On-Demand CLEs
The following CLEs have been approved as on-demand CLEs by the Minnesota Board of Continuing Legal Education
According to Rule 6E of the Rules of the Minnesota Board of Continuing Legal Education, a lawyer may claim up to 15 hours of credit within the 45 hour CLE period for on-demand courses.
** By order of the Minnesota Supreme Court, this restriction is lifted for those attorneys reporting credits for the reporting period ending June 30, 2020.
COMPLIMENTARY- Alumni Series On Demand CLEs
2021 Hon. Steven E. Rau Memorial Lecture: Discovering and Defining Your Professional Persona
Description
Welcome by President and Dean Anthony Niedwiecki
Remarks about the Hon. Steven E. Rau by Professor Eric Janus
CLE Presentation
This CLE is the first in a series named in honor of the Honorable Steven E. Rau ‘83. Judge Rau was a trustee of the law school and beloved member of our law-school community and the legal community at large. This lecture series was named for Judge Rau by the Mitchell Hamline Alumni Board to honor his contribution to our community, and his commitment to civility and collegiality in the legal profession.
During the CLE Desiree and Toni Jaeger-Fine will discuss how to develop a strong and sustainable professional persona, focusing on foundations, self-management (professionalism from the inside), and relationships (professionalism with the outside). By building and nurturing your professional persona each of us can be more effective professionals and happier.
Desiree Jaeger-Fine, Esq. is the Director of Global Engagement and International Programs at Brooklyn Law School. She was founder and principal of Jaeger-Fine Consulting, LLC, a career consultancy and training institute for international attorneys. Desiree sold her first company, a professional online network for international law students, only two years after its launch. She is a member of the New York bar and has authored over 120 articles and four books. Desiree was ranked in the top 5% of Amazon’s Business & Money Authors. She frequently lectures across the U.S. and around the world, including in Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Mexico, and Spain.
Desiree holds law degrees from both the University of Bonn (Germany) and Fordham Law School in New York from which she graduated cum laude with a master’s degree in Intellectual Property and Information Technology Law.
Toni Jaeger-Fine is an assistant dean at Fordham Law School, where she teaches and oversees a range of degree and non-degree programs. Prior to her time at Fordham, Toni worked at NYU, where she taught Lawyering and was Associate Director of the Global Law School Program; and at Crowell & Moring, where she worked primarily on commercial and administrative litigation.
She is a member of the New Law Institute of the Bar Association of the City of New York.
Toni has written a number of articles and books on a wide range of topics, including Becoming a Lawyer: Discovering and Defining Your Professional Persona. She blogs at YourProfessionalPersona.com. Toni is a graduate of Binghamton University and Duke Law School.
Credits
This event has been approved for 1 on-demand CLE credit (code 358219) through May. 4, 2023.
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 Toni Jaeger-Fine.
Accessing the Treasure Trove of Social Media Evidence
Description
This CLE will show how the unique, emergent form of social media evidence can be used for criminal investigations and civil litigation e-discovery. There will be an examination of the DoJ memo to law enforcement uncovered by FOIA stressing why and how to use social media in criminal cases. Examples of social media evidence recovered from smart phones, personal computers, and the cloud will be provided. The ethics of social media evidence collection will be listed including what you can and cannot do, if you want to keep your license that is.
Presenter John Carney, Esq. is Chief Technology Officer and lead digital forensic examiner at Carney Forensics where he has been assisting clients with electronic and mobile device evidence for the past twelve years as an expert witness. He has a 30-year software engineering and information technology career. He was educated at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab where he studied computer science, computer graphics and software engineering and earned a Bachelor of Science degree.
He is a federally and state licensed attorney and was educated at Mitchell-Hamline School of Law where he earned a Juris Doctor degree and Certificate in Dispute Resolution. He serves on the Council of the Minnesota State Bar Association’s Computer and Technology Law Section and is a member of the American Bar Association. Mr. Carney sits on the Computer Forensics Advisory Board at Century College and is a member of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences.
Credits
This event has been approved for 1 on-demand CLE credit (code 301353) through April 13, 2022.
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 John Carney.
Back to the Basics Part I: Top Tips to Improve Your Legal Writing
Description
In a quick sixty minutes, this interactive CLE will help both new and seasoned attorneys refresh their legal writing skills. For new practitioners, this CLE will help refocus your writing skills to maximize your success in practice rather than success on law-school exams or the bar exam. For seasoned attorneys, this CLE will review the basics of successful legal analysis and writing, something attorneys often lose focus on after even just a few years of practice.
Presenter Professor Melissa Shultz has taught legal writing, family law, and a domestic violence practicum, and has participated actively in bar preparation for the past five years. In addition to founding and leading the legal writing program, Shultz chaired North Texas Dallas College of Law’s curriculum and bylaws committees and served on both the hiring and dean search committees.
Presenter Peggy Kline Kirkpatrick received her B.A., summa cum laude, in History from Middlebury College. She also received an M.A. in American History from Northwestern University.
Peggy graduated magna cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School and was admitted into the Order of the Coif. During law school, she served as an Articles Editor on the Minnesota Law Review and received the Minnesota Law Review Volume 35 and 36 Memorial Award for “Outstanding Note or Comment Authored by a Member of the Minnesota Law Review.” Peggy’s article, “Writing Wrongs: The Common Legal Writing Mistakes of Law Students and Lawyers,” was published in September 2019 on the Mitchell Hamline Law Review’s Amicus Curiae blog.
Peggy worked in private practice for several years at Leonard, Street and Deinard (now Stinson). Her work at the firm focused primarily on environmental and land use law, although she worked on a variety of litigated matters. Part of her practice also involved negotiating on behalf of clients before state and federal administrative agencies. Peggy served on the firm’s Recruiting Committee and co-led the summer associate program one summer.
Peggy’s experience also includes a clerkship with the Honorable Matthew E. Johnson of the Minnesota Court of Appeals.
In 2010, Peggy began teaching legal writing at William Mitchell College of Law. Over the past ten years, she has taught primarily in the Legal Writing on-campus program, although she also has experience in the blended learning program.
Credits
This event has been approved for 1 on-demand CLE standard credit (code 337550) through Jan. 6, 2023.
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 Melissa Shultz or Peggy Kirkpatrick.
Barriers at the Bargaining Table
Description
Advocating for a higher salary, promotion, or a new job title is something many lawyers will face at all stages of their career. And women and minority lawyers face a unique set of barriers when negotiating for jobs and career advancement. Whether you are a new attorney or a seasoned attorney in a career transition, this program will help you consider the many ways in which lawyers demonstrate their value in the workplace, address the barriers that many lawyers will face at the negotiation table, and show you how to prepare to negotiate from a position of strength.
