On-Demand CLEs
The following CLEs have been approved as on-demand CLEs by the Minnesota Board of Continuing Legal Education
A lawyer may claim up to 30 hours of credit within the 45 hour CLE period for on-demand courses as defined in Rule 2R.
COMPLIMENTARY- Alumni Series On Demand CLEs
2022 Hon. Steven E. Rau Memorial Lecture: COVID’s Effect on the Courts
Description
The panel explores the impact of COVID on client experience and professionalism in the courtroom. The panelists are:
Peter Knapp, professor of law and former director of the Mitchell Hamline Clinics
Judge Becky Thorson ’95, Magistrate Judge, District of Minnesota
Danielle Shelton Walczak ’98, Executive Director of Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid
Moderated by Tom Weber
Peter B. Knapp is a Professor of Law at Mitchell Hamline School of Law, where he has taught since 1989, and served as Interim Dean and President during the 2019-2020 academic year. He teaches Evidence, Torts, Civil Advocacy Clinic, and Advocacy, the College’s required courses in basic trial and appellate skills. He and Prof. Michael Steenson serve as the co-reporters for the Minnesota Civil Jury Instruction Guide. Before joining the faculty at Mitchell Hamline, Prof. Knapp practiced law with Oppenheimer, Wolff & Donnelly.
Danielle Shelton Walczak is the Executive Director of Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid. Prior to that she worked for the City of Minneapolis first as the Director of the Complaint Investigations Division for the Civil Rights Department. There she led a staff of attorneys who investigated discrimination claims in the areas of employment, housing, business, lending and public accommodations. She also contributed to the writing and passage of the City’s Section 8 ordinance and comprehensive update of the city’s Civil Rights ordinance. Danielle then went on to become the Director of Strategic Initiatives in the City Coordinator’s Office. There she oversaw the divisions of: Arts Culture and Creative Economy, Sustainability, the Northside Promise Zone, Human Trafficking and Race and Equity. Her primary function was to make sure the divisions’ work remained core initiatives of the City; and the divisions’ strategic goals aligned with that of the larger enterprise goals. While the Director of Strategic Initiatives she contributed to the drafting and passage of multiple housing ordinances and the creation of the Arts and Cultural Affairs Department. Danielle lives in Minneapolis with her husband and her Westie, Finni.
United States Magistrate Judge Becky R. Thorson was appointed to the bench in 2014. Prior to her appointment, she was a partner at Robins Kaplan Miller and Ciresi, and before that at Greene Espel. Judge Thorson graduated summa cum laude from William Mitchell College of Law—now Mitchell Hamline—and has been an adjunct professor at the law school at various times since 1997. She currently serves on the Board of Mitchell Hamline School of Law and its IP Advisory Committee. Judge Thorson has been active in the Federal Bar Association, serving as Editor-in-Chief of the Federal Lawyer from 2012 to 2015 and as Chapter president in 2005-2006. She currently co-chairs the Chapter’s Mass Tort and Class Action Committee. She was appointed to the Federal Practice Committee, District of Minnesota, in 2008, and was appointed Chair in 2014. She is engaged in legal education as a presenter or teacher locally and abroad, most recently assisting judges in Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Georgia, and Kazakhstan.
Tom Weber is assistant director of marketing at Mitchell Hamline. He’s a longtime journalist, most recently with Minnesota Public Radio news and author of “Minneapolis: An Urban Biography.”
Credits
This event has been approved for 1 Standard CLE credit. The code 457510 is valid through May 26, 2024.
Cost
This content is complimentary to Mitchell Hamline alumni.
Presenter Contact
Per Rule 6E(2) of the MN State Board of CLE regarding On Demand CLEs, attendees may contact the presenter to ask questions by emailing Prof. Peter Knapp.
2023 Hon. Steven E. Rau Memorial Lecture: A burned out and isolated attorney is an unproductive employee (if they stick around at all
Description
A burned out and isolated attorney is an unproductive employee (if they stick around at all). The reasons why wellness, diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives (beyond lip service) are necessary for the overall financial health and long-term stability of your organization.
Speaker
Jessica Klander defends businesses and professionals against liability and malpractice claims in the consumer law defense, professional liability, and general liability arenas.
Also experienced in complex litigation, employment law, non-compete disputes, and class action lawsuits, Ms. Klander regularly represents clients in both state and federal courts across the United States. She currently defends creditors and credit professionals against federal consumer statute claims, defends health care providers and professionals against liability claims, and represents businesses in a spectrum of commercial disputes. She also consults with and trains clients on compliance with state and federal regulations.
Ms. Klander serves as Secretary of the Hennepin County Bar Association and on the insideArm Legal Advisory Board. Ms. Klander also serves on Bassford Remele’s Board of Directors and as a Chair of its Recruiting Committee.
Credits
This event has been approved for 1 Elimination of Bias CLE credit. The code 487599 is valid through June 23, 2025.
Cost
This content is complimentary to Mitchell Hamline alumni.
Presenter Contact
Per Rule 6E(2) of the MN State Board of CLE regarding On Demand CLEs, attendees may contact the presenter to ask questions by emailing Jessica Klander.
A Conversation About Academic Freedom
Description
This program will explore the topic of Academic Freedom and the free pursuit and expression of knowledge, ideas, and learning in higher education.
A panel of national and local constitutional scholars and experts will discuss the purpose and protections of academic freedom, free inquiry, and freedom of expression in an academic community and its impact on students, faculty, staff, and others.
The program will explore the following questions among others:
- What is the purpose of academic freedom?
- What are the protections and limitations of free speech in higher education?
- What impact does the substance and forum, including social media, have on the application of free speech and academic freedom in this environment?
- What is the relationship between academic freedom, academic responsibility, and ethics?
- What ethical obligations do speakers in higher education have to consider the impact of their communications on their audiences?
- What is the relationship between academic freedom and diversity, equity, and inclusion?
- Does academic freedom impose an obligation on speakers to include diverse points of views in the classroom and to avoid suppression of diverse voices?
This event is part of Mitchell Hamline’s First Amendment Scholars Program which focuses attention and scholarship on the interpretation of the First Amendment in contemporary society among legal scholars and historians.
Speakers
Amna Khalid
Associate Professor, History, Carleton College
Professor Khalid specializes in modern South Asian history, the history of medicine and the global history of free expression. Growing up under a series of military dictatorships in Pakistan, Khalid has a strong interest in issues relating to free expression. She hosts a podcast and accompanying blog called “Banished,” which explores censorship controversies in the past and present.
Jeff Snyder
Associate Professor, Educational Studies, Carleton College
Professor Snyder is a historian of education, whose work examines questions about race, national identity and the purpose of public education in a diverse, democratic society. Snyder is the author of the book, Making Black History: The Color Line, Culture and Race in the Age of Jim Crow.
Professor Khalid and Professor Snyder speak regularly together about academic freedom, free speech and campus politics at colleges and universities across the country. They also write frequently on these issues for newspapers and magazines, including The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Daily Beast, The New Republic and The Washington Post. Khalid and Snyder were fellows with the University of California National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement in 2022–23, where their research focused on threats to academic freedom in Florida. Based on interviews they conducted with Florida faculty members, Khalid and Snyder submitted an amicus brief supporting the plaintiffs who are challenging the Stop WOKE Act.
Mark Berkson
Professor and Chair, Department of Religion, Hamline University
Professor Berkson teaches courses in Asian religions (including the Confucian, Daoist, Buddhist and Hindu traditions), Islam, and comparative religion. Mark received his Ph.D. from Stanford University in religious studies, his M.A. from Stanford University in East Asian Studies, and his B.A. from Princeton University.
