The St. Cloud law firm of Quinlivan & Hughes joins the com-munity and state in mourning the passing of its former shareholder, state Senator Jerry Relph. We will miss his energy, humor, knowledge, and friendship.
After several years of general practice in the southeastern Minnesota town of St. Charles, where he honed his skills as a lawyer and advocate, Jerry moved with his family to St. Cloud to join the Hughes, Thoreen and Sullivan law firm in 1985. Jerry practiced with the Hughes firm until the firm split, Jerry’s part of the firm subsequently merged with the Quinlivan law firm to become Quinlivan & Hughes, P.A.
During his time with Quinlivan & Hughes and its predecessor firms, Jerry’s practice focused on real estate and real estate litigation where he served many clients throughout Greater Minnesota. Jerry brought the same energy and expertise to his law practice as he did to his service to the community and the legal profession. He was also very devoted to his family and always maintained a healthy work life balance. Within the law firm, Jerry was someone from whom his colleagues frequently sought counsel and was always eager to help wherever needed, assisting on their files, as well as training and mentoring young lawyers.
Jerry left Quinlivan & Hughes in the early 2000s to join the lake map-ping company Lake Master out of Little Falls, where he combined his legal expertise with his love of fishing and the outdoors. In 2016, Jerry decided to enter politics and won a seat in the state senate. In the senate Jerry was proud to be able to apply his multiple experiences in law, business, and the military for the benefit of his constituents. As a “lawyer-legislator,” Jerry always had a keen interest in and understanding of the legislation that impacted the legal profession and the legislative priorities of the Minnesota State Bar Association.
Jerry’s passing this month is a tremendous loss to the legal profession, the Central Minnesota Community, and the State of Minnesota. He will be missed.