Presenter Leanne Fuith is Dean of Career and Professional Development and a Visiting Professor of Law at Mitchell Hamline School of Law where she has taught Foundations of Practice, a first-year course on lawyer and law student professional identity as well as courses in the law school’s business curriculum including Business Organizations, Deals and Disputes, International Business Transactions, The Law and Business Externship, Lawyer as Business Owner, and Transactions and Settlements. She previously practiced business law, employment law, and commercial and employment litigation and helped clients with matters relating to business formation and management, discrimination, sexual harassment, whistleblowing, breach of contract, non-competes, wage and hour violations, unemployment hearings, and other claims. She is admitted to practice in the State of Minnesota.
Professor Fuith is also a member of the Minnesota State Bar Association Council and Minnesota CLE’s Board of Directors, and she chairs the RCBA CLE Oversight Committee.
Credits
This event has been approved for 1 on-demand CLE Elimination of Bias credit (code 301294) through April 13, 2022.
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 Leanne Fuith.
Basics of Divorce Law for Non-Family-Law Attorneys
Description
The CLE will focus on and overview of the process of divorce in Minnesota, including discussions of the timeline and basic steps in a typical divorce, along with an examination of major issues such as child custody, parenting time, property division, and spousal maintenance.
Presenter Corwin R. Kruse specializes in Family Law at his law firm, Kruse Family Law, PLLC. Corwin is a magna cum laude graduate of William Mitchell College of Law. During his time in law school he was editor of the William Mitchell Law Review. He was a Family Law Attorney at Katz & Manka, Ltd. from 2010 to 2019. He was also an Adjunct Professor at William Mitchell College of Law and then Mitchell Hamline School of Law from 2005 to 2016.
Credits
This event has been approved for 1 on-demand CLE credit (code 303217) through April 28, 2022.
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 Corwin Kruse.
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Black Families and Child Welfare in Minnesota
Description
Panel speakers will share diverse perspectives and experiences from working within and / or from being impacted by the child welfare system in Minnesota. Speakers will speak more broadly about the function of child welfare, how it disproportionately impacts Black and Indigenous children and families, and what is currently being done to address and mitigate harm implicated by the system at large. Additionally, guests from Mitchell Hamline’s Institute to Transform Child Protection will share more about the work they are doing to shift the landscape of child welfare as we know it.
Speakers
Kelis Houston
Latonia Rolbiecki
Husniyah Dent Bradley (Mitchell Hamline School of Law), Program Administrator, Career and Professional Development
Moderator
Cierra Buckner, LSW
Credits
This event has been approved for 1.25 Standard CLE credit. The code 384734 is valid through July 16, 2023.
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.
Civil Liberties in the Biden Era: National and Local Priorities
Description
The dramatic events of 2020-21 following the murder of George Floyd, the exposure of inequalities during the pandemic, and the presidential transition usher in a new era for civil liberties – challenges thereto — in the United States. Deborah Archer, the new president of the American Civil Liberties Union, will give an overview of the most critical civil liberties issues facing the United States. A panel of four local human rights activists will join her to provide their perspectives on the issues facing Minnesota in the next several years. A question-and-answer session will follow, with MHSL students invited to submit questions for Professor Archer and the panel.
Introduction of Program – Dean Anthony Niedwiecki, MHSL
Civil Liberties in America 2021 – Deborah Archer, ACLU
Panel Discussion (moderated by Professor Raleigh Levine)
- Terri Nelson, ACLU of Minnesota
- Jaylani Hussein, CAIR
- Nekima Levy Armstrong, Wayfinder Foundation
Question and Answer (moderated by Deanie Hatch, president of MHSL ACLU)
Presenter Biographies
Deborah Archer is the Jacob K. Javits Professor and Co-Faculty Director of the Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law at New York University School of Law. Deborah is also the President of the American Civil Liberties Union and a nationally recognized expert on civil rights and racial justice. She is also an award-winning scholar and her scholarship has appeared in leading law reviews, including the Michigan Law Review, Vanderbilt Law Review, and the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review. Prior to fulltime teaching, Deborah worked as an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., where she litigated in the areas of voting rights, employment discrimination, and school desegregation. Deborah previously served as Chair of the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board, the nation’s oldest and largest police oversight agency.
Nekima Levy Armstrong is a renowned civil rights attorney, ordained Reverend, former law professor, freedom fighter, legal scholar, blogger, and national expert on issues at the intersections of race, public policy, economic justice, public education, juvenile justice, and the criminal justice system. She is the author of several articles and essays focused on racial justice, poverty, incarceration, and the War on Drugs. Her work has been featured in The Associated Press, The Crisis Magazine, Huffington Post, and the Star Tribune, to name a few. She has appeared on national news outlets such as CNN, PBS, Al Jazeera America, News One, Democracy Now, and HuffPost Live.utho
Deanie Hatch is a second-year student at Mitchell Hamline School of Law, where she serves as the President of the ALCU Student Chapter and Vice President of the Latino Law Student Association. Ms. Hatch also works as a law clerk in the adult prosecution division at the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office. In 2019, she was awarded a National Creditors Bar Association scholarship for her essay on responsible credit habits for student loan borrowers. Ms. Hatch holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in criminal justice with a minor in psychology from Bemidji State University and served as the co-captain of a program record-breaking tennis team.
Jaylani Hussein worked as the Community Liaison Officer at Metro State University and as a Planner for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. He received conflict resolution training from Volunteers of America and worked with juvenile treatment centers. In 2013, he created Zeila Consultants to develop and offer cross-cultural training workshops on East African cultures. Hussein has been active with various community organizations, including the Islamic Cultural Center of Minnesota Board of Directors, Wilder Foundation Advisory Board, Muslim Youth of Minnesota Advisory Board, Islamic Resource Group Speakers Bureau, and ARAHA Board of Directors. He has traveled to the Horn of Africa twice on behalf of ARAHA, to open a regional field office and oversee large-scale humanitarian projects during the Somali Famine of 2011. Hussein’s family emigrated from Somalia to Minnesota in 1993 and he is trilingual (English, Somali, Arabic). Hussein holds degrees in Community Development and City Planning from St. Cloud State University and Political Science from North Dakota State University.
Professor Raleigh Levine’s academic interests focus on the First Amendment rights of freedom of speech and press. Her passion for First Amendment rights stems from her pre-law school experience as a news editor and producer for CNN Headline News. After graduating with honors from Stanford Law School and clerking for the Ninth Circuit, she spent the first years of her legal career as a litigator specializing in speech and press issues, serving as an attorney for the Southern California ACLU and other public interest-oriented law firms. Her practice also involved significant litigation in Election Law, and her interest in that field, particularly in electoral speech issues, has heightened since she entered the legal academy. In addition to teaching, writing, and submitting amicus curiae briefs on First Amendment and Election Law topics on behalf of high-profile public interest organizations, she frequently serves as an expert on those issues for both local and national news media.