Mark’s scholarly work has addressed topics such as Confucian and Daoist thought, death and dying, religion and non-human animals, and interfaith dialogue. His work has been published in numerous books and journals including the essay “Teaching Religion and Upholding Academic Freedom” in a special issue of the Journal of Religious Ethics. He has released two lecture series with the Great Courses: Cultural Literacy for Religion and Death, Dying and the Afterlife: Lessons from World Cultures.
Stacy Hawkins
Professor of Law and former Vice Dean, Rutgers Law School
Professor Hawkins is an award-winning teacher and scholar who teaches courses in Constitutional Law, Employment Law and an original seminar on Diversity and the Law. She is the recipient of numerous honors, including the 2023 Chancellor’s Award for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Leadership, the 2022 BLSA Champion for Social Justice Award, and the 2018 AALS Derrick A. Bell Award, which is given to those junior faculty who exemplify a commitment to diversity and critical race theory in their teaching, scholarship and service. She was also named Faculty of the Year by the graduating class of 2013 and Co-Professor of the Year by the graduating class of 2018.
Professor Hawkins’s scholarship focuses on the intersection of law and diversity and can be found in journals published by the University of Michigan Law School, Fordham Law School, UCLA School of Law, the University of Pennsylvania Law School, the University of Maryland School of Law, and Columbia Law School, among others. She is a recognized expert on employment law and diversity, has given testimony before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, and has been interviewed or quoted in various news outlets, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, CNBC, NBC, The Washington Post, Newsweek, Time, Bloomberg News, The Courier Post, and Philadelphia Magazine.
In addition to law teaching, Professor Hawkins has spent more than two decades advising and training clients in both the public and private sector on issues of workplace diversity. She has held or holds a number of professional and civic appointments, including as a member of the New Jersey Supreme Court Committee on Diversity, Inclusion & Community Engagement, as an advisory board member of the Public Interest Law Center, and as an inaugural member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association Diversity Team.
Professor Hawkins earned her B.A. from the University of Virginia and her J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center, where she earned various honors including the title of national champion of the Frederick Douglass Moot Court Competition.
Nadine Strossen
John Marshall Harlan II Professor of Law Emerita, New York Law School; past president of the American Civil Liberties Union
Professor Strossen is a senior fellow with FIRE (the Foundation for Individual Rights and Education) and a leading expert and frequent speaker/media commentator on constitutional law and civil liberties, who has testified before Congress on multiple occasions. She serves on the advisory boards of the ACLU, Academic Freedom Alliance, Heterodox Academy, National Coalition Against Censorship, and the University of Austin.
The National Law Journal has named Professor Strossen one of America’s “100 Most Influential Lawyers,” and several other publications have named her one of the country’s most influential women. Her many honorary degrees and awards include the American Bar Association’s prestigious Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award (2017). In 2023, the National Coalition Against Censorship (an alliance of more than 50 national non-profit organizations) selected Professor Strossen for its Judy Blume Lifetime Achievement Award for Free Speech.
When Professor Strossen stepped down as ACLU President, three (ideologically diverse) Supreme Court Justices participated in her farewell/tribute luncheon: Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Antonin Scalia, and David Souter.
She is the author of HATE: Why We Should Resist It with Free Speech, Not Censorship (2018) and Free Speech: What Everyone Needs to Know (2023). She is also the Host and Project Consultant for Free to Speak, a 3-hour documentary film series on free speech release on public television in fall 2023.
Her book Defending Pornography: Free Speech, Sex, and the Fight for Women’s Rights was named a New York Times “notable book” of 1995, and will be republished in 2024 as part of the New York University Press “Classic” series. Her book HATE was selected as the “Common Read” by Washington University and Washburn University.
Professor Strossen has made thousands of public presentations before diverse audiences around the world, including on more than 500 different campuses and in many foreign countries, and she has appeared on virtually every national TV news program. Her hundreds of publications have appeared in many scholarly and general interest publications.
Professor Strossen graduated phi beta kappa from Harvard College and magna cum laude from Harvard Law School. Before becoming a law professor, she practiced law in Minneapolis (her hometown) and New York City. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Anthony Sanders
Director and senior attorney, Center for Judicial Engagement at the Institute for Justice
Anthony Sanders joined the Institute for Justice in 2010. He educates the public about the proper role of judges in enforcing constitutional limits on the size and scope of government through various means, including live events, books, articles, and podcasts.
Anthony’s expertise is on using state constitutions to protect individual rights. He is the author of the book, published by University of Michigan Press, Baby Ninth Amendments: How Americans Embraced Unenumerated Rights and Why It Matters. He has also written several law review articles on state constitutional law, unenumerated rights, judicial review, economic liberty, property rights, international law, and other subjects. His work has appeared in publications such as the Iowa Law Review, Minnesota Law Review, American University Law Review, and Rutgers Law Review. He has published opinion pieces in leading newspapers across the country and has been a contributor to various journals including The Unpopulist, the Brennan Center’s State Court Report, Discourse Magazine, and Arc Digital. He frequently speaks to various audiences on these matters and others, including judicial engagement, free speech, civil forfeiture, and the continuing importance of Magna Carta. Additionally, he hosts the weekly Short Circuit podcast which often records live in front of law student audiences.
Anthony has litigated several cases concerning state constitutional protections in various state courts, as well as in federal courts on matters such as economic liberty, free speech, administrative law, and fines and fees abuse. Prior to joining the Institute for Justice, Anthony served as a law clerk to Justice W. William Leaphart on the Montana Supreme Court. Anthony also worked for several years in private practice in Chicago where he was an active member of the Chicago Bar Association and chaired its Civil Rights Committee.
Anthony received his law degree cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School in 2004, his undergraduate degree from Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota, and his master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is a member of the Federalist Society, the Selden Society, the American Society for Legal History, and the Minnesota Supreme Court Historical Society.
Credits
This event has been approved for 3 Standard CLE credits. The code 506817 is valid through May 14, 2026.
Cost
This content is complimentary to Mitchell Hamline alumni.
Presenter Contact
Per Rule 6E(2) of the MN State Board of CLE regarding On Demand CLEs, attendees may contact the presenter to ask questions by emailing Prof. Leanne Fuith.
Adventures in Expungement-Land
Description
An overall how-to for the expungement of criminal cases in the State of Minnesota, from case review to courtroom arguments. With special emphasis on the changes that recently went into effect, and a small overview of the coming changes in the next few years.
Speaker
Landon Ascheman is a criminal law attorney, having practiced private criminal defense, served as a special assistant public defender, and a contract prosecutor. He has assisted law students with the Mitchell Hamline Self-Help clinic since its inception, and volunteers with SMRLS and other criminal expungement clinics. He has chaired the MSBA, HCBA, and RCBA Criminal Law Sections at different times, and is the Past-President of the HCBA, and current President of the Mitchell Hamline Alumni Board.
Credits
This event has been approved for 1 Standard CLE credit. The code 491848 is valid through September 12, 2025.
Cost
This content is complimentary to Mitchell Hamline alumni.
Presenter Contact
Per Rule 6E(2) of the MN State Board of CLE regarding On Demand CLEs, attendees may contact the presenter to ask questions by emailing Landon Ascheman.
