Get to Know Us: HLI Faculty & Staff
Meet David Graham, MHSL Adjunct Professor and Senior Counsel for top national law firm, Dykema
Tell us about the evolution of the Food Law Center and why it represents a unique and exciting opportunity for students.
The Food Law Center (FLC) grew out of teaching FDA law at Hamline and then later at Mitchell Hamline, as well as the inclusion of food law attorneys in the Minnesota State Bar Association’s food, drug, and device committee. Seeing the assembly of food lawyers at the MSBA led me to conclude that there are growing opportunities for lawyers in the market both at food companies and in private law firms. I thought Mitchell Hamline would be the ideal place to develop the study of food law. That effort began with a single food law course and now includes courses in food labeling, food safety, and foodborne illness litigation.
What inspired you to focus your career in the area of food law?
I was involved in a case defending a pharmaceutical manufacturer as it related to the death of a herd of cattle and allegations that the medicine in the feed caused the animals’ illness. While working with lawyers that represented the feed companies, I realized that there was a meaningful but small food law bar. I became interested in the area because of its social and cultural importance, and because of the number of food companies in the upper Midwest. Minnesota is first and foremost a food state both in terms of production as well as manufacturing. It has significant food companies from small startups to multinational corporations including Cargill, General Mills, Target, Dairy Queen, Land O Lakes, and others. I have represented a variety of food companies and it is both interesting and challenging.
What have you enjoyed most about teaching the food law course and serving as chair of the FLC Advisory Board?
I enjoy teaching food law because it is a subject matter that is immediately accessible to students in that it involves products in their everyday lives. We can readily apply the legal concepts that have developed over the last century to the products that we purchase every day. Additionally, I have found that students enjoy studying this topic from a wellness perspective since what we eat impacts our own personal health and the health of people in our society. Also, Mitchell Hamline students are great to work with.
With respect to serving as Chair of the Food Law Center Advisory Board, I especially enjoy working with all the talented lawyers and food professionals who have helped us create this important Center. They have been gracious with their time and have developed outstanding courses in food safety, food borne illness litigation, and labeling. I have also enjoyed working with Barbara Colombo, the Director of the Health Law Institute (HLI). She has given us tremendous guidance on how to work within the law school and be an integral part of the HLI. Her guidance and the work of HLI staff have been instrumental in the development and growth of the Food Law Center.
What’s something that people might not know about you?
I own two small Munsterlander hunting dogs. Munsterlanders are German spaniels that hunt game birds. I enjoy training them as well as being outdoors with them in the fall. Otto and Axel help me stay in shape and enjoy nature.
Healthy Dose of Good News
Eleanor Gray, ’21 — Post Grad Success
What have you been doing professionally since graduating?
While I was studying for the February 2022 bar exam, I accepted an offer to clerk for the Honorable Patrick Diamond in the Second Judicial District (Ramsey County, Minnesota). My experience as a judicial law clerk was invaluable, and I recommend clerking to anyone who asks about my experience. Now, I am working as an Associate Attorney at OFT Food Safety & Injury Lawyers, a Minneapolis focusing on foodborne illness cases in Minnesota and throughout the country.
What inspired you to focus your practice in this area?
Two of the partners at OFT, Brendan Flaherty and Ryan Osterholm, taught at Mitchell Hamline and, one summer, I signed up for their course. Truly fascinating stuff! Among other things, I was inspired by the impact their work has on the safety of our food supply and, equally important, the impact their work has on their clients’ lives. I also grew up on a small farm in central Minnesota (my parents raise beef cattle and sheep), and it’s been a goal of mine to help shape a food system that prioritizes sustainable and safe food production practices. I do that work every day at OFT.
What were some of your favorite experiences at MHSL?
My favorite day of law school was the day Professor Konar-Steenberg asked us to write a haiku poem about the dormant Commerce Clause.
What are you most proud of?
I’m proud of the work I do at OFT on behalf of our clients. We’re a small firm so I work on many of our cases and am fortunate enough to really get to know our clients—their stories, their illnesses, their recoveries. Simply put, I’m proud that we get justice for folks injured by contaminated food and that our work makes our food system safer.
We welcome the opportunity to share your good news in one of our upcoming newsletters, and encourage any students or alumni to email us!
Events & Opportunities
The Food Law Center has hosted three symposia over the last year and a half. These events have been approved for CLE credits and are available to all alumni and newsletter subscribers at no cost. The list below includes links with more information:
- Food Insecurity
- Food Traceability: Definition and Challenges From Farm to Fork and Back
- Food Transparency: What Is It and Who Defines It?
If interested in an on-demand CLE, email the Health Law Institute.
Faculty & Staff News
Congratulations to the HLI faculty and staff on their accomplishments in March, April, and May of 2023! Follow the links to view their most recent presentations, publications, events, panels, and media highlights.
Health Care Compliance Certificate Program 
Gain a competitive advantage in one of the hottest job markets by obtaining your Health Care Compliance Certificate through our 11-14 credit program, completely online! More information and application details for J.D. students and for working professionals.
Accepting applications for the fall 2023 cohort until July 3rd.
Health Law Institute’s Rankings
The Health Law Institute has once again been awarded an ‘A’ by preLaw. Read more on page 34 in their Back to School 2022 issue.
U.S. News & World Report
Mitchell Hamline School of Law’s Health Law Institute was ranked nationally by U.S. News & World Report for 2023.
Subscribe to the newsletter
This quarterly newsletter includes information about upcoming events, courses, certificates, and student, faculty, and alumni news. It’s a great way to stay up to date and involved with Mitchell Hamline School of Law’s Health Law Institute.