Teresa Nelson is Legal Director of the ACLU of Minnesota where she leads the organization’s constitutional law litigation program and engages in non-litigation legal advocacy to advance civil liberties in Minnesota. Nelson is a 1996 graduate of Hamline University School of Law. She has been with the ACLU-MN since 1996, having previously served as Legal Assistant and Assistant Legal Counsel. She is a frequent Continuing Legal Education presenter, currently, serves on the State Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and is a member of the Advisory Board for the Minneapolis-St. Paul Lawyer Chapter of the American Constitution Society (ACS).
Credits
This event has been approved for 1.5 standard CLE credit (code 362902) through May 20, 2023.
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 Carolyn Grose.
Counseling Executives and Key Employees About Employment Agreements
Description
Employment contracts for key employees are often considerably more complicated than for most workers. There can be unusual terms for pay and bonuses. Employers may also offer deferred compensation or various types of equity participation, such as stock options. And restrictive noncompete and nonsolicitation terms can sometimes have long-term career impacts. Learn how to navigate these complex agreements and advise key employees about their risks and bargaining leverage.
Presenter Scott Moriarity litigates complex employment and class action disputes throughout the United States, helping clients vindicate their rights against large, well-funded adversaries. He has formulated winning strategies in major employment and products liability litigation and achieved lasting results for his clients. Scott also handles ERISA benefit disputes and advises key employees about their executive compensation and benefits.
Scott graduated cum laude from William Mitchell College of Law in 2002 and was a staff editor and editorial board member of the William Mitchell Law Review. He is an active member of the Federal Bar Association and the Minnesota State Bar Association, supports numerous community organizations, and volunteers for Cancer Legal Care, the League of Women Voters, and In the Heart of the Beast Mask and Puppet Theater. Scott can also be found playing jazz trombone at local clubs and festivals.
Credits
This event has been approved for 1 on-demand CLE credit (code 414592) through Sept. 28, 2023.
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 Scott Moriarity or calling 612-252-3570.
Criminal Record Expungements: What Are They, and How Do I Get One?
Description
An introduction level discussion about criminal record expungements in Minnesota. We will discuss the purpose and scope of expungements, both statutory under Minn. Stat. 609A, and inherent authority. We will discuss how to determine eligibility under the Statute, as well as what criteria are used in determining if an expungement should be granted. Finally, we will do a walkthrough of the process and answer some of the FAQs.
Speaker
Landon Ascheman is a criminal defense attorney who has been handling criminal expungements for over a decade across the State of Minnesota. He has served in a variety of capacities relating to public records with both the Bar Associations and the Courts. In addition to his private practice at Ascheman Law, he provides expungement assistance through a variety of clinics, including: Mitchell Hamline Self-Help Clinic, Minnesota Adult & Teen Challenge Legal Clinic, and Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ascheman/
Credits
This event has been approved for 1 Standard CLE credit. The code 426642 is valid through Dec. 17, 2023.
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.
Materials
eDiscovery Essentials – Practical Tips to Plan and Control Costs and Risks
Description
This continuing legal education program will provide attendees with information on how to plan for eDiscovery, including some key stages of litigation where seemingly minor decisions can have a significant impact on discovery costs and risks. You’ll learn some steps you can take early to minimize unpleasant surprises, and what document review approaches may best balance the needs and financial goals for your matters.
Who should attend? Everyone is welcome! This presentation is particularly geared toward anyone who:
- Controls and evaluates eDiscovery risks and costs
- Manages or handles legal matters involving Electronically Stored Information
- Drafts and implements litigation holds
Presenter Biographies
Karen D. Olson
Karen D. Olson is Of Counsel with Spencer Fane in the Minneapolis office. Ms. Olson is an experienced litigator and previously served as a Deputy Attorney General for the State of Minnesota and was responsible for many high profile and complex cases on behalf of the State as well as while in private practice. Ms. Olson has also engaged in large scale document reviews and productions for both the public and private sectors.
Cynthia Rowe
Cynthia Rowe is eDiscovery Counsel for Spencer Fane and co-leads the eDiscovery and Data Management team. She advises clients on strategic objectives, risk mitigation, and cost-savings opportunities throughout the litigation lifecycle. Ms. Rowe has extensive experience with large-scale and complex litigation, legal technology, strategic planning, and vendor selection and management. She also provides advisory services on organizational records and information management policies and practices, litigation readiness programs, and data privacy issues.
Leslie Witterschein
Leslie Witterschein is eDiscovery Counsel for Spencer Fane and co-leads the eDiscovery and Data Management team. She has worked with eDiscovery matters over the past 12 years, either as lead counsel or as a key member of a complex litigation team, including advising and coordinating the eDiscovery teams for federal court matters. Based on her experience has helped develop Spencer Fane’s current in-house discovery team.
Credits
This event has been approved for 1 standard CLE credit (code 376332) through June 18, 2023.
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 Leslie Witterschein.
Ethical Pitfalls for Attorneys Representing Closely Held Companies
Description
Learn about the common ethical considerations and pitfalls that may arise under the Minnesota Rules of Professional Conduct when advising closely held companies and its owners, including proper identification of the client, handling communications, and advising the company, majority and minority owners of their rights and duties.
Presenter Biography
Allison M. Plunkett is an attorney at Henson & Efron, P.A., located in Minneapolis. Allison works with closely-held businesses on a variety of their legal needs during all life cycles of the business. Allison’s practice includes advising the business, management, or owners on matters related to entity formation, internal governance structures, and business succession planning. Allison also assists businesses and individuals with reviewing and negotiating contracts and purchase agreements.
Credits
This CLE has been approved for 1 Ethics CLE credit code 396185 through August 9, 2023.
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 Allison Plunkett.
The Fight for Reparations in St. Paul and Beyond
Description
Panel 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 on the St. Paul city council, following the unanimously passed resolution to form the St. Paul Recovery Act Community Reparations Commission.
Speakers
Trahern Crews
Nick from Black Civic Network
Thomas from Black Civic Network
Representative Ruth Richardson
Husniyah Dent Bradley (Mitchell Hamline School of Law), Program Administrator, Career and Professional Development
Attendees will learn about chattel slavery and the impact it has and continues to have on Black Americans — especially those living in Minnesota. Attendees will receive education and historical context about reparations and the significance of financial equity in the fight for justice and equality for Black Minnesotans. Additionally, attendees will hear from lawyers and politicians about work currently being done to make reparations a reality in Minnesota. A call to action will be offered to those who are interested.
Credits
This event has been approved for 1.25 Elimination of Bias CLE credit. The code 384733 is valid through July 16, 2023.
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.
From IRAC to CruPAC: Does Structure Matter in Legal Writing?
Description
Incorporating basic organizational structure into your legal writing makes it easier and more effective for others to understand and use it. Presenters will lead a discussion of the modern reader, the legal writing reader, and provide an introduction to the many organizational structures for legal writing and their shared elements.
