from lawyer to legislator - university of minnesota law ... · new faculty † clinics †...

IN THIS ISSUE

New Faculty • Clinics • Curriculum Reform • Student & Alumni Profiles • Class Notes

SPRING 2007

Alumni say an education in law has prepared themwell for a role ingovernment.

The Magazine for the University of Minnesota Law School

From Lawyer to Legislator

INTERIM DEANSGuy-Uriel E. CharlesFred L. Morrison

INTERIM DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONSCynthia Huff

SENIOR EDITORCorrine Charais

CONTRIBUTING EDITORScotty G. Mann

CONTRIBUTING WRITERSLarina BrownCorrine CharaisAnita ColeSusan GainenKatherine HedinFrank JossiScotty MannSteve MarcheseBrett McDonnellTodd MelbyStuart NostdahlJordan ParadiseMatt PowersRima RedaJon SpaydeMauritis SteinebachSarah VokesCarl WarrenLeslie Watson

COVER ILLUSTRATIONJohn Weber

PHOTOGRAPHERSAnthony BrandenburgDan MarshallTony NelsonJohn NoltnerTim Rummelhoff

DESIGNERSCarr Creatives

Corrections & Clarifications: On page 44 of the winter issueof Perspectives, Auxiliary Bishop Richard Pates was misiden-tified as Archbishop Harry J. Flynn. We regret the error.

Perspectives is a general interest magazine publishedthroughout the academic year for the University of Minnesota Law School community of alumni, friends, and supporters. Letters to the editor or any other communi-cation regarding content should be sent to Cynthia Huff([email protected]), Interim Director of Communications,University of Minnesota Law School, 229 19th AvenueSouth, Room 225, Minneapolis, MN 55455.

©2007 by University of Minnesota Law School.

As a would-be golfer with fewer opportunities to play than I would like, I am repeatedlyimpressed by the small margins that separate an excellent shot from an average one. A minor head bob, a slightly off angle on approach, or a trivial distraction can mean

the difference between a dandy and a duff. This, I suspect, is why even the best golfers investthe time, energy, and resources necessary to increase the margins in their favor.

As deans, Fred and I are conscious of the margins that separate excellent institutions fromaverage ones. Truly excellent law schools are able to offer a scholarship to a promising student,who decades later makes a multimillion dollar gift in a demonstration of gratitude. Excellentlaw schools can recruit a world-class scholar, who in turn attracts more scholars who otherwisewould not have come. They can develop programs to address and resolve pressing societalissues and become the go-to body on topics of national and international importance.

Institutions do not become excellent by chance; they carefully form a creative and boldvision of what they are and where they are going. Perhaps most critically, they have resourcesthat enable them to take advantage of opportunities, boost their structural strengths, andincrease the margins of excellence in their favor.

As you will see in the pages of this magazine, the Law School is on the move. We haverecently hired nine amazing new faculty members, four of whom hold, in addition to a J.D., aPh.D.—from Harvard, Yale, Chicago, and Cambridge. We are recruiting another fabulous classof students to match this year’s entering class, arguably our best ever. We are making excitingand cutting-edge curricular changes by retooling our first-year curriculum (see “CurriculumReform,” page 30) and building innovative programs. Through the generosity of two of ouralumni, Ronald (class of 1960) and Kristine (class of 1972) Erickson, we are developing aworld-class legal history program. We are exploring a law and globalization initiative focusingon how law can interact with other disciplines to produce meaningful improvements in devel-oping countries. We are committed to expanding our clinical offerings and having a greaterimpact than ever on our local community.

Minnesota is known for educating generations of leaders. The Minnesota Model of legaleducation provides an extremely rigorous doctrinal, theoretical, and practical education thatequips and inspires our students to be difference-makers. Our alumni leaders are as diverse as U.S. Congressman Keith Ellison and Governor Tim Pawlenty (see “From Lawyer toLegislator,” page 16), but they share a common bond forged by the Law School’s ethos ofintegrity, intelligence, creativity, and diligence.

The Law School is striving for excellence, and we have some wonderful momentum. But aswith golf, the margin between excellent and average is razor-thin. Achieving excellence takesresources, and we need your help. The state provides less than 9% of the Law School’s operat-ing budget; more than 70% comes from student tuition revenues. With annual resident tuitionexceeding $20,000 and nonresident exceeding $30,000, it is unrealistic to plan on maintainingthe status quo, let alone achieving excellence, through further tuition increases. We can reachexcellence only through substantial investments from our alumni and friends.

Minnesota is and always has been a great public law school, one you should be proud toclaim as your alma mater. Our many achievements have been accomplished over generations of effort, and we are committed to honoring this proud tradition. We are confident that with your help, we can continue to improve and build upon this tradition of excellence. Thank you for your support.

Teeing Up for Excellence

Guy-Uriel E. Charles

GUY-URIEL E. CHARLES

Perspectives S P R I N G 2 0 0 7 1www.law.umn.edu

Contents

Alumni say an education in law has prepared them well for a role in government.by Frank JossiIllustration by John Weber

18 Political Action Among Alumni

FEATURES

2

16 From Lawyer to Legislator

21 The Clinical Difference Students learn law for the real world in clinical courses.By Jon SpaydePhoto by Anthony Brandenburg

24 Faculty Profile: Maury Landsman

25 Student Essay: Prosecutor on the Defense

21

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b uary 16, 2

Ineqhe Next 25 Years

International Human Rights Standar

Professor Dinah L. Shelton

George Washington University Law School

Professor Fionnuala Ní Aoláin

University of Minnesota Law School

Race and Class

Professor John A. Powell

Ohio State University Moritz College of Law

Professor Myron Orfield


Genetic Discrimination

Professor Mark A. Rothstein

University of Louisville

Poverty and Natural Disasters

Professor Jim Chen


Professor Daniel A. Farber

University of California, Berkeley School of La

Disability and Employment

Professor Peter Blanck

Syracuse University College of Law

1 Dean’s PerspectiveTeeing Up for Excellence

4 Faculty Perspective5 Faculty R&D

October 1, 2006–March 1, 2007

13 New Faculty: World class scholars offer rich global experience.Laura Beny, Susanna Blumenthal, Thomas P. Gallanis, Michele Goodwin,Richard W. Painter, Daniel Schwarcz, Gregory C. Shaffer, Lisa Stratton,Barbara Y. Welke

26 At the Law School 27 Symposium on the War on Terror28 In China’s Shadow 29 Law and Inequality Symposium30 Curriculum Reform 31 Race for Justice 32 The CPDC Steps Up33 National Conference on Research Cloning33 Beijing Activities33 New Director of International Programs34 International Fellowship Program 34 Upper Midwest Human Rights Fellowships35 Minnesota Justice Foundation Welcomes Two To Staff35 Summer Clerkship Program 36 Fine Wines and Rare Books36 Moot Court Competition

