Staff
Jon Tynjala
Executive Director
Chase Andersen
Client Services Director
Sarah MacGillis
Outreach Director
Annette Erbst
Office Manager
Jon has been actively engaged in recovery work through LCL, among other organizations, for many years. Jon has been involved in numerous family interventions and other recovery outreach activities in support of recovering attorneys, their families, and others, first as a volunteer for LCL, and later in his role as Client Services Director, and now as Executive Director.
Jon believes that service to others is essential to personal and professional fulfillment and has been actively engaged in the community during his professional career. Jon is a past member and past Chair of the Board of Directors of Walker Methodist, now Vivie (a provider of senior housing with services in the upper Midwest). He previously served as an elected member of the School Board for Mounds View Public Schools (ISD #621) and served as Chair of the Board for a number of years. Jon is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Minnesota Law School, teaching Unincorporated Business Associations to the next generation of lawyers.
In his free time, Jon enjoys camping, hiking, fishing, hunting with Nikko, his Golden Retriever, and spending quality time with friends and family. Jon plays the tenor saxophone in the Northern Lights Jazz Orchestra. Jon is also an inducted member of the South Dakota Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the Fabulous Jadesmen.
Chase Andersen, Esq., has always been committed, both personally and professionally, to assisting others. Chase received his B. S. in Criminal Justice from the University of South Dakota, located in Vermillion, South Dakota. Following undergraduate school, Chase worked several years in the social services arena as a residential counselor and then as a child-protective social worker. In 2006, Chase earned his J. D. from Drake University Law School in Des Moines, Iowa. Chase then practiced family law for several years and understands the pressures facing today’s legal professionals.
Since joining LCL in 2015, Chase has worked daily with attorneys, law students and judges on issues related to well-being, mental health, substance use and addiction, ethics, and everyday practice stressors. He regularly presents at Minnesota’s three law schools as well as CLE programing focusing on ethics, client impairments, and the intersection of technology and practice. Chase facilitates LCL’s Discipline and Practice (DAP) Group, a free and confidential group that supports those dealing with professional conduct or character and fitness issues. He is an active member of the American Bar Association’s Commission on Lawyer Assistance Program’s Law School Assistance Committee, the Board of Law Examiners Bar Exam and Competency Working Group and has co-chaired the Minnesota State Bar Association’s Well-Being Committee.
Chase’s article “Therapy: Being a Zealous Advocate for Yourself” was featured in the September/October 2021 volume of the Hennepin Lawyer magazine. In 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2018, Chase was honored as a “Rising Star” attorney by Super Lawyers Magazine. Chase enjoys traveling, spending time with his family and friends and cheering on his step-daughter at the hockey rink.
Sarah MacGillis joined LCL as Outreach Director after a 27-year career in litigation. With a deep-seated compassion and genuine interest in people, Sarah is dedicated to ensuring attorneys receive robust targeted support, providing them with swift and easy access to essential tools when they are needed.
Sarah is enthusiastic about spearheading new initiatives at LCL, particularly in the realms of well-being, stress management, resilience and in all other areas where LCL supports legal professionals and their families.
Sarah’s extensive background encompasses both civil and criminal defense litigation. Through these experiences, she navigated the pressures of extensive discovery processes, tight deadlines, trial and motion work, occasionally challenging relationships with opposing counsel, and clients deeply involved in their defense. She empathizes with the demanding nature of legal practice, where attorneys are often called upon to dedicate long hours in furtherance of their clients’ interests. Furthermore, Sarah has advocated for numerous licensed professionals grappling with challenges that impacted their own overall well-being and their professional practice. This advocacy laid the foundation for her current role.
Sarah was recognized as a Super Lawyer every year from 2011-2024. Prior to that, she was recognized by the same publication as a Rising Star from 2000-2008. In addition, she previously acted as a Federal Defender Mentor for the District of Minnesota, and as an Adjunct Professor at both Mitchell Hamline and the University of Minnesota Law Schools. She has sat on multiple professional boards including the Board of Directors for the Minnesota Innocence Project and the Minnesota Board of Criminal Defense.
Beyond her professional commitments, Sarah is an avid runner who finds peace on Minnesota’s trails throughout the year. She has coached numerous women in their running and fitness pursuits over 20+ years of running.
Above all things, her greatest love is her family. She counts the times spent among them as her most cherished whenever and wherever they gather.
Annette Erbst joined Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers as its Administrative Assistant in 2008, becoming Office Manager in 2024. Annette has an A.S. in Accounting, an A.S. in Management, and significant additional training in nonprofit technology.