Presenter Biographies
Melissa Bezanson Shultz
Professor Melissa Shultz has taught legal writing, family law, and a domestic violence practicum, and has participated actively in bar preparation for the past five years. In addition to founding and leading the legal writing program, Shultz chaired North Texas Dallas College of Law’s curriculum and bylaws committees and served on both the hiring and dean search committees.
Peggy Kline Kirkpatrick
Peggy received her B.A., summa cum laude, in History from Middlebury College. She also received an M.A. in American History from Northwestern University.
Peggy graduated magna cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School and was admitted into the Order of the Coif. During law school, she served as an Articles Editor on the Minnesota Law Review and received the Minnesota Law Review Volume 35 and 36 Memorial Award for “Outstanding Note or Comment Authored by a Member of the Minnesota Law Review.” Peggy’s article, “Writing Wrongs: The Common Legal Writing Mistakes of Law Students and Lawyers,” was published in September 2019 on the Mitchell Hamline Law Review’s Amicus Curiae blog.
Peggy worked in private practice for several years at Leonard, Street and Deinard (now Stinson). Her work at the firm focused primarily on environmental and land use law, although she worked on a variety of litigated matters. Part of her practice also involved negotiating on behalf of clients before state and federal administrative agencies. Peggy served on the firm’s Recruiting Committee and co-led the summer associate program one summer.
Peggy’s experience also includes a clerkship with the Honorable Matthew E. Johnson of the Minnesota Court of Appeals.
In 2010, Peggy began teaching legal writing at William Mitchell College of Law. Over the past ten years, she has taught primarily in the Legal Writing on-campus program, although she also has experience in the blended learning program.
Erica Strohl
Erica Strohl has taught in MHSL’s legal writing program for more than a decade in both the Blended and BAM programs. Earlier in her career her worked as a public defender, at a civil litigation firm, and as a clerk at the Minnesota Court of Appeals.
Credits
This event has been approved for 1 standard CLE credit (code 376334) through June 18, 2023.
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 Erica Strohl.
The Future of LGBTQ Rights after Bostock v. Clayton County
Description
The US Supreme Court decided last June in Bostock v. Clayton County that “an employer who fires an individual merely for being gay or transgender violates Title VII.” This CLE will discuss the cases that led to the Bostock decision and the likely impact it will have on LGBTQ rights in the future.
Presenter Anthony Niedwiecki has been a law school associate dean or dean since 2010. His scholarly research focuses on metacognition and the need to better train students to transfer their learning to new and novel situations. He also teaches courses in Employment Discrimination and Law and Sexual Orientation. His passion about political and legal rhetoric has driven his community activism and public service.
Niedwiecki was elected city commissioner and vice mayor of a city of 40,000 in south Florida in 2009. He was inspired to run for office after seeing an elected official publicly demean different groups, including the LGBTQ, African-American, and Caribbean-American communities. During that campaign, Anthony married his husband, Waymon Hudson, in San Francisco.
Niedwiecki’s passion for the law and civil rights stems from his life experiences, having seen firsthand how laws can both stifle progress for equality and dramatically expand access to civil rights very quickly. His life is dedicated to improving the community and transforming lives, important values he has carried throughout his life.
Credits
This event has been approved for 1 on-demand CLE standard credit (code 336015) through Dec. 29, 2022.
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 Anthony Niedwiecki.
Insurance for Non-Practitioners: A Primer on Auto, Homeowners, Umbrellas, and Health Insurance
Description
Ever wondered what insurance exclusions apply to auto and homeowners claims? Curious as to which insurance products and coverages I should be looking into? Come and learn from two personal injury lawyers about why they chose for insurance coverages and why. A must for all consumers of insurance products (whether you litigate or not), that will be important to all.
Presenter Andrew Rorvig is a partner at McEllistrem Fargione, P.A. and a graduate of the University of Minnesota (B.A. 2001) and Mitchell-Hamline College of Law (J.D. cum laude 2005). He is admitted to practice in both Minnesota and North Dakota state and federal courts. Prior to law school, Andy worked in state government at both the Minnesota Senate and the Attorney General’s Office.
Since joining the firm in 2005, Andy has become known as a trial lawyer. He’s tried jury trials all over Minnesota, from Detroit Lakes to Hastings, representing injured folks. He’s also argued in front of the Minnesota Court of Appeals. Andy is a Certified Civil Trial Law Specialist, by the Minnesota State Bar Association. He’s also serves as a neutral to help mediate cases for other lawyers.
In addition, since 2008, Andy has continued to serve as an adjunct professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis. He enjoys writing and serves as the co-editor of the Minnesota Motor Vehicle Accident Deskbook that is published annually by the Minnesota State Bar Association. He’s also a frequent speaker regarding insurance related issues.
Some of his accomplishments include being named either a Rising Star or a Super Lawyer since 2011 by Minneapolis/St. Paul Magazine, and 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 for a woman who was assaulted by a temp-employee.
Presenter Aaron Eken is a partner at McEllistrem Fargione, P.A. practicing exclusively in the area of personal injury and wrongful death. Aaron graduated from the University of North Dakota (B.A. 2003) and the University of North Dakota School of Law (J.D. With Distinction 2006). After graduating law school, Aaron spent four years working for Farmers Insurance Group defending claims of personal injury. During that time Aaron handled hundreds of files, including many jury trials and arbitrations. Farmers Insurance recognized Aaron’s work in 2010 with the Spirit of Farmers award, which is given to one lawyer nationally for outstanding legal representation.
In the years since he joined McEllistrem Fargione, P.A. Aaron has successfully handled hundreds of cases using his knowledge and experience on behalf of his clients. His unique perspective and trial advocacy skills are an asset to our clients. Aaron is actively involved in the Ramsey County Bar Association, the Minnesota State Bar Association, and the Douglas Amdahl Inn of Court. Aaron regularly lectures on personal injury issues for the Minnesota State Bar, Hennepin County Bar Association, Ramsey County Bar Association and Kaplan Professional Schools.
Credits
This event has been approved for 1 on-demand CLE credit (code 301354) through April 13, 2022.
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 Rorvig.
Issues under the ‘New’ Minnesota LLC Act
Description
This CLE addresses the following questions-
Derivative actions: How do 322C.0902 and .0904 relate to, or enter in conflict with, Minn. R. Civ. P. 23.09? Is futility the same as frustration (in terms of efforts to seek a decision from the Company before filing an action)?
Considering how convenient and efficient an LLC is, what are some compelling reasons why an entrepreneur should NOT choose an LLC as an entity, and instead go with a Corporation, B-Corp, or Partnership? Do statements of authority under 322C.0302 impinge upon or compromise the Doctrine of Apparent Authority?
From the perspective of LLC law, are there any specific issues or considerations when a (private) trust is a member of an LLC?
What is the most advisable way to set up a profit-sharing agreement under the Act? (i.e., no membership interest, only % of the LLC profits)?