Adventures in Expungement-Land CLE Relevant Docs
Crossing Ethical Lines for a Client: Former President Trump’s Lawyers and Co-Conspirators
Description
One noteworthy fact in the recent August 1, 2023 Department of Justice indictment and August 15, 2023 Fulton County Georgia indictment of Former President Trump, was the indictment of several lawyers, including Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Sydney Powell, and Kenneth Chesebro, as co-conspirators in alleged criminal action to overturn the results of the 2020 Election. In addition to facing criminal prosecution for their actions on behalf of their client, these lawyers have also faced disciplinary action in the states where they are licensed for their violation of legal ethics rules. Using President Trump’s Lawyers and Indicted Co-Conspirators as a case study, this CLE will examine the alleged actions of these lawyers that “crossed the line” into conduct prohibited by the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct, including:
- Model Rule 1.2(d) – Prohibiting lawyers from counseling clients to engage, or assisting a client in conduct the lawyer knows is criminal or fraudulent;
- Model Rule 3.1 – Prohibiting lawyers from bringing or defending a legal claim that lacks legal merit or is frivolous
- Model Rule 3.3 – a lawyer’s duty of candor to the tribunal;
- Model Rule 4.1(a) – prohibiting a lawyer from making false statements of material fact or law to third parties; and
- Model Rule 8.4(a)-(e) – prohibiting a lawyer from engaging in:
Actions that violate or attempt to violate the Model Rules of Professional Conduct;
Criminal acts that reflect adversely on the lawyer’s honesty, trustworthiness or fitness as a lawyer,
Conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation;
Conduct that is prejudicial to the administration of justice; or
State or imply an ability to influence improperly a government agency or official.
Speaker
Ana Pottratz Acosta, MHSL Clinical Instructor and Professor of Law
Ana Pottratz Acosta joined Mitchell Hamline in 2016 as clinical instructor teaching the Health Law Clinic and overseeing the Medical-Legal Partnership between the law school and United Family Medicine, a Federally Qualified Healthcare (FQHC) facility in St. Paul. Immediately prior to joining the MHSL faculty, Ana practiced at Stinson Leonard Street as an attorney in the immigration law group where she represented clients in employment-based immigration matters and supervised non-immigration attorneys on pro bono immigration matters for clients of the Deinard Clinic, the firm’s pro bono program providing legal services to patients of the University of Minnesota CUHCC Clinic.
Additionally, from 2004 to 2010, Ana served as an immigration attorney for the Lutheran Social Services of New York (LSSNY) Immigration Legal Services Program where she provided direct legal services to low-income immigrant populations in New York City. As part of her work with LSSNY, Ana also served as lead attorney in the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS) Special Registration Project where she represented men from Muslim majority countries placed in removal proceedings after complying with the NSEERS Special Registration Program and served as supervisor of the LSSNY Refugee Resettlement Program from 2008 to 2010. Ana is a 2004 graduate of Columbia Law School and a 2001 graduate of the University of Minnesota.
Credits
This event has been approved for 1 Ethics CLE credit. The code 492826 is valid through September 27, 2025.
Cost
This content is complimentary to Mitchell Hamline alumni.
Presenter Contact
Per Rule 6E(2) of the MN State Board of CLE regarding On Demand CLEs, attendees may contact the presenter to ask questions by emailing Prof. Ana Pottratz Acosta.
Everything You Wanted to Know About the Patent Cooperation Treaty But Were Afraid to Ask
Description
The objective of this CLE webinar is to demystify the PCT – an essential but cumbersome treaty-based system – and help participants become better PCT practitioners. Based on the presenters’ own experience and drawing from their 2023 book, The Practitioner’s Guide to the PCT, published by the ABA-IPL, the webinar will take participants through the various stages of the PCT process, with examples, strategies, tips on avoiding pitfalls, and the questions that need to be addressed to move from one stage to the next.
Topics will include: when and why to use the PCT; filing challenges and choices; the international search process and what to do about it; what to do when circumstances change or things go wrong; and how to optimize moving from the international to the national stage.
Speakers
Jay Erstling is former Director of the Office of the PCT at WIPO in Geneva, Switzerland, and a Professor Emeritus at Mitchell Hamline.
Megan M. Miller received her JD degree from Mitchell Hamline and is an attorney at Winthrop and Weinstine in Minneapolis.
Credits
This event has been approved for 1 Standard CLE credit. The code 506819 is valid through May 14, 2026.
Cost
This content is complimentary to Mitchell Hamline alumni.
Presenter Contact
Per Rule 6E(2) of the MN State Board of CLE regarding On Demand CLEs, attendees may contact the presenter to ask questions by emailing Megan Miller or Prof. Jay Erstling.
Flow Practice for Attorneys: The Pathway to Peak Performance and Optimal Well-being
Description
According to the recent American Bar Association Report from the National Task Force on Lawyer Well-being, the legal profession has reached a tipping point. The profession confronts a dwindling market share as the public turns to more accessible, affordable alternative legal service providers.
To make matters worse, David Brink, Past President American Bar Association, has stated “lawyers, judges and law students are faced with an increasingly competitive and stressful profession. Studies show that substance use, addiction & mental disorders, including depression and thoughts of suicide – often unrecognized – are at shockingly high rates.”
To be a good lawyer, one must be a healthy lawyer and as numerous studies have shown, sadly, the legal profession is falling short when it comes to well-being. Two studies reveal that too many lawyers and law students experience chronic stress and high rates of depression and substance use. These findings are incompatible with a sustainable legal profession, and they raise troubling implications for many lawyers’ basic competence. This research also suggests that the current state of lawyers’ health cannot support a profession dedicated to client service and dependent on public trust.
Thus, the profession is at a crossroads.
To maintain public confidence in the profession, to meet the need for innovation and how legal services are delivered, to increase access to justice, and to reduce the level of toxicity that has allowed mental health and substance use disorders to fester among within the profession, we must act now. Change will require a wide-eyed and candid assessment of lawyers’ state of being, accompanied by courageous commitment to re-envisioning what it means to live the life of a lawyer.
The time is now to use our knowledge, experience, status, and leadership to construct a profession built on greater well-being, increased confidence, and greater public trust.
Developing a flow practice is a huge step toward re-envisioning what it means to live the life of a lawyer. Ultimate human performance has the exact same signature everywhere. That signature is a state of human consciousness known to researchers as flow. Most people have experienced flow, but sometimes different people refer to it by other names. Some call it “runners high” or being “in the zone.” Others who play golf, basketball, or football may call it “being unconscious.” Improv jazz musicians refer to it as being “in the pocket.” For standup comedians, they’re in the “forever box.”
Speaker
Rick Petry is the Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and an adjunct professor at Mitchell Hamline. He is also an executive coach with a wealth of knowledge regarding neuroscience and human peak performance. Rick is trained by the Flow Research Collective as a Flow Trainer along with additional certifications he holds in Conversational Intelligence, Emotional Intelligence (EQ-I 2.0), Brian Health Coach, Success Principles Trainer, and Barret Values Center Certified Consultant. Rick joined Mitchell Hamline after representing individuals and companies for over 17 years in criminal defense, personal injury, commercial litigation, and real estate matters as a law firm partner and trial attorney.
Credits
This event has been approved for 1 Standard CLE credit. The code 484719 is valid through May 3, 2025.
Cost
This content is complimentary to Mitchell Hamline alumni.
Presenter Contact
Per Rule 6E(2) of the MN State Board of CLE regarding On Demand CLEs, attendees may contact the presenter to ask questions by emailing Rick Petry.
From Bong Water to Tin Foil: Statutory Interpretation in the Minnesota Supreme Court
Description
We’ll review key cases illustrating some of the changes and some of the continuities in the supreme court’s approach to statutory interpretation since State v. Peck. The focus of the hour will be on the strengths and limitations of textualism.
Speaker
Professor Peter B. Knapp
Education
A.B., 1980, Harvard University
J.D., 1983, Harvard Law School
Experience
Mitchell Hamline School of Law: professor of law, 2015–; interim president and dean, 2019–20; co-director of clinical program, 2015–17.
William Mitchell College of Law: professor of law, 1994–2015; associate professor of law, 1992–94; co-director of clinics, 1989–2015; assistant professor of law, 1989–92.
Attorney, Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly, St. Paul, 1983–89.
Admitted: Minnesota, 1983.
Leadership & Service
Member and subcommittee chair, Minnesota Supreme Court Legal Services Planning Committee, 2003–; member, 1996–; and chair, 1998, 2001, Law School Initiatives Subcommittee; legal assist. for the Disadvantaged Committee, Minnesota State Bar Assn.; president, 1994–; and member, 1990–; board of directors, Liberty Plaza Housing Project; chair, Legal Services Coordinating Commission, MN Supreme Court, 2005–.