38 Student Perspective 39 Dissimilar Backgrounds Converge at the Law School

Mohak Bhadana, Shilesh Muralidhara, Sarah Corris, Kyle Brenton

40 Remembering Chris Oster41 Raise the Bar’s Day of Service41 Appointments, Awards, and Recognitions42 Experiencing Minnesota from Atop the Ice43 The Twisted Tale of TORT’s Reform

44 Alumni Perspective45 Distinguished Alumni Profiles

Sally Benjamin, Dwight Lindholm, Bret Thiele, Steve Shapiro

47 Class Notes51 Recent Grads Happy Hour52 Alumni Weekend 54 Memorial Tributes

Lawrence Brown, Victor Kramer, Robert McClure, Edith Wargo

56 In Memoriam

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Dean Emeritus and Professor Robert Stein, other faculty, and students listen as Professor Judith Younger (inset) delivers herJoseph E. Wargo and Anoka County Bar Association Professor of Family Law lecture.

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Professors Fionnuala Ní Aoláin and Oren Gross received the 2007 Certificate of

Merit from the American Society of InternationalLaw for their book Law in Times of Crisis.

Co-Dean Guy Charles and Professor Francesco Parisi.

Professor MichaelStokes Paulsen

delivers his reappointment as

Law Alumni Distinguished

Professor lecture.

Professor Kevin Washburn at the National Native American Law Moot Court Dinner.

Faculty Perspective

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Clinical faculty members: Carl Warren, StephenSimon, Lisa Stratton, Prentiss Cox, Maury

Landsman, Jean Sanderson and Kathryn Sedo.

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Faculty R&DHighlights of the numerous publications, presentations, and achievements of Law School faculty.October 1, 2006, to March 1, 2007

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BEVERLY BALOSProfessor Balos continues to train advo-cates for victims of domestic violence inadvanced advocacy techniques. Because ofits popularity, training was offered in Feb-ruary and will be offered twice in April.She participated in two filmed interviews:one for a documentary entitled “We WillHarbor You: A History of Minnesota’sBattered Women’s Movement,” tentativelyscheduled for release in 2007, and anotherfor the Clinical Education Oral HistoryProject conducted by The Catholic Uni-versity of America, Columbus School ofLaw, National Archive of Clinical LegalEducation. Professor Balos’ article“Domestic Violence Matters: The Case forAppointed Counsel in Protective OrderProceedings” was published in the sum-mer 2006 issue of Temple Political & CivilRights Law Review.

STEPHEN F. BEFORTProfessor Befort has been active on severalprojects relating to labor and employmentlaw. He published a 2006-2007 supple-ment to his book Employment Law andPractice and the article “A Perfect Storm ofRetirement Security: Fixing the Three-Legged Stool of Social Security, Pensions,and Personal Savings” in the MinnesotaLaw Review. He also completed work ontwo book projects: Arbitration 2006: TakingStock in a New Century. Proceedings of theFifty-Ninth Annual Meeting of the NationalAcademy of Arbitrators, co-edited with PaulGerhart and due out in 2007; and WorkingOut a Balance: Public Policies for Employmentwith a Human Face, co-authored with JohnW. Budd and submitted for possible publi-cation. Professor Befort also published theprofessional education article “AdvancedSupreme Court Update: Labor andEmployment Decisions of the 2005-06Term” in Labor and Employment Law Insti-tute Manual for Minnesota CLE. He will

be teaching a course on comparative laborlaw and employment law in the LawSchool’s 2007 summer program in Bei-jing, China.

BRIAN H. BIXProfessor Bix presented a paper at theConference on Multi-Tiered Marriage atPepperdine University Law School, Mal-ibu, California, and will present a paperon contract theory at the IVR (Interna-tional Association for Philosophy of Lawand Social Philosophy) World Legal The-ory Conference in Krakow, Poland. Inaddition, he will present the 2007 Sidneyand Walter Siben Distinguished Professor-ship Lecture, titled “Domestic Agree-ments,” at Hofstra University Law School,Hempstead, New York. (Current LawSchool faculty, Professors Robert Levyand Judith Younger, have given Siben Lec-tures at Hofstra in the past.) An article byProfessor Bix, “Joseph Raz and Concep-tual Analysis,” will be published in a forth-coming issue of the American PhilosophicalAssociation Newsletter.

ANN M. BURKHARTProfessor Burkhart was a visiting professorat The Wharton School of the Universityof Pennsylvania during the fall semester.In October, she spoke to the AmericanCollege of Mortgage Attorneys on thenew Servicemembers’ Civil Relief Actand its impact on real estate transactions.The fifth edition of Property in the BlackLetter Series, which she co-authored withProfessor Roger Bernhardt, was publishedlast fall. Professor Burkhart recently com-pleted an article that analyzes whether alandowner has a cause of action for tres-pass or only for inverse condemnationwhen the government takes land beforecondemning it, an issue on which statesdiffer widely.

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DALE CARPENTERProfessor Carpenter has been a speaker atseveral meetings, including those of theSeattle Federalist Society, the RutgersFederalist Society, and the American Con-stitution Society at William MitchellSchool of Law. Last fall, he debated St.Thomas University Law Professor TheresaCollett at the Law School on the subjectof gay marriage. He has published a sec-tion on Rumsfeld v. FAIR and why theCourt’s ruling was “unanimously wrong”in the 2005-2006 Cato Supreme CourtReview and “Four Arguments Against aMarriage Amendment That Even anOpponent of Gay Marriage ShouldAccept” in Defending Same-Sex Marriage,edited by Mark Strasser. The article“IRBs, Regulatory Incentives, and SomeModest Proposals for Reform” will appearin a forthcoming issue of the NorthwesternUniversity Law Review. Professor Carpenteris on leave for the spring 2007 term towork on a book about Lawrence v. Texas.

GUY-URIEL E. CHARLESProfessor Charles continues his duties asinterim co-dean of the Law School. Inaddition, he and Luis Fuentes-Rohwerco-authored the article “Preclearance, Dis-crimination, and the Department of Jus-tice: The Case of South Carolina” for asymposium entitled “The Promise ofVoter Equality: Examining the VotingRights Act at Forty” published in volume57 of the South Carolina Law Review. Theco-authors also wrote the chapter“Rethinking Section 5” for The Future ofthe Voting Rights Act, edited by DavidEpstein et al and published by the RussellSage Foundation in fall 2006. For anotherfall release, Making Every Vote Count: Fed-eral Election Legislation in the States, editedby Andrew Rachlin and published by thePolicy Research Institute for the Region,Dean Charles wrote “On the Renewal of

Beverly Balos Stephen F. Befort Brian H. Bix Ann M. Burkhart Dale Carpenter Guy-Uriel E. Charles

Section 5 of the VRA: Why CongressFailed Voters of Color.” He presented thepaper “Democracy & Distortion,” to bepublished in a forthcoming issue of theCornell Law Review, at the University ofSan Diego Law School, University ofSouthern California School of Law, andHarvard Law School. He also presented“Toward a New Civil Rights Vision” atthe Harvard Law School and “Race,Redistricting, and Representation,” whichwill appear in a forthcoming issue of theOhio State Law Journal, at The Ohio StateUniversity Law School. His article “Taking Citizenship Seriously” is sched-uled for publication in the Harvard Journalof Law & Gender. Dean Charles is currently working on a writing projectcalled “We the (Colored) People.”