If an LLC is member-managed by one member, would that mean in practical terms that it is manager-managed (therefore governed by the latter’s duties and requirements)?
Can an LLC “go public” through an Initial Public Offering (IPO)? If so, how is stock offered?
Why does the Act not contemplate Series LLCs?
Presenter Professor Emeriti Dan Kleinberger, Mitchell Hamline School of Law. Professor Kleinberger’s scholarship involves business law, particularly the law of business organizations. His books include a leading national treatise on limited liability companies and a popular student treatise on agency, partnerships, and LLCs. His articles sometimes conjoin the conceptual and the practical (e.g., “Respondeat Superior Run Amok” and “A User’s Guide to the New Uniform Limited Partnership Act”) and sometimes take a more theoretical perspective (e.g., “The Closely Held Business through the Entity-Aggregate Prism”).
Professor Kleinberger has been immersed in legislative drafting projects for more than two decades, and his scholarship and drafting work have been recognized by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws, the American Law Institute, the American Bar Association Committee on Limited Liability Companies, Partnerships and Unincorporated Entities, and the Section on Agency, Partnership, LLCs and Unincorporated Associations of the American Association of Law Schools.
Kleinberger was the reporter for and principal drafter of the original Minnesota LLC statute (Chapter 322B, repealed) and also the principal drafter of the Uniform LLC Act which forms the basis of the current Minnesota LLC statute, Chapter 322C.
Kleinberger was recently named the 2019 recipient of the Martin I. Lubaroff Award, which recognizes a nationally regarded business attorney and member of the ABA Business Law Section’s Committee on LLCs, Partnerships, and Unincorporated Entities who has consistently demonstrated leadership, scholarship, and outstanding service in business entity law.
Credits
This event has been approved for 1 on-demand CLE credit (code 301290) through Feb. 18, 2022.
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 Dan Kleinberger.
McGee Civil Rights Moot Court CLE: Constitutional Challenges to Cash Bail Scheme
Description
In this CLE, we discuss the constitutionality of a hypothetical money bail system for indigent individuals accused of misdemeanor offenses. Both Equal Protection and Due Process challenges will be addressed. Key cases will be summarized for attendees.
Presenter Chad Pennington serves as an Assistant Federal Public Defender for the Districts of South Dakota and North Dakota. Pennington also teaches as an adjunct instructor at the University of Minnesota Law School, where he received his law degree. While in law school, he was the Top Oral Advocate at both the 2014 Maynard Pirsig Moot Court Competition and the 2015 ABA/NAAC National Moot Court Competition: San Francisco Region.
Presenter Prof. Morgan Holcomb is the Faculty Director of Competitions at Mitchell Hamline School of Law and is a member of the tenured faculty. She teaches in both the blended learning and the in-residence programs at MHSL. Holcomb is a contributing editor to Bench & Bar of Minnesota and has published in numerous law reviews, as well as State Tax Notes. She is also a graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School.
Credits
This event is approved for 1 on-demand CLE standard credit (code 337878) through January 11, 2023.
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 Chad Pennington or Morgan Holcomb.
Negotiation Skills: De-Escalating Conflict
Description
From high-profile criminal investigations to managing client expectations and settlement discussions, every attorney must understand and deal with conflict. While disagreements and conflict allow us an opportunity to see issues from a different perspective and create space for growth, unmanaged conflict can cloud our rational decision making, making it easy to lose focus on our goals of the negotiation.
Join Steve Shleicher ‘95 and Molly Tyroler ‘10 for critical examination of the role of conflict in negotiations. Shleicher, a renowned trial attorney and most recently part of the prosecution team at the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin, and Tyroler, a full time mediator, will dive into real examples of how conflict escalates, its effect on negotiations, and strategies to de-escalate conflict to enhance outcomes.
Presenter Biographies
Molly Tyroler
Molly (Bloom) Tyroler provides mediation and arbitration services primarily to parties of workers’ compensation and personal injury matters. She is dedicated to working collaboratively with parties to resolve complex disputes and settle cases. Molly started her career litigating workers’ compensation cases before shifting to her work as a mediator/arbitrator at the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry. In 2018, she opened Tyroler Law & Mediation and is so excited to see the ways in which her practice continues to grow. Molly enjoys being a frequent speaker at seminars, conferences, and CLEs and has trained mediators and judges across the country in advanced mediation concepts and strategies.
Steve Schleicher
Steve is a renowned trial lawyer with deep experience in high profile cases. He concentrates his work on high stakes criminal and civil litigation, government and internal investigations, and appellate practice—and leads Maslon’s Government & Internal Investigations Group.
Steve’s extraordinary trial skills are well known throughout the United States and the world. Most recently, he has been recognized for his role as a Special Prosecutor in the internationally televised homicide trial of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd. Steve received high praise for his prominent role conducting jury selection and witness examination. His devastating cross-examination of the defense use-of-force expert received national acclaim, and his powerful closing was viewed as a pivotal factor in the trial verdict.
In his white collar criminal defense practice, Steve represents individuals accused of financial crimes involving health care, agriculture, and corporate embezzlement. As a business litigator, Steve served as liaison defense counsel for a leading corn seed developer in a consolidated action involving over 65,000 plaintiffs, and he has represented a leading medical device manufacturer in product liability lawsuits in numerous state and federal courts across the country.
Steve’s investigations practice has included a high profile investigation of a private security company holding a contract at a major NFL venue that resulted in its termination; a data security breach and IP theft conspiracy at a major automobile manufacturer; and internal investigations and government compliance on behalf of health care providers, including hospital systems and physicians. Across all, he leverages deep experience and an acute skillset honed through both public service and private practice.
A former federal prosecutor, Steve worked for 13 years in the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota, serving as the Deputy Criminal Chief of the Special Prosecution Section (2014-2016) and as the St. Paul Branch Chief. Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, he was a prosecutor at the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office and the Winona County Attorney’s Office. Steve also has experience in military courts, having served as a JAG Corps Officer in the United States Army Reserve for 10 years.
Throughout his career, Steve has tried a diverse variety of criminal cases, including homicide, criminal sexual conduct, armed robbery, assault, and other violent crime; complex narcotics conspiracies; racketeering; organized crime; fraud; money laundering; and civil rights violations. He has had numerous jury trials and has conducted hundreds of investigations.
In 2016, Steve served as a prosecutor on the Jacob Wetterling case, prosecuting Danny Heinrich on federal child pornography charges that led to his confession to Jacob’s kidnapping and murder as well as the recovery of his remains. Steve was recognized as an “Attorney of the Year” by Minnesota Lawyer for his dedicated work.
Steve is often interviewed by the media for insight and commentary relating to high profile litigation matters. He served as an on-air commentator during the internationally watched trial of Mohamed Noor, the former Minneapolis police officer who was prosecuted for murder in connection with the on-duty shooting death of Justine Ruszczyk Damond.