Credits
This event has been approved for 1 Standard CLE credit. The code 498542 is valid through January 18, 2026.
Cost
This content is complimentary to Mitchell Hamline alumni.
Presenter Contact
Per Rule 6E(2) of the MN State Board of CLE regarding On Demand CLEs, attendees may contact the presenter to ask questions by emailing Peter Knapp.
From Promise to Practice: The Role of Courts in Ensuring Equal Justice Under Law
Description
Equal protection is a foundational principle of the U.S. system of justice. Courts play a pivotal role in translating these promised principles into meaningful practice through the daily administration of justice. In Promise to Practice: The Role of Equal of Ensuring Equal Justice Under Law join various District Court Judges and members of State Court Administration to discuss the work of the branch both past, present and future. Specifically, we will examine the actions the Minnesota Judicial Branch has put into practice to eliminate bias from court operations, promote equal access to the court, and inspire a high level of trust and public confidence in the Minnesota Judicial Branch. This presentation will examine the historical work of the 1989 Gender Fairness Task Force, the 1993 Race Bias Task Force, and their Implementation Committees, and the current work of the Committee for Equality and Justice. In addition, we will discuss various statewide efforts to address diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts including recent updates to statewide jury instructions and bench cards to address issues of implicit bias, updates to the Minnesota Pretrial Release Evaluation Form and Assessment Tool (MNPAT) to ensure parity of predictiveness for defendants by race, updates from oneCourtMN Hearing Initiative to ensure continued meaningful access to justice post-pandemic, updates on statewide community outreach efforts based on findings of a recent study on race data of Minnesota Juries, statewide efforts to address probation revocation rates for minority populations, and how the Branch has committed through its long-range roadmap to cultivating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive court system. We hope that you will join us for this meaningful discussion on the role of the Court’s in ensuring Equal Justice Under Law: past, present, and future.
Speakers
Justice Margaret Chutich was appointed by Governor Mark Dayton to the Minnesota Supreme Court on Mar. 17, 2016, and she was elected in 2018. Previous to her service on the Supreme Court, she was appointed by Governor Mark Dayton to the Minnesota Court of Appeals on Feb. 16, 2012, and she was elected in 2014. Before being appointed to the Court of Appeals, Justice Chutich served in a number of roles spanning education, government service and private practice. Justice Chutich earned her B.A. from the University of Minnesota, and graduated cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School.
Judge Jamie Cork was appointed August 3, 2016, by Governor Mark Dayton, and elected in 2018. Previous to her service on the bench, Judge Cork held roles in the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, and she worked as a correctional officer. She earned her B.S. from Mount Senario College and graduated from Hamline University School of Law.
Judge Sara Grewing was appointed Feb. 2, 2015, by Governor Mark Dayton, and elected in 2016 and 2022. Previous to her service on the bench, Judge Grewing held roles in government service, orked as the State Director for United States Senator Amy Klobuchar, and was an associate at Flaherty and Hood, P.A. She earned her B.M. from the University of Minnesota and graduated from William Mitchell College of Law.
Judge JaPaul Harris was appointed July 11, 2018 by Governor Mark Dayton, and he was elected in 2020. Previous to his service on the bench, he was a referee in the Fourth Judicial District. He also previously worked for Mid Minnesota Legal Aid, Minneapolis Public Schools, and Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services. He earned his B.A. from Syracuse University and graduated from Hamline University School of Law.
Kate Malmon is the oneCourtMN Hearing Initiative (OHI) Portfolio Manager and a Senior Project Manager in the Project Management Office within the Strategic Planning and Projects Office in SCAO. She started her career with the Minnesota Judicial Branch in 2014 as a business analyst in ITD and became a project manager in 2016. Some of the project she’s managed include the MNCIS Records Management, Supervision Module Implementation for treatment courts, and the Improving Remote Hearings Project. Kate has a BA degree in Biomedical Science with a minor in Criminal Justice from St. Cloud State University.
Katie Schurrer is the manager of the Strategic Planning and Projects of the State Court Administrator’s Office. Katie has worked for the court system for almost 20 years. Katie first worked for Washington County Court Administration temporarily in 1999 and 2000, and then joined the State Court Administrators’ Office in 2006 as a research analyst, focusing on the Statewide Adult Drug Court Evaluation, weighted caseload studies, surveys, and performance measures. Starting in 2013, Katie worked for Human Resources & Development (HRD) supporting and overseeing classification and compensation efforts, assisting in coordinating and planning judicial education programs, and providing legal assistance to the Legal Counsel Division on HR matters. Katie also served as a judicial law clerk for Judge John Rodenberg on the Court of Appeals for the 2014-15 term and has supported the Pretrial Release Initiative in various roles since 2015. In 2019, Katie became the manager of the newly formed Strategic Planning and Projects Office. Today, Katie oversees three units in that office: Court Research Office, Project Management Office, Strategic Consulting Office. Katie has a B.A. degree in Sociology from Augsburg University and a J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law and is licensed to practice law in Minnesota.
Judge Richelle Wahi was appointed Feb. 26, 2016, by Governor Mark Dayton, and was elected in 2018. Previous to her appointment to the bench, Judge Wahi was partner at Lindquist & Vennum, following roles as an attorney at Moss & Barnett and Henson & Efron. She earned her B.A. at St. Catherine’s and she graduated cum laude from William Mitchell.
Credits
This event has been approved for 1.5 Elimination of Bias CLE credits. The code 486646 is valid through May 25, 2025.
Cost
This content is complimentary to Mitchell Hamline alumni.
Presenter Contact
Per Rule 6E(2) of the MN State Board of CLE regarding On Demand CLEs, attendees may contact the presenter to ask questions by emailing Judge Richelle Wahi.
Increase your Influence and Impact as In-House Counsel — Leadership Strategies for Women In-House Attorneys
Description
Do you find it difficult navigating the business’ needs with your role as in-house legal adviser? Is your advice met with negativity and you’re not taken seriously? Being an in-house attorney is tough enough. Being a woman in-house attorney adds a labyrinth of challenges. This presentation will give you the strategies needed to lead your team and the business with influence and impact while maintaining your own integrity. You’ll learn how to increase your visibility and credibility as a trusted legal adviser and business partner.
Speaker
Christina Ching is the founder and Chief Courage Engineer of Rise and Make Waves LLC, a coaching firm committed to empowering women to rise above the challenges and make waves as they stand up, speak up, and take action in their lives and careers. She’s practiced law in law firms and in-house, taught business ethics at Northern Arizona University, is certified in women’s negotiation, and is a certified mediator. But it was her years as Global Lead Commercial Counsel for a major medical products device company, that led her to leave law and become an entrepreneur. She’s also a public speaker and inclusion advocate for the AAPI community.
Christina is an alumni of Hamline University School of Law and has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Cornell University. She’s originally from Guam and currently lives in Flagstaff, AZ.
Credits
This event has been approved for 1 Standard CLE credit. The code 470421 is valid through August 19, 2024.
Cost
This content is complimentary to Mitchell Hamline alumni.
Presenter Contact
Per Rule 6E(2) of the MN State Board of CLE regarding On Demand CLEs, attendees may contact the presenter to ask questions by emailing Tina Ching.
Insurance for Non-Practitioners: A Primer on Auto, Homeowners, and Umbrellas
Description
What insurance products and coverages should you be looking for? What products protect yourself from other at-fault people? What products protect you from yourself when you are at-fault? Come learn from two personal injury lawyers about what they chose for insurance coverages and why.
Andrew J. Rorvig
Andy is a partner and a graduate of the University of Minnesota and Mitchell-Hamline College of Law. He is admitted to both the Minnesota and North Dakota state and federal courts. Prior to law school, Andy worked in government at both the Minnesota State Senate and the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office.