BRADLEY G. CLARYProfessor Clary continues to serve on theCommunication Skills Committee of theAmerican Bar Association Section ofLegal Education. He was a co-author ofthe position statement recently filed bythe Association of Legal Writing Directors(ALWD) on ABA law school accreditationstandards and procedures, and he testifiedat the ABA task force February hearingon the same topic. He is participating intwo panel presentations at this summer’sALWD conference on legal writing top-ics. Professor Clary and co-authorsSharon Reich Paulsen and MichaelVanselow have begun preliminary workon the third edition of their AmericanCasebook Series text, Advocacy on Appeal.

PRENTISS COXLast winter, Professor Cox was chair ofthe Minnesota Attorney General’s Preda-tory Lending Study Group, which draftedlegislation, currently before the Minnesotalegislature, designed to reduce imprudentand unfair mortgage lending practices.Among numerous presentations, he spokeat the 12th Annual Consumer FinancialServices Litigation Institute sponsored bythe Practicing Law Institute in New Yorkin March. He is principal author and edi-tor-in-chief of Consumer Fraud and Decep-tive Trade Practice Regulation in Minnesota, a

book to be published by the MinnesotaState Bar Association in spring 2007.

BARRY C. FELDProfessor Feld is conducting a majorempirical study of how police routinelyquestion youths, the first of this type andonly the second empirical study of policeinterrogation in criminology. Last fall, hewas keynote speaker at the NorthernKentucky University Law School Sympo-sium on Juvenile Justice and presented “ACentury of Juvenile Justice: A ‘Work inProgress’ or a Revolution That Failed?”He was a panel presenter at the John D.and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’sAdolescent Development and JuvenileJustice Network Conference, “BringingResearch to Policy and Practice in theJuvenile Justice System,” and a plenaryspeaker on “Police Interrogation of Juve-niles” at the National Juvenile Defenders’Leadership Summit, both in Washington,D.C., and invited guest lecturer at theChild Advocacy Program: Art of SocialChange at Harvard Law School, present-ing “Abolish the Juvenile Court.” InMarch, he was distinguished lecturer atthe University of Utah’s S. J. QuinneyCollege of Law and presented “The Cycleof Juvenile Justice: Paroxysms of Punitive-ness and a Return to Rationality.” Profes-sor Feld is a member of the Girls StudyGroup, supported by Research TriangleInstitute (RTI) International and the U.S.Department of Justice’s Office of JuvenileJustice and Delinquency Prevention,which is conducting research on girls inthe juvenile justice system. He is also eval-uating the effects of 1995 changes in theMinnesota juvenile code. Based on analy-ses of interrogation files from the RamseyCounty Attorney’s office, Professor Feldpublished “Juveniles’ Competence toExercise Miranda Rights: An EmpiricalStudy of Policy and Practice” in theNovember issue of Minnesota Law Reviewand “Police Interrogation of Juveniles: AnEmpirical Study of Policy and Practice” inthe fall issue of the Journal of Criminal Law& Criminology. He has been collectingdata in several other urban and suburbancounties for future articles and a bookabout how police question juveniles. Pro-

Faculty R&D


TAX POLICY CONFERENCE LOOKS ATFUTURE OF TAX SHELTERSOn October 27, 2006, the Law School’s Tax Policy Conference brought together professionals and schol-ars in tax and other disciplines to share their perspec-tives on the present and future of tax shelters. Majordiscussion points were the current environment ofincreased IRS efforts to curtail tax shelter activity and subsequent pushback from the courts, the taxprofession, and Congress.

Keynote speaker Pamela Olson (pictured above,class of 1980), a partner in the tax group at Skadden,Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom and formerly an Assis-tant Secretary for Tax Policy at the U.S. Department ofthe Treasury, kicked off the conference with observa-tions from the front lines of tax practice and the taxshelters war. A full day of panel discussions followedher remarks.

Law School Professors Kristin Hickman, ClaireHill, Morgan Holcomb, and Bruce Shnider moderatedthe panels, and Professors Dan Burk and BrettMcDonnell presented a session on tax investmentstrategies and business method patents. Guest scholars represented Brooklyn Law School, GeorgeMason University, New York University, Simon FraserUniversity, Stanford, UCLA, the University of Chicago,University of Colorado, University of Pennsylvania,University of South Carolina, and University of Texas.Panels addressed a range of topics, including patent-ing tax strategies, the Compaq case, implicit taxes,and the question of pretax profit.

Professors Kristin Hickman and Claire Hill organ-ized the conference, which was generously supportedby the Federalist Society for Law and Public PolicyStudies, Deloitte, and the University of MinnesotaInstitute of Law and Economics. The conferenceschedule, conference papers and abstracts, andextensive audio and video archives can be found athttp://www.law.umn.edu/cle/2006taxsymposium.html. Conference papers will be published in anupcoming issue of the University of Virginia LawSchool’s Virginia Tax Review.

Bradley G. Clary Prentiss Cox Barry C. Feld

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to the law faculty in early February andhopes to arrange for its publication soon.He recently submitted “Law and Technol-ogy: Interactions and Relationships” tothe Minnesota Journal of Law, Science &Technology, and he is revising a manuscripton labor policy. He and Provost Tom Sul-livan are writing a paper on antitrustissues in the Roberts court for TheAntitrust Bulletin.