Credits
This event has been approved for 1 standard CLE credit code 391251 through July 22, 2023.
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 Molly Tyroler.
The Next Step for the ERA: SCOTUS, Congress, or Starting Over?
Description
Speaker:
Danaya Wright, Clarence J. TeSelle Endowed Professor at the University of Florida, Levin College of Law.
Comment & Moderator:
Joanna Woolman is an Associate Professor of Law and the Director of the Institute for Children, Families and Communities at Mitchell Hamline School of Law.
The ERA was first proposed in Congress in 1923, but did not successfully emerge until 49 years later, in 1972, when it was sent to the states for ratification. Saddled with a 7-year deadline for state ratification, it ran into opposition from a conservative coalition that objected to women’s equality and feared the loss of women’s privileges. Forty-eight years later, however, in 2020 it received ratification by the 38th state, Virginia, queueing up a series of unprecedented constitutional questions. Does Congress have Article V power to impose a ratification deadline on the states? May the states rescind their ratifications before the necessary 3/4ths of ratifications? May the National Archivist, who is taxed with publishing the amendment, defer to the executive branch Justice Department in determining whether to publish or not? May Congress waive or remove the deadline, or vote to accept the ERA? The lean 70 words of Article V governing constitutional amendments provide little guidance on these issues which are currently in the federal courts. With a conservative majority on SCOTUS, and a bare democratic majority in Congress, what is likely to happen now that we have our first female vice president who has announced that the ERA is high priority? This presentation will explore those issues and the legal and political landscape for what could be our Twenty-Eighth Amendment.
Professor Joanna Woolman will moderate this event and comment on Prof. Wright’s presentation.
About the Speakers:
Danaya Wright is the Clarence J. TeSelle Endowed Professor at the University of Florida, Levin College of Law. She has taught in law schools at Arizona State, Indiana University-Indianapolis, and Georgetown. She teaches Property, Constitutional Law, Trusts and Estates, Legal History, and the History of Women in the Law. She has authored dozens of articles and book chapters on such diverse subjects as English family law, American property law involving railroads and utilities, the Constitutional Law of Takings, and on the Equal Rights Amendment. Professor Wright holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Johns Hopkins and a J.D. from Cornell University, as well as master’s degrees in English literature from the University of Arizona and from St. John’s College in Liberal Education. She has been working closely with the State of Virginia and Equality Now on amicus briefs in the ERA litigation and has blogged and spoken on the subject at events around the country.
Joanna Woolman is an Associate Professor of Law and the Director of the Institute for Children, Families and Communities at Mitchell Hamline School of Law. Professor Woolman researches, writes, and presents about women’s experiences in the child protection system and criminal justice system. She is a member of the Minnesota Supreme Court’s Juvenile Protection and Adoption Rules Committee. She has been a public defender, directed MHSL’s Re-entry Clinic, and taught in its Child Protection Program and legal skills programs. She holds the J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law.
Credits
This event has been approved for 1 on-demand CLE credit (code 360532) through May. 12, 2023.
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 Joanna Woolman.
Police Officers on Trial
Description
The Department of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion will be hosting a series of three panel discussions regarding the trials of four Minneapolis police officers who have been charged with criminal offenses relating to the death of George Floyd. These discussions will focus on the legal and practical issues that arise when police officers are charged with committing crimes. This program is the first in that series.
The first panel will be moderated by Rick Petry and will feature Thomas Heffelfinger, former United States Attorney for the District of Minnesota, Professor Joanna Wolman, and criminal defense attorney Ryan Pacyga ’02.
Presenter Biographies
Thomas Heffelfinger
Thomas B. Heffelfinger is an attorney in private practice at the Best and Flannigan law firm in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was the U.S. Attorney for Minnesota from 1991 to 1993 and from 2001 to 2006. He served as assistant U.S. Attorney from 1982 to 1988 and assistant Hennepin County Attorney from 1976 to 1982.
Joanna Woolman
Joanna Woolman is an Associate Professor of Law and the Director of the Institute for Children, Families and Communities at Mitchell Hamline School of Law. Professor Woolman researches, writes, and presents about women’s experiences in the child protection system and criminal justice system. Joanna is a member of the State Supreme Court Juvenile and Adoption Rules Committee. She also regularly presents locally and nationally at trainings focused on parent advocacy, system reform, and trauma informed practice. She teaches Criminal Law, Constitutional Law, and Feminist Jurisprudence. Prior to that she worked as a public defender in Minnesota
Ryan Pacyga
Ryan Pacyga represents people accused of serious crimes including murder, assault, fraud, criminal sexual conduct, firearms and drug trafficking in state and federal courts across the nation. His victories include not guilty verdicts and dismissals in criminal sexual conduct, murder, assault, burglary, controlled substance/drugs, robbery, firearm possession, prostitution and DWI cases. Ryan strives not only to get the best results in court for his clients, but to improve their lives as well by helping with any underlying issues that may exist such as addiction/alcoholism, anxiety, depression, anger management and a host of other issues that commonly plague defendants in the criminal justice system.
Ryan is also on the Board of Directors of the Minnesota Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and a Life Member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
Rick Petry
Rick is an adjunct professor and a Program Manger of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at MHSL. Rick joined Mitchell Hamline after representing individuals and companies for nearly 20 years in criminal defense, personal injury, commercial litigation, and real estate matters as a trial attorney.
Credits
This event is approved for 1.5 on-demand CLE standard credits (code 354615) through April 22, 2023.
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
Seven Deadly Sins of Drafting from Forms
Description
Practicing attorneys know that drafting a document from scratch is from less common than drafting from a form (whether that form is a previous document used as an example or a template). Because drafting from a form is common practice, it is important for attorneys to use sound techniques to make the most of their time and efforts when drafting from a form. This presentation will discuss a method for drafting from forms and highlight common pitfalls to avoid.
Presenter Kimberly Holst is a Clinical Professor of Law at Arizona State University College of Law. She teaches Legal Method and Writing as well as upper-level writing and skills courses. Professor Holst’s scholarship focuses on the interdisciplinary use of methods from various areas of educational pedagogy and their application to teaching the law. Her work is also applied to the development of law school pedagogy in the global context. Specifically, Professor Holst has presented to various international audiences about techniques for more effective law school pedagogy. Additionally, she has written in the areas of intellectual property law and criminal procedure.
Prior to joining ASU in 2010, she taught Legal Research and Writing at Hamline University School of Law and at the University of Minnesota Law School. While at Hamline, Professor Holst created a pipeline for diversity pilot program aimed at helping middle school-aged children think about and aspire to a career in the law. She also developed a self-assessment tool to aid first-year law students in reflecting about their skills and knowledge as they relate to achieving the school’s learning outcomes.