Since joining the firm in 2005, Andy has become known as a trial lawyer. In nearly 17 years, he’s tried dozens and dozens of jury trials all over Minnesota from Carlton to Detroit Lakes to Mankato, and back. As a result, Andy is a Certified Civil Trial Law Specialist, by the Minnesota State Bar Association. He’s also argued in front of the Minnesota Court of Appeals.
Starting in 2008 and continuing today, Andy serves as an adjunct professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law. When not teaching students, Andy also enjoys academic writing and serves as the co-editor of the Minnesota State Bar’s ‘Minnesota Motor Vehicle Accident Deskbook.’ Due to this legal education background, he’s become a frequent speaker regarding civil litigation and insurance related topics.
Some of his professional accomplishments include being named either a Rising Star or a Super Lawyer since 2011 by Minneapolis/St. Paul Magazine. In 2016, Andy was named as one of the “Attorneys of the Year” by Minnesota Lawyer for his efforts with his partner Paul McEllistrem in obtaining a $5.5 million jury verdict in Hennepin County. In 2019 he was recognized for his many trial related achievements and invited to become a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates.
Andy’s free time is spent with his family. He has a wife and two sons. The family lives in the Crocus Hill neighborhood in St. Paul. He and his wife are active in their community with Andy having served and serving on non-profit boards of directors. Andy also coaches youth sports at St. Thomas More School. He’s got a special spot for the Capitol City. Just ask him.
Racey J. Rodne
Racey has worked at McEllistrem, Fargione, Rorvig, and Moe P.A. since 2018. Since then, he has brought multiple cases to jury verdict, including a fully zoom jury trial, and has argued in front of the Court of appeals. Racey is a proud graduate of Hamline University and Mitchell Hamline School of Law. Racey’s practice focuses on all types of personal injury cases including: car accidents, slip and falls, dog bites, sexual assaults, burns, and other injury/insurance disputes.
Racey is also heavily involved with the Ramsey County Bar Association serving in multiple roles on the RCBA Board, Diversity Committee, and New Lawyers Section. He is married to his high school sweetheart and is currently holding out on getting a dog… against his wife’s interests. In his free time, he likes to consider himself a classic Minnesota boy and get outside as much as possible to fish, hunt, hike, canoe, and play in adult sports leagues.
Credits
This event has been approved for 1 Standard CLE credit. The code 457457 is valid through May 24, 2024.
Cost
This content is complimentary to Mitchell Hamline alumni.
Presenter Contact
Per Rule 6E(2) of the MN State Board of CLE regarding On Demand CLEs, attendees may contact the presenter to ask questions by emailing Andy J. Rorvig or Racey J. Rodne.
International Law and Violence Against Women
Description
Violence against women and girls is the most widespread human rights violation in the world. According to the World Health Organization, one in three women are survivors of intimate partner violence or sexual assault. Legal frameworks on the international, regional, and national levels have attempted to address this scourge with limited success. This CLE will examine the United Nations’ legal frameworks on violence against women, regional treaties, and the proposal for a new global treaty to end violence against women and girls.
Speaker
Helen Rubenstein is an experienced international human rights attorney with particular expertise in violence against women as a human rights issue.
Helen is currently serving as interim director of diplomacy with Every Woman Treaty, a coalition of more than 2100 activists and 840 organizations in 128 countries working to achieve a global treaty to end violence against women and girls. She was previously deputy director of Global Rights for Women, and deputy director of the Women’s Program at The Advocates for Human Rights, where she worked with women’s rights NGOs and governments around the world on legal reform and systems change to address violence against women.
Helen has traveled to Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Tanzania, Moldova, Morocco, Colombia, Russia, Latvia, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Romania, and Turkey to conduct training and make presentations. She has trained police, prosecutors, judges, victim advocates, high government officials, and others on domestic violence and sexual violence. She carries out human rights fact-finding on the legal system’s response to violence against women. She has provided consultation on the drafting and implementation of laws on domestic violence in Mongolia, Morocco, Romania, Serbia, Russia, Uganda, and Somalia, among others. Helen is the chief author of Time for a Change: The Need for a Binding International Treaty on Violence Against Women, and Time for Action: The Way to a Binding International Treaty on Violence Against Women.
Helen worked for the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office for many years, including enforcing the Minnesota Human Rights Act in cases of sexual harassment and sex, race, religious, and disability discrimination. She initiated the first sexual harassment class action case in the United States, Jenson v. Eveleth Taconite Co., on which the movie North Country was based.
Helen received her law degree cum laude from William Mitchell College of Law. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree with distinction from George Washington University.
Credits
This event has been approved for 1 Standard CLE credit. The code 487597 is valid through June 23, 2025.
Cost
This content is complimentary to Mitchell Hamline alumni.
Presenter Contact
Per Rule 6E(2) of the MN State Board of CLE regarding On Demand CLEs, attendees may contact the presenter to ask questions by emailing Helen Rubenstein.
Juneteenth Week Panel- Nothing to Lose but Our Chains: Addressing Mass Incarceration and Wrongful Convictions in the Black Community
Description
Panel speakers will share diverse perspectives and experiences from working within and / or from being impacted by the carceral system in Minnesota. Speakers will discuss more broadly the function of the carceral system, how it disproportionately impacts Black communities, and what is currently being done to address and mitigate harm implicated by the system at large. Additionally, Mitchell Hamline President and Dean, Anthony Niedwiecki, will share more about the law school’s latest efforts to expand access to legal education to those currently incarcerated.
Speakers-
Noelle Faye
Richard McLemore II
Anthony Niedwiecki, JD
Moderator-
Deanna Burns, MBA, MM Associate Director of Intellectual Property Institute & Patent Law-Mitchell Hamline School of Law
Credits
This event has been approved for 1 Standard CLE credit. The code 467128 is valid through July 11, 2024.
Cost
This content is complimentary to Mitchell Hamline alumni.
Presenter Contact
Per Rule 6E(2) of the MN State Board of CLE regarding On Demand CLEs, attendees may contact the presenter to ask questions by emailing Deanna Burns.
Juneteenth Week Panel- One Year Later: The Fight for Reparations in St. Paul and Beyond
Description
Speakers will offer education and historical context about the true meaning of reparations — and why they have dedicated their lives to fighting for it. Speakers will also share their personal experiences organizing around and advocating for reparations for American Descendants of Chattel Slavery. Examples will include work currently being done in St. Paul, MN on the Reparations Legislative Advisory Committee.
This panel is an update and continuation of a conversation held during Juneteenth week in 2021.
Speakers-
Trahern Crews, Black Lives Matter Minnesota
Nick Muhammad, Black Civic Network
Amber Jones, former political advisor to Governor Walz and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan
Moderator-
Husniyah Bradley, Assistant Director Law Career & Professional Development- Mitchell Hamline School
Credits
This event has been approved for 1 Elimination of Bias CLE credit. The code 467129 is valid through July 1, 2024.
Cost
This content is complimentary to Mitchell Hamline alumni.
Presenter Contact
Per Rule 6E(2) of the MN State Board of CLE regarding On Demand CLEs, attendees may contact the presenter to ask questions by emailing Husniyah Bradley.
Law, Religion, and a Beloved Teacher-Scholar: Celebrating Prof. Marie Failinger on her retirement.
Description
Professor Marie Failinger spent nearly thirty years thinking and writing about law and religion. During those years, she influenced generations of attorneys with her calm yet rigorous teaching. In this CLE, we will celebrate Prof. Failinger’s many contributions. We will acknowledge her tremendous influence on her students and the legal community and in keeping with Failinger’s expert coupling of theory and practice, the CLE will provide a contemporary exploration of different models of how the law interacts with religion. Professor Sinclair will use the contemporary situation in Israel as a means for exploring the interaction of law and religion.