OREN GROSSLast fall, Professor Gross, as Director ofthe Minnesota Center for Legal Studies,co-organized two major conferences atthe Law School. October’s “9/11 FiveYears On: A Comparative Look at theGlobal War on Terrorism” broughttogether leading scholars in national secu-rity and emergency powers. Papers pre-sented will be published in the MinnesotaLaw Review. November’s highly successful“War on Terror: International and Inter-disciplinary Perspectives” attracted expertsfrom around the world and featured Uni-versity of Minnesota Provost E. ThomasSullivan as keynote speaker. ProfessorGross’ paper on humanitarian interventionunder international law and others pre-sented at the conference will be publishedin the Minnesota Journal of InternationalLaw. In January 2007, he presented “ThePhysics of the Exception” at the NationalUniversity of Singapore’s internationalconference, “Terrorism and the Rule ofLaw: Legal Theory in Times of Crisis,”which was focused on the ongoing debatebetween Professor Gross and ProfessorDavid Dyzenhaus of the University ofToronto regarding the theory of emer-gency powers. In addition, Professor Grosspresented a paper on emergency powersin the context of economic crises at“Extraordinary Powers in OrdinaryTimes” at Boston University Law School.In February, Professor Gross defended thelatke in the University of Minnesota’sNinth Annual Latke-Hamentash debate.Among his recent publications is a book,Law in Times of Crisis: Emergency Powers inTheory and Practice, published by Cam-bridge University Press and co-authoredwith Professor Fionnuala Ní Aoláin,which presents the first systematic and

fessor Feld wrote the chapter “The Inher-ent Tension of Social Welfare and Crimi-nal Social Control: Policy Lessons Fromthe American Juvenile Court Experience”for Juvenile Law Violators, Human Rights,and the Development of New Juvenile JusticeSystems, edited by Eric L. Jensen and Jor-gen Jepsen, and a 2006 supplement to thecasebook series Feld’s Cases and Materialson Juvenile Justice Administration. Duringthe spring semester, he will be teaching inthe Law School’s exchange program inUppsala, Sweden.

RICHARD S. FRASEIn November, Professor Frase presented apaper entitled “What Factors Explain Per-sistent Racial Disparities in MinnesotaPrison Populations?” at the 2006 annualmeeting of the American Society ofCriminology. His article, “Blakely in Min-nesota, Two Years Out: Guidelines Sen-tencing is Alive and Well” was publishedin the fall 2006 issue of Ohio State Journalof Criminal Law. Three other articles onsentencing and sentencing guidelines willbe published this summer. He is onresearch leave in the spring semester,completing work on a book examiningconstitutional proportionality principlesand beginning a book on punishmenttheory.

DANIEL J. GIFFORDProfessor Gifford presented a paper ontransactions costs at the fall meeting of theCanadian Law and Economics Associa-tion, and in January, he presented hispaper “Trade and Tensions” to theHumphrey Institute’s Global Policy Work-shop. He and Humphrey Institute Profes-sor Robert Kudrle are nearing comple-tion of a paper on price discriminationlaws in the United States, the EuropeanUnion, and Canada. They are also writinga paper for an upcoming conference ondeveloping countries in the World TradeOrganization legal system. Professor Gif-ford presented his paper outlining theevolution of the Chevron doctrine, “TheEmerging Outlines of a Revised ChevronDoctrine: Congressional Intent, JudicialJudgment, and Administrative Autonomy,”

Richard S. Frase Daniel J. Gifford Oren Gross

Faculty R&D

MARVIN J. SONOSKY PROFESSOR OF LAWAND PUBLIC POLICY REAPPOINTMENTLECTUREMichael Tonry commemorated his reappointment asthe Marvin J. Sonosky Professor of Law and PublicPolicy, a title he has held since 1990, in November2006 with his lecture, “Constitutional Obsolescenceand Penal Policy: Why are American Penal Policiesso Severe and Imprisonment Rates so High?” From1999 to 2004, he was also Professor of Law andPublic Policy and director of the Institute of Crimi-nology at Cambridge University. Since 2003, he hasbeen a senior fellow of the Netherlands Institute forthe Study of Crime and Law Enforcement, Leiden.

He received his A.B. from the University ofNorth Carolina, Chapel Hill, and his LL.B. from Yale.He practiced with Dechert, Price & Rhoads inPhiladelphia and with Sonnenschein, Carlin & Nathin Chicago and joined the Law School faculty in1990. He is director of the Institute of Crime andPublic Policy and teaches criminal law, jurispru-dence, and comparative law.

Before joining the Law School, Professor Tonrydirected the nonprofit Castine Research Corporation.He founded the MacArthur Foundation-U.S. Depart-ment of Justice Program on Human Development &Criminal Behavior and directed it from 1987 to1990. A Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford Univer-sity, in 1994-95, he has held visiting posts through-out Europe. He is editor of the University of ChicagoPress series Crime and Justice: A Review of Research,the Oxford University Press series on Crime and Pub-lic Policy, and the European Society of Criminology’snewsletter Criminology in Europe.

The Marvin J. Sonosky Professorship in Law andPublic Policy was made possible through the gen-erosity of Marvin and Shirley Sonosky. Mr. Sonosky(class of 1932) died in 1997. During a distinguishedlegal career in Washington, D.C., he fought forequity for Native American tribes and successfullyrepresented the Sioux Nation in its long legal strug-gle to win compensation for the government’sseizure of the Black Hills in 1877.

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comprehensive attempt by legal scholarsto conceptualize the theory of emergencypowers. He also published “Torture and anEthics of Responsibility” in the Februaryissue of Law, Culture and the Humanitiesand “‘Control systems’ and the migrationof anomalies” in Migration of ConstitutionalIdeas, edited by Sujit Choudhry. Severaladditional papers have been accepted forpublication.

RALPH F. HALLProfessor Hall continues to research,write, and speak on a variety of topicsrelating to pharmaceutical and medicaldevice regulation and corporate compli-ance. He has spoken at several nationalconferences on topics including legal risksassociated with FDA-regulated clinical tri-als and the development and implementa-tion of corporate compliance programs.He has also spoken on FDA enforcementmatters and medical device regulatoryissues at a number of legal seminars. Hisarticle “When You Have a HammerEverything Looks Like a Nail: Misapplica-tion of the False Claims Act to Off-LabelPromotion,” co-authored with Robert J.Berlin, was recently published in the Foodand Drug Law Journal. He also recentlypublished “Inconsistent Government Poli-cies: Why FDA Off-Label RegulationCannot Survive First AmendmentReview under Greater New Orleans” withco-author Elizabeth S. Sobotka in theFood and Drug Law Journal,Volume 62,Number 1, 2007. The article argues thatFirst Amendment protection of commer-cial speech prohibits current FDA restric-tions on off-label speech by manufacturersand has already been cited in an appellatecourt brief. Professor Hall spoke on thissubject for a national webcast presentedby the Washington Legal Foundation. Inaddition, he has published on the AbigailAlliance case, in which the appellate courtfound a substantive due process right ofaccess to unapproved pharmaceuticals forindividuals with terminal illness.

