About Us

The Washington County Attorney's Office employees work diligently together toward our goal of making the Washington County Attorney's Office one of the finest in Minnesota. 

Mission Statement

We promote justice and public safety through vigorously prosecuting crime, protecting those in need and providing quality legal representation for Washington County.

Vision

Our vision is to make Washington County a safe and just place to live and work.

County Attorney's Biography

Kevin Magnuson was sworn into office as the Washington County Attorney on January 3, 2023.

His experience prior to joining the Washington County Attorney’s Office included white collar criminal defense, federal and state civil and criminal investigations, and attorney ethics and professional responsibility disciplinary review.  Magnuson worked closely with the court-appointed receiver and bankruptcy trustee to search and liquidate assets for the victims and creditors of Tom Petters’ $3.65 billion Ponzi scheme, one of the largest and most complex Ponzi schemes in US history.  

In addition to criminal law, Magnuson’s private practice experience included US and European antitrust law, securities fraud, business litigation, election and campaign finance law, and appellate advocacy.  He has handled cases at every level of the state and federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court.  Throughout his legal career he has devoted thousands of hours to pro bono legal work for underserved clients.

After 20 years of practicing law, Magnuson joined the Washington County Attorney’s Office in 2019 and has handled complex civil and criminal matters, such as fraud and vulnerable adult cases, attorney ethics, redistricting, election law, multi-county joint powers boards, and advising the county board and administration.  He is active in several nonprofit and charitable organizations.

In addition to the duties of County Attorney, Kevin serves on the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors of the Minnesota Association of County Attorneys and is President of the Urban County Attorneys Association. He represents Minnesota attorneys on the Task Force on Priority Admissions to State-Operated Treatment Programs and was appointed by the Minnesota Supreme Court to serve on the Lawyers Board of Professional Responsibility overseeing the Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility.

He lives in his Lake Elmo childhood home with his wife, Lindsay, and two young children.