Speaker
Prof. Daniel Sinclair LL.B. (University of London), LL.M. (Monash University), Ph.D. (Hebrew University), Rabbinical Ordination (Jerusalem) is Emeritus Professor of Jewish and Comparative Biomedical Law, CMAS Law School, Israel; Fellow, Institute on Religion, Law and Lawyer’s Work and Visiting Professor of Law, Fordham University Law School, New York; Adjunct Professor of Public Health Law and Medical Ethics, Tel-Aviv University Medical School and Adjunct Professor of Jewish Law, Sir Zelman Cowen Center, Victoria University, Melbourne. Prof. Sinclair has published over sixty articles and several books in the fields of Jewish Law and Ethics, the influence of Jewish Law on the legal system of the State of Israel; Comparative Biomedical Law and the relationship between law and morality. His previous positions include Research Fellow at the Institute for Jewish Law, Faculty of Law, Hebrew University, Jerusalem; Fellow and Tutor in Jurisprudence, Faculty of Law, Edinburgh University; Rabbi of the Edinburgh Hebrew Congregation and Dean of Jews’ College, University of London. During his period in the United Kingdom, Prof. Sinclair served as a member of the Ethics Committee of the Royal College of Physicians and held the portfolio for Medical Ethics in the Chief Rabbi’s Cabinet. In that capacity, he testified before the Science and Technology Committee of the House of Commons on issues relating to human genetics. He has also been a member of an Advisory Group to the European Union on the ethics of science with a particular focus on cloning and clinical trials. His current areas of research are the role of religious law in democratic societies and the influence of morality on the law.
Credits
This event has been approved for 1 Standard CLE credit. The code 483111 is valid through April 6, 2025.
Cost
This content is complimentary to Mitchell Hamline alumni.
Presenter Contact
Per Rule 6E(2) of the MN State Board of CLE regarding On Demand CLEs, attendees may contact the presenter to ask questions by emailing Sharon Press.
Mediation Tips and Observations Spanning Over 3 Decades
Description
Please join Steve Kirsch as he discusses mediation tips and observations spanning over 3 decades.
Speaker-
Steve Kirsch, a partner with Larson • King, practices in the areas of products liability and toxic torts. Steve is a member of the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals, and has a substantial alternative dispute resolution practice: over the past 25 years, he has handled close to 1,500 mediations and arbitrations. Steve is one of only six mediators involved with resolving vaccine court cases from the Federal Claims Court of Washington, D.C., under the P-100 program.
Steve joined Larson • King from a large Minneapolis-based firm and prior to that, Steve practiced at the St. Paul firm of Murnane Brandt for almost 40 years.
During the course of his distinguished career, Steve has served as local and national counsel defending clients against product liability claims related to pharmaceuticals, diet supplements, asbestos, and flammable fabrics. In the area of flammable fabrics litigation, Steve is recognized as one of the nation’s most experienced lawyers, as he has handled hundreds of these cases, and represented clients from several industries, including manufacturers and excess carriers.
LAW SCHOOL
Hamline University School of Law, J.D., summa cum laude, 1976 (now Mitchell Hamline School of Law)
Silver Gavel Society
Credits
This event has been approved for 1 Standard CLE credit. The code 470420 is valid through August 19, 2024.
Cost
This content is complimentary to Mitchell Hamline alumni.
Presenter Contact
Per Rule 6E(2) of the MN State Board of CLE regarding On Demand CLEs, attendees may contact the presenter to ask questions by emailing Steve Kirsch.
The Post-Dobbs Implications for Abortion Regulation
Description
A panel discussion of the post-Dobbs implications of rational basis review and what state interests will justify further abortion regulations. Where are we in abortion law, how did we get here, and where do we go from here?
Speakers
Hetal Dalal
Hetal Dalal is an assistant professor in Legal Writing at Mitchell Hamline in St. Paul, Minnesota. Dalal has wide-ranging expertise in non-profit, tax, labor and employment, campaign finance, corporate governance, and public interest law as well as associated litigation and transactional skills. She has a longstanding interest in the link between rhetorical skills and the preservation of democratic values and a well-informed citizenry. Dalal has served as in-house counsel for The Center for Popular Democracy (CPD) and its predecessor organization, which she co-founded, since 2010. This organization—which has 100 staff members, a $30 million budget, and affiliated community organizations with 600,000 members in 35 states—is one of the country’s leading organizations advocating for racial equality and economic justice. Dalal worked in-house at ACORN, developed an independent immigration practice representing businesses and employees, and served as an Associate Attorney at Fulbright & Jaworski. Dalal graduated magna cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School, where she was a board member of the Minnesota Justice Foundation, participated in the Immigration Law Clinic and the Criminal Defense Clinic, as well as the student run Asylum Law Project. She clerked for the Honorable Kathleen A. Blatz, then Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court.
Laura Hermer
Laura Hermer is a professor of law at Mitchell Hamline School of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota. Her current research focuses on access to health coverage and care in the United States, with a particular focus on underserved populations and population health. A Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Faculty Fellow in the Future of Public Health Law Teaching, she founded and obtained funding for Mitchell Hamline School of Law’s medical-legal partnership with United Family Medicine, and directs Mitchell Hamline’s JD/MPH joint degree program.
Prior to her appointment at Mitchell Hamline, Hermer was an assistant professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health and a member of the Institute for the Medical Humanities at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas. There, among other work, she developed and directed the School of Medicine’s curriculum in health economics and policy, was the principal investigator on a multi-year grant from the Texas Department of State Health Services to track and study secondhand smoke ordinances in the state, and directed the Graduate School of Biomedical Science’s intensive, required course in scientific integrity.
Courses taught include Torts: The Common Law Process; Health Law: Organization and Finance; Seminar: Reproductive Rights; Community Health and Vulnerable Populations; Seminar: Current Topics in Bioethics; and Public Health under the Trump Administration. Recent invited and colloquium articles include Covid-19, Abortion, and Public Health in the Culture Wars (an invited article for the Mitchell Hamline Law Review); Skirting the Law: Medicaid Block Grants and Per Capita Caps in a Pandemic (a colloquium article for the Saint Louis University Journal of Health Law and Policy); and The Means and Ends of Wellness Programs (a colloquium article for the Journal of Health Law and Policy).
Mike Steenson
Professor Mike Steenson is the Bell Distinguished Professor of Law at Mitchell Hamline School of Law. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin and the University of Iowa School of law. Professor Steenson is a member of the American Law Institute and a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. Along with Professor Peter Knapp, he is a co-reporter for the Minnesota Civil Jury Instruction Guides. He teaches in the areas of Torts, Constitutional Law, and American Legal History.
Credits
This event has been approved for 1 Standard CLE credit. The code 472502 is valid through Sept. 27, 2024.
Cost
This content is complimentary to Mitchell Hamline alumni.
Presenter Contact
Per Rule 6E(2) of the MN State Board of CLE regarding On Demand CLEs, attendees may contact the presenter to ask questions by emailing Mike Steenson.
Prof. Ken Port Memorial Lecture-Content Moderation Legislation: The Attempts to “Fix” the Internet
Description
This course will analyze pending and enacted content moderation laws in the United States, Europe, Australia, and more. Driven by the desire to “fix” what these jurisdictions think is most harmful about the internet, laws mandating (and prohibiting) content moderation, or demanding granular visibility to companies’ moderation practices, are often written far more broadly than they appear and can have an unexpected effect on companies. In many cases, they are at odds even with one another. We will explore the most significant of these laws; discuss key features like risk assessments, complaint handling, and transparency reporting; explain important similarities and differences; and provide some practical tips lawyers can pass along to their business clients.