CLAIRE A. HILLIn October of 2006, Professor Hill helpedorganize a conference at the Law School

titled “The Future of Tax Shelters.” Shemoderated a panel and presented “TaxLawyers are People Too: Commentary onVictor Fleischer, Options Backdating andCorporate Culture.” Papers from the con-ference, including “Creating Failures inthe Market for Tax Planning,” which sheco-authored with Professors Philip Curryand Francesco Parisi, will be published ina symposium issue of the Virginia TaxReview. In November, Professor Hill wason a panel of the Social Science HistoryAssociation that discussed Speaking ofCrime: The Language of Criminal Justice, byLawrence M. Solan and Peter MeijesTiersma. In January, she presented “Anti-Anti-Anti Paternalism” at the SpringWorkshop on Behavioral Law and Eco-nomics, sponsored by the Law School’sInstitute for Law and Rationality. In Feb-ruary, she presented “The Rationality ofPreference Construction (and the Irra-tionality of Rational Choice)” at a facultyworkshop at Indiana University School ofLaw-Indianapolis.

JOAN S. HOWLANDAssociate Dean and Professor Howlandwas recently appointed to the Council ofthe American Bar Association Section ofLegal Education & Admission to the Bar.In March she chaired the ABA sabbaticalevaluation team that visited the PontificalCatholic University of Puerto Rico LawSchool. She also served on the AmericanLibrary Association accreditation teamthat visited the University of Texas Gradu-ate School of Library and InformationSciences in April. She serves as a memberof the Law School Admissions CouncilSubcommittee on Misconduct and Irreg-ularities in the Admissions Process. In Juneat the 2007 Sovereignty Symposiumsponsored by the Supreme Court ofOklahoma, she will present a paper enti-tled “Indigenous Populations and Emerg-ing Technologies,” which will be pub-lished in the Symposium proceedings.Professor Howland continues to workclosely with several remote indigenouscommunities in Argentina and Uruguayin developing their libraries and techno-logical capabilities. In September she willpresent “Emerging Information Needs of

Faculty R&D


Ralph F. Hall Claire A. Hill Joan S. Howland

LAW ALUMNI DISTINGUISHED PROFESSORAPPOINTMENT LECTUREOn February 6, 2007, Professor Michael StokesPaulsen observed his appointment as the Law AlumniDistinguished Professor with the lecture “Was DredScott Rightly Decided?” The McKnight PresidentialProfessor of Law and Public Policy and Associate Deanfor Research and Scholarship has taught at the LawSchool since 1991. He was honored to have his wife,Kristin, and children, Luke and Caroline, in atten-dance, and he dedicated his lecture to two belovedformer colleagues, Harriet Carlson and Victor Kramer.

Paulsen received his B.A., with distinction, fromNorthwestern University, his M.A. in religion fromYale Divinity School, and his J.D. from Yale LawSchool. He served as a federal prosecutor, senior staffcounsel for the Center for Law & Religious Freedom,an attorney-advisor in the Office of Legal Counsel ofthe U.S. Department of Justice (under PresidentGeorge H.W. Bush), and on the legal advisory councilto the chairman of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Commit-tee. He has testified before Congress several times onquestions of First Amendment law, religious freedom,abortion, governmental power, and separation ofpowers, and he has litigated several major religiousfreedom and freedom of speech cases in state andfederal courts.

Paulsen’s primary areas of teaching and scholar-ship are constitutional law, civil procedure, legalethics, and law and religion; he has also taught spe-cialized courses in separation of powers, war andnational security law, and Lincoln and the constitu-tion. Among the topics of his more than 50 publishedarticles and book chapters are constitutional law,legal ethics, religion, and criminal procedure. A newcasebook that he co-authored, The Constitution of theUnited States, is forthcoming.

The Law Alumni Distinguished Professorship wasestablished through generous lead gifts from Robins,Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi and Dorsey & Whitney, andfrom many other donors. It honors faculty who excelin the art of teaching and celebrates the impact ofoutstanding teaching on the quality of legal education.

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Indigenous Populations in South Amer-ica” at a program attended by representa-tives from the governments of Chile,Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil. In Octo-ber, she will co-direct a workshop on col-lection development in tribal libraries atthe National Tribal Archives, Libraries, andMuseums Conference in Oklahoma City.She will also present a paper entitled“Empowering Tribal Sovereignty ThroughInformation Resources: Developing LegalCollections for American Indian Com-munities” at the conference.

ALEXANDRA B. KLASSProfessor Klass is serving as a member ofthe Board of Directors of the Federal BarAssociation and secretary of the Environ-mental and Natural Resources Section ofthe Minnesota State Bar Association. Shecontinues her pro bono work with clientson environmental law and land use mat-ters. In June, she will be a presenter for aconference at the University of ColoradoLaw School entitled, “The Future of Nat-ural Resources Law and Policy” to com-memorate the 25th Anniversary of thatschool’s Natural Resources Law Center.Her recent publications are “ModernPublic Trust Principles: RecognizingRights and Integrating Standards” in theDecember issue of Notre Dame LawReview and “Common Law and Federal-ism in the Age of the Regulatory State”in a forthcoming issue of the Iowa LawReview. Professor Klass is currently work-ing on an article that considers how tovalue public environmental harm in casesinvolving punitive damages, which shepresented at a Law School faculty works-in-progress series in March.

JOHN H. MATHESONProfessor Matheson is co-director of theCenter for Business Law, a major portionof which is the Minnesota Multi-Profes-sion Business Law Clinic, where Univer-sity of Minnesota Law School studentshave the opportunity to do transactionallegal work with real clients under thesupervision of volunteer attorneys. Addi-tionally, he serves the Law School as rep-resentative in the University Senate and as

chair of the Law School’s Promotions andTenure Committee. He published the arti-cle “A Simple Statutory Solution toMinority Oppression in the Closely HeldBusiness,” co-authored with R. KevinMaler, in the February issue of MinnesotaLaw Review.

FRED MORRISONIn addition to serving as interim co-deanof the Law School, Professor Morrisoncontinues to write in the area of compar-ative constitutional law. His most recentpiece, The World’s Most Complex Constitu-tion, deals with the interim constitution ofthe Sudan, a far-reaching document thatincludes by reference the full text of a300-page peace treaty and the full text ofmost international human rights treaties.He suggests that it may be so complexthat courts will have difficulty with itsactual implementation.