Outside the classroom, Professor Holst has served as a mediator and an attorney for a Minnesota legal aid organization. She also practiced in a variety of areas as a private attorney prior to becoming a professor.
Credits
This event has been approved for 1 on-demand CLE credit (code 303215) through May 7, 2022.
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 Kimberly Holst.
U.S. Supreme Court Review 2021
Description
This CLE will provide a review of the Supreme Court’s constitutional decisions from October Term 2020-21.
Speakers
Professor Mike Steenson, Mitchell Hamline School of Law
Professor Mehmet Konar-Steenberg, Mitchell Hamline School of Law
Professor Engy Abdelkader, Mitchell Hamline School of Law
Credits
This event has been approved for 1 Standard CLE credit. The code 425481 is valid through Dec. 15, 2023.
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, Prof. Mehmet Konar-Steenberg or Prof. Engy Abdelkader.
U.S. Supreme Court Review 2020
Description
This CLE provides an overview of important Supreme Court cases decided in the October 2018 Term.
Presenter Professor Mike Steenson, the Larry and Christine Bell Distinguished Professorship at Mitchell Hamline School of Law. Professor Steenson’s primary focus has been on Minnesota tort law. His work with the Minnesota District Judges Association Civil Jury Instruction Guides Committee has allowed him to gain important insights into the way tort law is implemented in Minnesota, as well as in other jurisdictions. The committee of excellent judges Peter Knapp and Professor Steenson have had the privilege to work with over the course of many years on the Minnesota Civil Jury Instruction Guides and accompanying Handbook has had a significant impact on how he perceives and teaches the law of torts to students. He also teaches constitutional law as well as seminars on American legal history and religion and the constitution. Professor Steenson’s interest in constitutional law was rekindled after his experience in China during the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989.
Presenter Professor Mehmet Konar-Steenberg, the Briggs & Morgan/Xcel Energy Chair in Energy and Environmental Law at Mitchell Hamline School of Law. Professor Konar-Steenberg teaches administrative law, U.S. and comparative constitutional law, environmental law, and property law. He coordinates the school’s Regulatory Pathway and Environmental, Energy, and Natural Resources Pathway, and coaches the school’s environmental law moot court team.
He has published several articles on the application of the dormant Commerce Clause doctrine, including an empirical analysis of the impact of judges’ party affiliations on dormant Commerce Clause decisions. Professor Konar-Steenberg is co-editor of the third edition of George Beck’s Minnesota Administrative Procedure, an online collaboration with members of the Minnesota Bar Association Administrative Law Section and other administrative law practitioners. Access to the treatise is available free-of-charge.
Professor Konar-Steenberg oversees the annual Energy and Environment Conference at Mitchell Hamline. He also gives an annual presentation to the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office on United States Supreme Court developments with his colleague, Professor Michael Steenson.
Professor Konar-Steenberg serves on the board of directors and legal affairs committee for the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy and editorial board for the Legal Writing Institute’s Monograph Series. He has represented asylum seekers through the Advocates for Human Rights. He is a trustee for Lake Country Montessori School, and was the founding chair of the board of directors of Great River Montessori School.
Credits
This event has been approved for 1 on-demand CLE credit (code 301291) through April 13, 2022.
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 or Mehmet Konar-Steenberg.
US Supreme Court Review 2019
This CLE provides a review of key decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States from October Term 2019.
Professor Mike Steenson, the Larry and Christine Bell Distinguished Professorship at Mitchell Hamline School of Law.
Professor Steenson’s primary focus has been on Minnesota tort law. His work with the Minnesota District Judges Association Civil Jury Instruction Guides Committee has allowed him to gain important insights into the way tort law is implemented in Minnesota, as well as in other jurisdictions. The committee of excellent judges Peter Knapp and Professor Steenson have had the privilege to work with over the course of many years on the Minnesota Civil Jury Instruction Guides and accompanying Handbook has had a significant impact on how he perceives and teaches the law of torts to students. He also teaches constitutional law as well as seminars on American legal history and religion and the constitution. Professor Steenson’s interest in constitutional law was rekindled after his experience in China during the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989.
Professor Mehmet Konar-Steenberg, the Briggs & Morgan/Xcel Energy Chair in Energy and Environmental Law at Mitchell Hamline School of Law.
Professor Konar-Steenberg teaches administrative law, U.S. and comparative constitutional law, environmental law, and property law. He coordinates the school’s Regulatory Pathway and Environmental, Energy, and Natural Resources Pathway, and coaches the school’s environmental law moot court team.
He has published several articles on the application of the dormant Commerce Clause doctrine, including an empirical analysis of the impact of judges’ party affiliations on dormant Commerce Clause decisions. Professor Konar-Steenberg is co-editor of the third edition of George Beck’s Minnesota Administrative Procedure, an online collaboration with members of the Minnesota Bar Association Administrative Law Section and other administrative law practitioners. Access to the treatise is available free-of-charge.
Professor Konar-Steenberg oversees the annual Energy and Environment Conference at Mitchell Hamline. He also gives an annual presentation to the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office on United States Supreme Court developments with his colleague, Professor Michael Steenson.
Professor Konar-Steenberg serves on the board of directors and legal affairs committee for the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy and editorial board for the Legal Writing Institute’s Monograph Series. He has represented asylum seekers through the Advocates for Human Rights. He is a trustee for Lake Country Montessori School, and was the founding chair of the board of directors of Great River Montessori School.
Credits
This event has been approved for 1 on-demand CLE credit (code 333105) through Dec. 17, 2022.
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@mitchellhamline.edu or mehmet.konarsteenberg@mitchellhamline.edu.
Veterans Issues- Obstacles for Those Who Served
Description
Veterans face a number of challenges upon reentry to civilian life, and many of those challenges have legal ramifications- in particular consumer debt, family law issues, housing, and employment struggles. This panel will address those issues as well as some of the specific responses to veterans’ issues in the law, such as discharge upgrades and veterans’ courts. In exploring the issues veterans contend with and the resources available to them, the panelists will also discuss prejudice against veterans in the legal profession and in the administration of justice.
This CLE includes the following panelists:
Virgil Bradley is a fourteen-year combat veteran of the U.S. Military and focuses primarily on veterans legal issues in family law. However, he does not limit his practice to veterans. Virgil also has experience in the appellate courts, mostly with criminal appeals and family law. Virgil’s appellate experience includes appeals to the Minnesota Court of Appeals, the Minnesota Supreme Court, and the United States Supreme Court. His appeals have included DUI’s, habeas corpus, and homicide. Virgil graduated from the University of Phoenix, summa cum laude, with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and has an education in Electrical Engineering from the U.S. Navy. Virgil graduated cum laude from William Mitchell College of Law with a Juris Doctor in May 2011. Virgil was one of the founders of Minnesota Veterans Legal Assistance (MNVLA). MNVLA is a non-profit organization that finds low cost or pro bono legal services for veterans.