Speaker
Kristine Dorrain is a corporate and policy lawyer with a focus on internet law. She is currently Senior Corporate Counsel at Amazon where she serves as a subject matter expert, advising internal global clients on issues related to online content policy and content moderation. She serves on the Board of the Technology Coalition, a group of companies working to end online child sexual abuse, and is Amazon’s representative to the WeProtect Global Alliance.
Previously, Ms. Dorrain supported the launch and policy development for Amazon’s 76 top-level domain registries, including its multistakeholder work to acquire the .AMAZON top-level domain. She also led Amazon’s registry operator policy engagement with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). During this time she also led Amazon’s domain name team, which is responsible for advising on, acquiring and managing domain names as part of Amazon’s IP strategy.
Before joining Amazon, Ms. Dorrain was Director of Arbitration and Legal Counsel for Forum, where she managed Forum’s arbitration and mediation programs, particularly those associated with ICANN’s various policies, such as UDRP and URS. During this time, she spoke and wrote extensively on internet law issues through her engagement with both ICANN and the American Bar Association’s Section of Business Law: Cyberspace Law Committee. Her CV includes over a dozen works of sole and joint authorship on intellectual property, domain names, and internet law, and many speaking and panel presentations the same topics.
Ms. Dorrain was an adjunct professor at Mitchell Hamline College of Law and, together with Dr. James A. Baker, created and taught the Intellectual Property Appellate Practice class from 2005-2015. Students from the class were selected to participate in IP moot courts and during that time, Kristine coached dozens of moot court students, focusing on the Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court competition and the Cardozo BMI Entertainment and Media Law Moot Court competition. She is a 2003 graduate of William Mitchell College of Law, where she focused her studies on intellectual property law.
Credits
This event has been approved for 1 Standard CLE credit. The code 480717 is valid through Feb. 23, 2025.
Cost
This content is complimentary to Mitchell Hamline alumni.
Presenter Contact
Per Rule 6E(2) of the MN State Board of CLE regarding On Demand CLEs, attendees may contact the presenter to ask questions by emailing Deanna Burns.
The Requirements of the Judiciary towards attorneys and patrons of the court under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
Description
For far too long the requirements of the judiciary towards its uniquely abled citizens who have the need to access its services, including the uniquely abled attorneys representing those citizens, have flown under the radar. In fact, except with regard to issues of public access and employment, the issue of accommodations under the ADA seldom arises in our courts.
Although the judiciary does not qualify as a ‘covered entity’ under HIPAA (because attorneys are not employees of the judiciary), the judiciary is nevertheless required to respectfully and appropriately respond to ADA requests to access public services offered by the Minnesota Judicial Branch by all persons (or patrons) including attorneys. This is not an aspirational goal but a requirement under federal and state law.
In this presentation, we will discuss what the requirements of the ADA consist of, in what proceedings those requirements are most often overlooked, and how the court’s willingness to embrace its duties towards this diverse population serves to enrich and strengthen our commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Speaker-
Geri C. Sjoquist graduated from Hamline University School of Law in January 2002. She is currently employed as an Adjunct at Mitchell Hamline in the Hybrid program. Geri is also a member of the Lawyers Professional Responsibility Board. In addition to advocating for the uniquely abled and neurodiverse, she focuses her practice on all issues of civil rights and public interest, particularly with regard to distributive access to justice in rural areas.
Credits
This event has been approved for 1 Standard CLE credit. The code 466993 is valid through July 8, 2024.
Cost
This content is complimentary to Mitchell Hamline alumni.
Presenter Contact
Per Rule 6E(2) of the MN State Board of CLE regarding On Demand CLEs, attendees may contact the presenter to ask questions by emailing Geri Sjoquist.
Trauma 101 for Lawyers and Leaders
Description
The first session in this CLE series of three will provide the necessary foundation on trauma for lawyers and leaders who strive to be trauma informed. It seeks to reduce bias and stigma surrounding negative effects of trauma and vicarious trauma. This presentation will define trauma and explore its impact on the brain and body. It will discuss underlying causes of trauma including adverse childhood and community experiences. It further explores different types of trauma including simple, complex, developmental, generational, and historical trauma. It will include discussion on how legal systems traumatize and retraumatize people who interact with them. This presentation will then turn to concrete tools and techniques for working with people who struggle to emotionally regulate due to trauma histories.
Speakers
Miriam Itzkowitz
Miriam Itzkowitz is the Director of Trauma-Informed Care for the Institute for Children, Families and Communities at Mitchell Hamline School of Law. In her role she develops and implements trauma-informed education and programming in the child welfare system. She also serves as the social work supervisor in the Child Protection Clinic working with graduate social work students to link theory and practice and to serve the clients represented in the Child Protection Clinic. Miriam’s clinical experience is in counseling adults and adolescents in clinical, home, and school settings. In her work at her private practice, Miriam use an eclectic approach to individual, couples, and group therapy, incorporating cognitive, creative and holistic techniques to assist clients in sustaining authentic identities, coping with difficulties and overcoming trauma. Miriam is also an adjunct faculty member at the University of St. Thomas School of Social Work.
Miriam received her BA from Grinnell College and her MSW from the University of Minnesota School of Social Work.
Natalie Netzel
Natalie Netzel is an Assistant Professor at Mitchell Hamline School of Law where she serves as the Co-Director of the MHSL Clinical Program and the Advocacy and Education Director for the Institute to Transform Child Protection. She supervises law students and social work students who represent parents and kin in all stages of child welfare proceedings. Prior to joining the law school Natalie was a judicial law clerk for the Minnesota Court of Appeals and federal judicial extern in the U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota. She also holds an M.S.E. in Counseling. Her academic interests include trauma-informed lawyering and resilient practice
Rick Petry
Rick Petry is the Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and an adjunct professor at Mitchell Hamline. He is also the founder of the Conscious Leadership, Justice and Law Program, a certified executive coach who is also certified in Cultural Intelligence, Conversational Intelligence, Emotional Intelligence (EQ-I 2.0), Brian Health Coach, Success Principles Trainer and Barret Values Center Certified Consultant. Rick joined Mitchell Hamline after representing individuals and companies for over 17 years in criminal defense, personal injury, commercial litigation, and real estate matters as a law firm partner and trial attorney.
Credits
This event has been approved for 1.5 Standard CLE credits. The code 475210 is valid through Oct. 20, 2024.
Cost
This content is complimentary to Mitchell Hamline alumni.
Presenter Contact
Per Rule 6E(2) of the MN State Board of CLE regarding On Demand CLEs, attendees may contact the presenter to ask questions by emailing Rick Petry, Natalie Netzel or Miriam Itzkowitz.
Trauma Informed Lawyering
Description
The second session in this CLE series of three courses will explore the relationship between trauma and law. It will explore the prevalence of vicarious trauma in law school and lawyering. Specifically, it aims to increase awareness and reduce stigma associated with vicarious trauma in lawyers. It will then go on to propose a framework to adopt a trauma-informed approach to lawyering based on the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s principles of trauma-informed care (safety, trust and transparency, peer support and mutual self-help, collaboration and mutuality, empowerment, voice, and choice, and recognition of cultural, historical, and gender issues). Finally, it will answer the questions: What is trauma-informed lawyering?; Who does it help?; and What does it look like in action?
Speakers
Miriam Itzkowitz
Miriam Itzkowitz is the Director of Trauma-Informed Care for the Institute for Children, Families and Communities at Mitchell Hamline School of Law. In her role she develops and implements trauma-informed education and programming in the child welfare system. She also serves as the social work supervisor in the Child Protection Clinic working with graduate social work students to link theory and practice and to serve the clients represented in the Child Protection Clinic. Miriam’s clinical experience is in counseling adults and adolescents in clinical, home, and school settings. In her work at her private practice, Miriam use an eclectic approach to individual, couples, and group therapy, incorporating cognitive, creative and holistic techniques to assist clients in sustaining authentic identities, coping with difficulties and overcoming trauma. Miriam is also an adjunct faculty member at the University of St. Thomas School of Social Work.
