Justice Esther M. Tomljanovich Celebration of Women in Law Tea

As a former Emmy award–winning broadcast journalist, Volpe built a modern legal practice that helps clients achieve their business objectives and to supports and elevates women in the practice of law and in the pursuit of their professional endeavors. As a partner at Barnes & Thornburg, an Am Law 100 Law Firm, and president of its litigation consulting subsidiary ThemeVision, Volpe navigates complex legal issues and communication problems in high-stakes litigation and other adversarial settings. A litigator, legal communication strategist, and trial consultant, she also develops jury research and voir dire strategies for civil and criminal cases. Volpe has a diverse commercial litigation practice spanning many industries and is a member of a national trial team for an international product manufacturer. In addition to her trial work, Volpe teaches and coaches lawyers and business executives on communicating with confidence and is a frequent presenter and CLE instructor. She is a member of Minnesota Women Lawyers, National Association of Women Lawyers, International Association of Defense Counsel, and American Society of Trial Consultants.

Contreras Edin is a warm and compassionate attorney dedicated to her clients and upholding their protections under the U.S. Constitution. Gloria Contreras Edin is principal at Contreras Edin Law and has advised on thousands of matters involving clients from more than 25 countries on a wide range of complicated and sensitive immigration issues. She also has a great deal of experience in dealing with state courts, federal courts, and federal immigration agencies. Additionally, she has served on numerous boards, government state-wide commissions, and committees, and has acted as Amicus Curiae in high-stakes immigration proceedings in various U.S. Courts of Appeals. She has received numerous honors and awards for her outstanding service. Contreras Edin is a passionate advocate, serving on several nonprofit boards, and is an adjunct professor of immigration law at Mitchell Hamline. She is an expert on immigration matters litigated in civil courts and writes and presents frequently on immigration matters.

Freeman serves Minnesota’s 10th Judicial District and is chambered in Stillwater, Washington County.  She was appointed in 2018 by then Governor Mark Dayton and was reelected in 2020. She is the first Black judge in Washington County where she presides over all matters that come before the District Court and is the current point judge for the felony team. Judge Freeman currently serves on the Judicial Council of the Judicial Branch, Jury Task Force, the Judicial Branch’s Committee for Equality and Justice, and as co-chair of the 10th Judicial District Equal Justice Committee. She is a Mitchell Hamline trustee and teaches trial advocacy as an adjunct professor. Judge Freeman has also served as a mentor to newly appointed judges and presented at numerous legal trainings, seminars, and community outreach events. Before joining the bench, Judge Freeman was a senior assistant Hennepin County attorney in the adult prosecution and child protection divisions.

Perez has pursued her passion for social justice and advocacy throughout her education and career. She earned her undergraduate degree in political science from the College of Saint Benedict in 2015 before obtaining her J.D. While in law school, Perez focused on immigration law, recognizing the urgent need for legal representation among vulnerable populations. She traveled to immigration detention camps twice  to represent parents and their children during initial political asylum interviews. In 2020, Perez became an assistant Hennepin County attorney, representing the Department of Human Services in child protection matters. In 2022, she transitioned to the felony criminal division, where she currently serves as a trial attorney. Perez, the first in her family to pursue post-secondary education, aspires to inspire other first-generation students to pursue a career in the legal field. She currently serves as president of Mitchell Hamline’s Alumni Association Board and is a member of its board of trustees.

Ukabam currently serves as director/senior counsel of labor and employment law for General Mills. Previously, Ukabam was a partner at Gray Plant Mooty Mooty & Bennett (now Lathrop GPM) and the first racial minority female to achieve that status in the firm’s over 140-year history at the time. Before relocating to the United States, Ukabam worked for Mobil Producing Nigeria (now ExxonMobil) and Diamond Bank in Lagos, Nigeria. Ukabam was named one of Minnesota Lawyer’s inaugural In-House Counsel Honorees in 2019, a Fellow of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity in 2015, and the recipient of the Lena O. Smith Achievement Award from the Minnesota Black Women Lawyers Network in 2009. Ukabam is a trustee and has served as an adjunct professor at Mitchell Hamline. She is active in the Hennepin County Bar Association in various leadership roles and.  serves as a mentor to other lawyers, law students, and aspiring law students.