John Degnan regularly represents clients in business disputes, as well as members of the legal and medical communities in professional matters. He has more than 40 years of experience handling medical malpractice claims, prescription drug and pharmacy matters, products liability and issues relating to the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) and the federal False Claims Act. John has also represented clients with electronic medical records (EMR) issues and has experience with HIPAA and HITECH. He is frequently chosen as a mediator and arbitrator in business disputes and employment, commercial and injury cases.
Judge Carolina A. Lamas is a District Court Judge in the Fourth Judicial District of Minnesota (Hennepin County) chambered in Minneapolis. Judge Lamas has been presiding over Veterans Treatment Court, Mental Health Treatment Court, and Rule 20 competency hearings since 2017 and was previously assigned on the criminal felony block. Prior to her time on the bench, Judge Lamas was the Executive Director and Lead Attorney of the Neighborhood Justice Center in St. Paul, a non-profit criminal defense firm focusing services on communities of color and other underserved populations (2007 – 1014); and was an Assistant Public Defender is Ramsey County, Minnesota (2003 – 2007). Judge Lamas is a past Vice President of the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota, and past President of the Minnesota Hispanic Bar Association. Judge Lamas earned her B.A. and J.D. from the University of Minnesota.
Brian Schenk is the founder of Midwest Military & Veterans Law in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He has devoted more than a decade of his life to helping current and former military members of all branches reach their legal goals. He has worked on numerous cases, in nearly every military-related subject area, at every level. He has particular expertise in discharge upgrades and matters before the boards for correction of military records. Further, his distinction as an expert in the nuanced field of judicial review of military decisions gives his clients a unique advantage.
Sara Sommarstrom serves as the Vetlaw Director for the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans, working with attorneys and non-lawyers across the state of Minnesota to remove and reduce legal barriers to stability for veterans experiencing homelessness and other life crises. Sara is a past member of the ABA Veterans Legal Services Initiative, past co-chair of the ABA Coordinating Committee on Veterans Benefits and Services, continues to serve as a liaison to the ABA Commission on Homelessness and Poverty, and is an active member of several state and local bar association committees. Ms. Sommarstrom was honored to receive recognition as a 2014 Unsung Hero from the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans for her work addressing legal barriers to housing and employment stability for homeless veterans.
Credits
This event has been approved for 1 on-demand CLE credit (code 303222) through May 7, 2022.
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 John Degnan.
Voting Rights Act: Past, Present, Future
Presenters:
Speaker:
Raleigh Levine, Professor of Law and James E. Kelley Chair in Tort Law, Mitchell Hamline School of Law.
Moderator:
Aretha Haynes, President, Black Law Student Association, Mitchell Hamline School of Law
Description:
The Voting Rights Act, passed in 1965, was groundbreaking civil rights legislation. The VRA’s purpose was to overcome the obstacles that states, counties, and cities put in place to keep Black Americans from exercising their right to vote, guaranteed by the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. What are the events that led to its passage? How did it try to end voting discrimination against voters in racial and language minority groups? What difference has it made, including in the 2020 election? And what does the future hold now that the U.S. Supreme Court has decided that some of its provisions are unconstitutional? Mitchell Hamline Law Professor Raleigh Levine’s presentation will examine the VRA, describe its history, and consider where it stands today and what might be next. Mitchell Hamline’s BLSA President, Aretha Haynes, will moderate a discussion following Prof. Levine’s talk.
About the Speakers:
Professor Raleigh Levine’s academic interests focus on the First Amendment rights of freedom of speech and press. Her passion for First Amendment rights stems from her pre-law school experience as a news editor and producer for CNN Headline News. After graduating with honors from Stanford Law School and clerking for the Ninth Circuit, she spent the first years of her legal career as a litigator specializing in speech and press issues, serving as an attorney for the Southern California ACLU and other public interest-oriented law firms. Her practice also involved significant litigation in Election Law, and her interest in that field, particularly in electoral speech issues, has heightened since she entered the legal academy. In addition to teaching, writing, and submitting amicus curiae briefs on First Amendment and Election Law topics on behalf of high-profile public interest organizations, she frequently serves as an expert on those issues for both local and national news media.
About the Moderator:
Aretha Haynes is the current President of the Mitchell Hamline Black Law Student Association (BLSA). A winter 2021 graduate of the law school, Ms. Haynes is studying for the Georgia Bar examination even as she continues to serve as a volunteer on multiple boards and committees. Through her law school journey, she made the Dean’s List, participated in mock trial/moot court competitions, received the CALI award in family law, and won several scholarships. She is most proud of her volunteerism and, one day, plans to create her own Mobile Law Office to bring legal representation to underrepresented and marginalized communities.
Credits:
This event has been approved for 1 on-demand CLE credit (code 360536) through May. 12, 2023.
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 Marie Failinger.
Additional CLE Content from Mitchell Hamline
The Future of Healthcare Reform
This program focuses on the Future of Healthcare Reform and is divided into panel sessions and keynote speakers. Please visit the Symposia Page to look at what each session will cover.
There are 5.25 standard credits available, and the event code is 301415. Registration is complimentary.
Contact person: megan.bohlman@mitchellhamline.edu
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Course
Description
This GDPR course will focus on the new rights provided to data subjects, the types of companies subject to GDPR law, the policies and procedures companies must use to comply with the law, and how companies will need to operate in this new regulatory environment.
Credits
Approved for 2 on-demand CLE’s.
Cost
$695
Human Resources Compliance Courses
Compensation and Benefits: Approved for 2 on-demand CLEs and 2 PDCs for SHRM.
Employment-Based Immigration Law: Approved for 5 on-demand CLEs and 5 PDCs for SHRM.
Affirmative Action and Anti-Discrimination Compliance: Approved for 2 Elimination of Bias on-demand CLEs and 2 PDCs for SHRM.
Cost
$395/course
Telemedicine Law
The development of sustainable and scalable virtual services can be decelerated by a multitude of rapidly-changing legal and regulatory requirements on both state and federal levels. Often the laws and guidance are confusing and outdated because they were drafted at a time when telemedicine did not exist, making them difficult to interpret and apply to today’s new modalities of health care. An embedded practice-oriented compliance program helps to operationalize the regulatory requirements while managing an organization’s risk. The Associate Administrator for Mayo Clinic’s Center for Connected Care will discuss the value in partnering with Legal and Compliance to integrate best practices within the clinical practice and operational processes, while Legal Counsel and Compliance Manager for the Center discuss the establishment of a compliance program that is integrated into its telemedicine center. Following the forum, attendees should understand the seven elements of an effective compliance program and how they may be used to build a sustainable and scalable compliance program in a virtual care center as well as understand legal and regulatory principles relevant to telemedicine and how variations and frequent changes can be managed as part of a compliance program. This program has been approved for 1.5 standard credits, and the event code is 264450. Registration is complimentary.