MICHAEL STOKES PAULSENIn February, Professor and Associate DeanMichael Stokes Paulsen was installed asthe Law Alumni Distinguished Professor.(He is also the McKnight PresidentialProfessor of Law and Public Policy.) Hischair lecture was entitled “Was Dred ScottRightly Decided?” He debated ProfessorRichard Fallon on “The Doctrine of StareDecisis in Constitutional Law” at HarvardLaw School, presented “The Emancipa-tion Proclamation and the Commander inChief Power: Lessons from the LincolnAdministration for the War on Terror” atWilliams College, and spoke on “TheLawfulness of the Geneva Conventionand ‘Torture’ Memos” at the Law School.At Pepperdine University School of Law,Professor Paulsen presented a symposiumarticle entitled “The September 18, 2001,Declaration of War” as well as the lecture“Four Big Lies About Stare Decisis.” Hedebated University General CounselMark Rottenberg on “Presidential Powerin the War on Terror” at the Law Schooland presented a review of the U.S.Supreme Court term to the annual TenthCircuit Judicial Conference. ProfessorPaulsen’s most recent publications are “IsSt. Paul Unconstitutional?” in the spring

Alexandra B. Klass John H. Matheson Fred Morrison Michael Stokes Paulsen

Faculty R&D

WARGO & ANOKA COUNTY PROFESSOR OFFAMILY LAW REAPPOINTMENT LECTUREOn March 27, 2007, Professor Judith T. Younger commemorated her second reappointment as theJoseph E. Wargo and Anoka County Bar AssociationProfessor of Family Law with her lecture “Across Curricular Boundaries: Searching for a Confluencebetween Marital Agreements & Indian Land Transactions.” She was proud to have her daughter,Abigail Hammond (class of 1993), present. Youngerjoined the Law School in 1984 and received her current appointment in 1991.

Younger received her B.S. from Cornell Univer-sity, along with the Borden Award for highest classstanding and the Daniel Alpern Award for leader-ship and scholarship. She was survey editor of theNew York University Law Review and earned her J.D.at NYU School of Law. After law school, she clerkedfor the Honorable Edward Weinfeld of the U.S. District Court; worked at Chadbourne, Parke, Whiteside & Wolff; and was a partner in her ownlaw firm before becoming an Assistant AttorneyGeneral of New York.

She began her teaching career at NYU School ofLaw in 1967. In 1970, she became a member of thefounding faculty of Hofstra University Law School,where she served as associate dean and, in 1974,was awarded an honorary LL.D. She was dean andprofessor of law at Syracuse University College ofLaw and deputy dean and professor of law at Cor-nell University School of Law. She is a life memberof the American Law Institute and has served on theMinnesota Professional Responsibility Board.

The Joseph E. Wargo and Anoka County BarAssociation Professorship of Family Law was named for the Honorable Joseph E. Wargo (class of 1938).Founder of the today’s Barna, Guzy & Steffen Ltd.,he was a municipal court judge from 1957 to 1968.From 1968 until his retirement in 1979, he was District Judge of Anoka County, and members of the Anoka County Bar Association honor his years of legal service by supporting the professorship.

9www.law.umn.edu Perspectives S P R I N G 2 0 0 7

FACULTY WORKS IN PROGRESSSPRING 2007JANUARY

19 Professor Larry Solum

University of Illinois College of Law

Constitutional Possibilities

26 Dr. Tim Johnson

Associate Professor of Political Science and Adjunct Professor of Law, University of Minnesota

Sending a Message: Information, Oral Arguments, and Coalition Formation on the U.S. Supreme Court

FEBRUARY

2 Professor Dan Gifford


Chevron, Mead, Justice Breyer, and Brand X: Newly Emerging Relationships Between Courts and Agencies

9 Professor Alon Harel

Hebrew University/Visiting Professor, University of Toronto Law School

Why Only the State May Inflict Criminal Sanctions: On the Incoherence of Privately Inflicted Criminal Sanctions

16 Professor Dorothy Brown

Washington & Lee University School of Law

A Distorted Dream: Homeownership, Tax Policy, and Wealth Disparities

23 Professor Suja Thomas

University of Cincinnati College of Law

Why Summary Judgment is Unconstitutional

MARCH

2 Professor Alex Klass


Punitive Damages and Valuing Harm

2006 issue of Constitutional Commentary,“How to Interpret the Constitution (andHow Not To)” in the June 2006 issue ofYale Law Journal, and “The EmancipationProclamation and the Commander inChief Power” in the spring 2006 issue ofGeorgia Law Review.

STEPHEN M. SIMONIn addition to his clinical course, ProfessorSimon taught “Evidence in the Court-room” and “Alcohol and the Intoxilyzer”at the new Minnesota judges’ week-longorientation program in October. He alsotaught “Evidence in the Courtroom” atthe fall session of the General Jurisdictioncourse at the National Judicial College,Reno, Nevada. In December at the annualMinnesota judges’ conference, he taughtthe Alcohol and the Intoxilyzer program.Also, at that conference, he demonstratedtechnology he has been developing, usingoff-the-shelf electronic equipment, thatallows bench conferences in trials to bemonitored by defendants and courtreporters. He hopes the Law School canbecome a “laboratory” for technology inthe courtroom and in legal education.Professor Simon instituted use of theInternet to allow students in his summer2006 trial practice course to review digitalrecordings of their performance, and thistechnology is now being used by severalother trial practice and clinical teachers atthe Law School. He coordinated themandatory Judicial Trial Skills Trainingprogram at the Law School for ten newMinnesota judges from October throughFebruary. In January and February, Profes-sor Simon appeared at or testified on fiveoccasions at the Minnesota legislature onDWI issues in his capacity as Director ofthe Minnesota Criminal Justice SystemDWI Task Force.

E. THOMAS SULLIVANLast fall in Washington, D.C., Provost Sul-livan was on an executive panel of theNational Consortium for ContinuousImprovement in Higher Education onimplementing large-scale change throughstrategic planning. In addition, he pre-sented the keynote address at “War on

Terror: International and InterdisciplinaryPerspectives,” the Minnesota Journal of Inter-national Law Symposium. In January, hejoined a panel of leading law school deansdiscussing the future of public law schoolsat the Association of American LawSchools (AALS) annual meeting. He hasbeen a consultant to the University ofCalifornia, Irvine, on formation of its newlaw school, and he has chaired theABA/AALS accreditation reinspectionteam at the University of PennsylvaniaLaw School. The Minnesota SupremeCourt has appointed him to chair anadvisory committee reviewing the Min-nesota Code of Judicial Conduct andmake recommendations to the Court bySeptember 1. This year, Provost Sullivanhas been a manuscript reviewer for theUniversity of Chicago Press and the Uni-versity of Michigan Press. Among hisrecent publications are several op-edpieces: “The Middle East Crisis: The Rel-evance of Proportionality,” written with J.Brian Atwood for the Minneapolis StarTribune; “The Educated Citizen and theRole of the Public University Post 9/11,”printed by several newspapers; and “Focuson Academics” in the St. Cloud Times.Scheduled for forthcoming issues are hisarticles on “The Doctrine of Proportion-ality in a Time of War” in Minnesota Jour-nal of International Law and “The RisksPosed by New Biomedical Technologies:How do we Analyze and Regulate Risk?”in the Minnesota Journal of Law, Science &Technology. The 2007 Supplement to thetextbook he co-authored with HerbertHovenkamp, Antitrust Law, Policy and Pro-cedure: Cases, Materials, Problems, will bepublished this summer.