Miriam received her BA from Grinnell College and her MSW from the University of Minnesota School of Social Work.
Natalie Netzel
Natalie Netzel is an Assistant Professor at Mitchell Hamline School of Law where she serves as the Co-Director of the MHSL Clinical Program and the Advocacy and Education Director for the Institute to Transform Child Protection. She supervises law students and social work students who represent parents and kin in all stages of child welfare proceedings. Prior to joining the law school Natalie was a judicial law clerk for the Minnesota Court of Appeals and federal judicial extern in the U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota. She also holds an M.S.E. in Counseling. Her academic interests include trauma-informed lawyering and resilient practice
Rick Petry
Rick Petry is the Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and an adjunct professor at Mitchell Hamline. He is also the founder of the Conscious Leadership, Justice and Law Program, a certified executive coach who is also certified in Cultural Intelligence, Conversational Intelligence, Emotional Intelligence (EQ-I 2.0), Brian Health Coach, Success Principles Trainer and Barret Values Center Certified Consultant. Rick joined Mitchell Hamline after representing individuals and companies for over 17 years in criminal defense, personal injury, commercial litigation, and real estate matters as a law firm partner and trial attorney.
Credits
This event has been approved for 1.5 Standard CLE credits. The code 476173 is valid through Nov. 15, 2024.
Cost
This content is complimentary to Mitchell Hamline alumni.
Presenter Contact
Per Rule 6E(2) of the MN State Board of CLE regarding On Demand CLEs, attendees may contact the presenter to ask questions by emailing Rick Petry, Natalie Netzel or Miriam Itzkowitz.
Trauma Informed Leadership
Description
The third CLE in the series of three will address the urgent need for people who serve in in leadership positions and other who have people including clients and others placed in their care to develop an understanding of trauma and employ a trauma-informed approach as a matter of universal precaution. It will explore the neurobiology of human performance and ways lawyers as leaders can further efforts to reduce the occurrence of trauma, encourage others to become trauma-responsive, and build communities of mutual care to alleviate unnecessary suffering in silence. It will empower participants to view themselves as leaders in the movement to create more just and trauma-informed systems.
Speakers
Miriam Itzkowitz
Miriam Itzkowitz is the Director of Trauma-Informed Care for the Institute for Children, Families and Communities at Mitchell Hamline School of Law. In her role she develops and implements trauma-informed education and programming in the child welfare system. She also serves as the social work supervisor in the Child Protection Clinic working with graduate social work students to link theory and practice and to serve the clients represented in the Child Protection Clinic. Miriam’s clinical experience is in counseling adults and adolescents in clinical, home, and school settings. In her work at her private practice, Miriam use an eclectic approach to individual, couples, and group therapy, incorporating cognitive, creative and holistic techniques to assist clients in sustaining authentic identities, coping with difficulties and overcoming trauma. Miriam is also an adjunct faculty member at the University of St. Thomas School of Social Work.
Miriam received her BA from Grinnell College and her MSW from the University of Minnesota School of Social Work.
Natalie Netzel
Natalie Netzel is an Assistant Professor at Mitchell Hamline School of Law where she serves as the Co-Director of the MHSL Clinical Program and the Advocacy and Education Director for the Institute to Transform Child Protection. She supervises law students and social work students who represent parents and kin in all stages of child welfare proceedings. Prior to joining the law school Natalie was a judicial law clerk for the Minnesota Court of Appeals and federal judicial extern in the U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota. She also holds an M.S.E. in Counseling. Her academic interests include trauma-informed lawyering and resilient practice
Rick Petry
Rick Petry is the Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and an adjunct professor at Mitchell Hamline. He is also the founder of the Conscious Leadership, Justice and Law Program, a certified executive coach who is also certified in Cultural Intelligence, Conversational Intelligence, Emotional Intelligence (EQ-I 2.0), Brian Health Coach, Success Principles Trainer and Barret Values Center Certified Consultant. Rick joined Mitchell Hamline after representing individuals and companies for over 17 years in criminal defense, personal injury, commercial litigation, and real estate matters as a law firm partner and trial attorney.
Credits
This event has been approved for 1.5 Standard CLE credits. The code 477615 is valid through Dec. 7, 2024.
Cost
This content is complimentary to Mitchell Hamline alumni.
Presenter Contact
Per Rule 6E(2) of the MN State Board of CLE regarding On Demand CLEs, attendees may contact the presenter to ask questions by emailing Rick Petry, Natalie Netzel or Miriam Itzkowitz.
U.S. Supreme Court Review 2022
Description
This CLE will provide a review of the Supreme Court’s constitutional decisions from October Term 2021-22.
Speakers
Professor Mike Steenson, Mitchell Hamline School of Law
Professor Mehmet Konar-Steenberg, Mitchell Hamline School of Law
Credits
This event has been approved for 1 Standard CLE credit. The code 476171 is valid through Nov. 15, 2024.
Cost
This content is complimentary to Mitchell Hamline alumni.
Presenter Contact
Per Rule 6E(2) of the MN State Board of CLE regarding On Demand CLEs, attendees may contact the presenter to ask questions by emailing Prof. Mike Steenson or Prof. Mehmet Konar-Steenberg.
U.S. Supreme Court Review 2023
Description
A Review of Key Decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States, October Term 2022-23.
Speakers
Professor Mike Steenson, Mitchell Hamline School of Law
Professor Mehmet Konar-Steenberg, Mitchell Hamline School of Law
Credits
This event has been approved for 1 Standard CLE credit. The code 493585 is valid through Oct. 12, 2025.
Cost
This content is complimentary to Mitchell Hamline alumni.
Presenter Contact
Per Rule 6E(2) of the MN State Board of CLE regarding On Demand CLEs, attendees may contact the presenter to ask questions by emailing Prof. Mike Steenson or Prof. Mehmet Konar-Steenberg.
Wisconsin Supreme Court Term in Review: 2022-23
Description
Looking to catch up on the latest developments in Wisconsin law? This presentation surveys recent trends in the Wisconsin appellate courts, focusing on several noteworthy civil cases decided by the Wisconsin Supreme Court in its 2022-23 term. We’ll take a look at opinions that affect Wisconsin law in several fields, such as products liability, insurance, taxation, constitutional rights, and more. Plus, we’ll look ahead to what we can expect from the court in its 2023-24 term following the election of a new justice.
Speaker
Caleb Gerbitz is a commercial and appellate litigator at the Milwaukee law firm of Meissner Tierney Fisher & Nichols S.C. He is a graduate of Mitchell Hamline School of Law and previously clerked for Justice Brian Hagedorn of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Besides his regular practice, Caleb co-hosts a monthly podcast series that highlights recent developments in Wisconsin’s appellate courts.
Credits
This event has been approved for 1 Standard CLE credit. The code 491116 is valid through August 25, 2025.
Cost
This content is complimentary to Mitchell Hamline alumni.
Presenter Contact
Per Rule 6E(2) of the MN State Board of CLE regarding On Demand CLEs, attendees may contact the presenter to ask questions by emailing Caleb Gerbitz.
Additional CLE Content from Mitchell Hamline
The courses below were hosted by the Health Law Institute and are available as on-demand CLEs for alumni at no cost. Please click the links for more information and reach out to the Health Law Institute at healthlawinstitute@mitchellhamline.edu to register.
LGBTQ+ Health Equity and the Law – Expires: 4/28/2024
Food Traceability: Definition and Challenges from Farm to Form and Back – Expires: 5/18/2024
Food Insecurity – Expires: 11/18/2024
Technology in Health Care – Expires: 3/22/2025
Health Care Fraud & Abuse – Expires: 12/3/2025
In Case You Missed It – Food Law Symposium – Expires 1/26/2024