Mitchell College of Law

William Mitchell College of Law, or WMCL, is a private, independent law school located in St. Paul, Minnesota. Accredited by the American Bar Association , it offers full and part-time legal education in pursuit of the Juris Doctor degree....

 in Saint Paul

Saint Paul, Minnesota

Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...

 in 1991. While in college and law school, he worked full-time as a law clerk and started a successful legal investigation business.

Atkins has been practicing law since 1991. He is a partner in the law firm of Thuet, Pugh, Rogosheske & Atkins in South St. Paul, one of Minnesota's oldest law firms. He has earned numerous awards as an attorney, including being named one of 10 Minnesota SuperLawyers by the "Minnesota Journal of Law and Politics" and Member of the Year in 2006 by the Minnesota Association for Justice. He also does significant pro bono work for those who cannot afford to hire an attorney.

Atkins and his wife, Julia, have three children: John, Tom and Katie.

Public service

In 1987, Inver Grove Heights voters elected Atkins to the School Board. At the age of 21, he was the youngest school board member in the nation. Five years later, in 1992, he was elected Mayor of Inver Grove Heights. After serving 10 years as mayor and becoming the city's longest-serving mayor in the process, he was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives.

Atkins has garnered numerous awards for his public service, including being named one of Ten Outstanding Young Americans by the United States Jaycees in 2001. In 2003, while in his first term in the Minnesota House, he was selected "Freshman Representative of the Year" by Politics in Minnesota magazine. Readers of the local newspaper, the South-West Review, have also voted Atkins the "Best Local Elected Officials" 10 times, more than any other official.

Atkins was a potential candidate for the 2008 U.S. Senate Race. He opted out, saying he preferred to remain in Minnesota.