KEVIN K. WASHBURNIn November, Professor Washburn helpedorganize a conference entitled “The NewRealism: The Next Generation of Schol-arship in Federal Indian Law” at the Uni-versity of California, Berkeley, School ofLaw-Boalt Hall with Professor PhilFrickey. Sponsored by Boalt Hall and theNational Congress of American Indians, itwas designed to encourage young scholarsto pursue grounded research that is usefulto Indian tribes, practitioners, and policy-

Faculty R&D


Stephen M. Simon E. Thomas Sullivan Kevin K. Washburn

www.law.umn.edu

Faculty Works in Progress, cont.

MARCH

9 Professor Steve Heyman

Chicago-Kent College of Law

Hate Speech and the First Amendment

16 No FWIP – Spring Break

23 Professor Brian Leiter

University of Texas School of Law

Why Tolerate Religion?

29 Professor Nina Pillard

Georgetown Law School

The Institutional Case for Positive Rights

APRIL

5 Professor James Salzman

Duke Law School

Thirst: A Short History of Drinking Water

13 Professor Stephen Burbank

University of Pennsylvania Law School

Social Meaning of the Class Action Fairness Act of 2005: A Preliminary View

20 Professors Laura Cooper and Steve Befort


How and Why Labor Arbitrators Decide Discipline and Discharge Cases: An Empirical Examination

MAY

4 Professor and Co-Dean Guy Charles


Dr. Eugene Borgida, Professor of Psychology and Law

University of Minnesota

Race v. Partisanship: Media Coverage of Legal, Political, and Psychological Aspects of Racial Redistricting

11

makers. Conference transcripts will appearin the American Indian Law Review. Pro-fessor Washburn also lectured on Indiantribes and administrative rule-making at acontinuing legal education conferenceentitled “Administrative Law: IndianTribes and the Federal Agency Maze” atArizona State University’s Sandra DayO’Connor College of Law in Tempe. InDecember, he presented “Criminal Justiceas Prerequisite for Tribal Self-Determina-tion” at a national conference in PalmSprings, California, sponsored by the U.S.Department of Justice Office for Victimsof Crime. In Palm Springs and later inWashington, D.C., he met with triballeaders, judges, and federal and tribal lawenforcement officials in relation to hisresearch with UCLA Professor CaroleGoldberg, funded by the National Insti-tute of Justice, on criminal justice inIndian country. In February, ProfessorWashburn taught a course for tribal courtjudges at the National Judicial College inReno, Nevada, and he gave brief remarkson the Supreme Court’s historic decisionin Bryan v. Itasca County at the NationalNative American Law Students Associa-tion Moot Court Competition in theTwin Cities. In addition, he presented“Indian Law 101 for State Legislators” tostate house members, senators, and legisla-tive staffers at the Minnesota State Capi-tol. At the UCLA School of Law, Profes-sor Washburn presented a faculty and stu-dent workshop on a research projectinvolving grand juries.

DAVID WEISSBRODTLast fall, Professor Weissbrodt presented“Methods of the ‘War on Terror’” for asymposium of the Minnesota Journal ofInternational Law and a lecture on U.N.human rights reform at the University ofMinnesota Distinguished Senior FacultyLuncheon. In February, he taught a two-week Masters’ seminar on U.S. approachesto international law and gave the keynoteaddress at a conference on the humanrights responsibilities of multinationalenterprises at the University of Paris II:Panthéon-Assas. Professor Weissbrodt par-ticipated in his third session as a memberof the Board of Trustees of the U.N. Trust

Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slaveryand continued service as a member of theInternational Executive Committee ofAmnesty International. He published abook chapter entitled “International Lawof Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights:A U.S. Perspective” as well as articles oncorporate human rights responsibilities,human rights of stateless persons, andU.N. perspectives on business and human-itarian and human rights obligations.

SUSAN M. WOLFProfessor Wolf published an article in Sci-ence with Judy Illes and colleagues onincidental findings in brain imagingresearch. She edited “Risks Posed by NewBiomedical Technologies: How Do WeAnalyze, Communicate and RegulateRisk?” with Jordan Paradise for the fall2006 issue of Lahey Clinic Medical Ethics.With Professors Jeffrey Kahn, FrancesLawrenz, and Charles Nelson (Harvard),she published “The Incidentalome,” a let-ter to the editor in a December issue ofJAMA. She also wrote entries oneuthanasia and living wills for The WorldBook Encyclopedia. Professor Wolf is princi-pal investigator (PI) and Professors Kahn,Lawrenz, and Nelson are co-investigatorson an NIH grant entitled “ManagingIncidental Findings in Human SubjectsResearch.” A May 1 conference will pres-ent project findings. She is also PI on anNSF grant to develop oversight modelsfor nanobiotechnology, work that tookher to a nanoethics conference at ArizonaState University and a nanotechnologymeeting at NSF. Professors EfrosiniKokkoli, Jennifer Kuzma, and Guru-murthy Ramachandran, and Jordan Para-dise are co-PIs. She and Professors Kahnand Barbara Koenig (Mayo) secured agrant from the Greenwall Foundationsupporting a 2007 visit from Dr. ZachHall from the California Institute ofRegenerative Medicine as the Rueb-hausen Visiting Professor. She is a consult-ant in revising and expanding Guidelineson the Termination of Life-Sustaining Treat-ment and the Care of the Dying. She contin-ues to direct the Joint Degree Program inLaw, Health & the Life Sciences and chairthe Consortium on Law and Values in

David Weissbrodt Susan M. Wolf

Faculty R&D

Perspectives S P R I N G 2 0 0 7www.law.umn.edu

Faculty R&D

Health, Environment & the Life Scienceswhich, in February, presented a nationalconference on research cloning that willbe published in the Minnesota Journal ofLaw, Science & Technology. Professor Wolfspoke at meetings of the American Philo-sophical Society and the American Soci-ety of Bioethics and Humanities.

JUDITH T. YOUNGERProfessor Younger is included in thenewly published Feminists Who ChangedAmerica 1963-1975, edited by Barbara J.Love. The book calls her a “pioneer forjustice in family law” and cites her workin reforming divorce law in New York. InFriezo v. Friezo, 281 Conn. 166 (2007), thefirst interpretation by the ConnecticutSupreme Court of its Premarital Agree-ment Act, both majority and dissentingopinions cited her work. In addition, shecontinues her acting career with TORT,appearing as herself in this year’s show,“Frankenlaw.” Recently, Professor Youngerwas invited to participate in a new onlineforum called First Women Lawyers, whichis part of the larger nonprofit online com-munity called Ms. JD. Scheduled to for-mally launch at a national conference co-hosted by Yale Law Women at Yale LawSchool in March, Ms. JD offers network-ing and discussion opportunities amongwomen lawyers and is administered by anationwide advisory board of women lawstudents.

Affiliated Faculty

JANE E. KIRTLEYLast fall, Professor Kirtley delivered twokeynote addresses: “Media Ethics: AnOxymoron?” at the second NationalApplied Ethics Conference in Ankara,Turkey, and “My Freedom or Yours: TheCollision of First Amendment Freedoms”at the eighth annual First AmendmentCongress at Oklahoma State University.She also presented “A Child’s Garden ofInternet Cases” at Ad IDEM’s 2006National Media Law conference in Mon-treal. In January, she conducted a digitalvideo conference on freedom of the press

for Palestinian journalists in Jerusalem. Sheserved on many panels, including thePractising Law Institute’s Communica-tions Law conference in New York,“National Security and Its Effects onCivil Liberties” for Thomson West, and“Hot Issues in Legal Ethics” at the ABA’sForum on Communication Law. ProfessorKirtley has been quoted extensively in themedia, including by the Associated Pressand in the New York Times, Los AngelesTimes, Providence Journal, HollywoodReporter, Village Voice, Times, and Guardian(London). She also appeared on TwinCities Public Television’s Almanac. Herarticle, “Will the Demise of the Reporter’sPrivilege Mean the End of InvestigativeReporting, and Should Judges Care if itDoes?” was published in the Ohio Northern University Law Review,volume 32, number 3, 2006.

SCOTT McLEODProfessor McLeod continued to teachschool law for the College of Educationand Human Development and to assistschool districts and state departments ofeducation with data-driven accountabilityand global-competitiveness initiatives. AsDirector of the University Council forEducational Administration Center for theAdvanced Study of Technology Leader-ship in Education (CASTLE), he initiateda project to help school principals useblogs for communication with staff, par-ents, and community members. He con-ducted several presentations and work-shops nationwide, including recent workin Little Rock with the Arkansas Depart-ment of Education and the state regionaleducation service cooperatives. ProfessorMcLeod submitted articles to EducationalAdministration Quarterly, The American Journal of Distance Education, and BYUEducation and Law Journal, and he co-authored a book chapter in the forthcoming Handbook of Response to Intervention: The Science and Practice ofAssessment and Intervention. He wrote ashort opinion piece on monitoring K-12 students with radio frequency identification technology in Learning &Leading With Technology, and he blogs regu-larly at www.dangerouslyirrelevant.org.

Judith T. Younger Jane E. Kirtley Scott McLeod

OTHER FACULTY NEWSPROMOTIONS: Jill Elaine Hasday to ProfessorGregg D. Polsky to ProfessorConferral of tenure to Myron Orfield, Associate Professor

____________

GRANTS:The Minnesota Dream Fund Partnership has awarded a $200,000 grant to the Brown Power Base Project,which works to eradicate racial segregation and exclusion in Minnesota schools. Partners in the Project are the Institute on Race & Poverty (IRP),African-American Family Services, Centro Campesino,Hispanic Advocacy and Community Empowermentthrough Research, the Housing Preservation Project,and the Minneapolis Urban League. IRP and its part-ners will focus on empowering African-American andLatino communities with research, marketing, andlegal advocacy. For more on Minnesota Dream FundPartners, visit www.minnesotadreamfund.org.

____________

DEAN SEARCH COMMITTEEANNOUNCED:

Co-chairs:

Alison Davis-Blake, Dean, Carlson School of Management

Professor Kevin Reitz, Law School

University Faculty:

Kathryn Sikkink, Regents Professor and Distinguished McKnight University Professor, Political Science

Law Faculty:

Professor Steve BefortProfessor Brad ClaryProfessor Dale CarpenterProfessor Jill HasdayProfessor Joan HowlandProfessor Fionnuala Ní AoláinProfessor Ruth Okediji

Alumnus:

Walter Mondale, former Vice President of the United States

Staff:

Linda Lokensgard

Student:

Robbie Barton, 1L

12 Perspectives S P R I N G 2 0 0 7 www.law.umn.edu


Prior to taking up her position atMichigan, Beny spent two years at theNew York firm of Debevoise and Plimp-ton, where she combined corporate workin mergers and acquisitions with pro bonoefforts on behalf of political refugees andasylum seekers. Her commitment to theSudanese problem has led her to investi-gate what she sees as a decades-long pattern of genocidal violence againstminorities that goes well beyond Darfur.And she is active in efforts to expand thelegal definition of genocide to include thekilling of cultures as well as human beings.

SUSANNA BLUMENTHAL

On recentTwin Citiesvisits, SusannaBlumenthalhas been“reconnectingwith placesand peopledear to me,”

she says. When she takes up her new posi-tion in the Law School, the HopkinsHigh School alumna will be returning toher roots after a long time away. Hersojourn began in the Ivy League—Har-vard for a B.A., Yale for a J.D. and aPh.D.—followed by a year studying phi-losophy at Oxford and a year clerking fordistrict court judge Kimba Wood in Man-hattan. Since then, she’s been an assistantprofessor at the University of MichiganLaw School.

Blumenthal is gearing up for the nextphase of a scholarly career that has fol-lowed threads linking psychology,jurisprudence, and philosophy. AfterOxford she realized that philosophy wasnot for her, but intellectual history was. “Iwouldn’t have to solve the great problems,”she says. “I could study how people strug-gled with them through time. And itwould all be tethered to the real worldbecause I’d be looking at how the law—an institution and a profession—has wres-tled with the problems.”

Her dissertation, which won Yale’sGeorge Washington Egleston prize inAmerican history, considers the role ofideas about the mind in legal thought andpractice in the 19th century. Law grappleswith “timeless questions of humanagency,” she says. “They’re probably unan-swerable questions, but the law has toanswer them, at least provisionally, indetermining liability. And judges need toknow something about the mind in orderto make decisions about liability.”

At Minnesota, she hopes to completea book and further explore mind andagency in contemporary civil law. “Mentalcompetence as applied not to defendantspleading insanity, but to consumers, tonormal people who make mistakes,” sheexplains. “What role does the law have intrying to protect them from themselves?”

THOMAS P. GALLANIS

“I love doingboth law andlegal history,”says ThomasGallanis. “It’s aleft brain/rightbrain thing;when I’mdoing one, I’m

resting from the other, and I end up feel-ing refreshed.” The Chicago native hasbeen teaching at Washington and LeeUniversity in Lexington, Virginia, since2003, specializing in property law, trustsand estates, and European and Englishlegal history. His senior thesis at Yale wason medieval European intellectual history.Then at the University of Chicago LawSchool, his property law professor intro-duced him to the pleasures and challengesof legal history. His dual enthusiasms ledhim to Cambridge University, where heearned both a Ph.D. in history and anLL.M.

A lifelong Anglophile, Gallanis relishedthe opportunity to study British legal tra-ditions on their home ground. He alsoloved the college system at Cambridge, inwhich graduate students and scholars in

LAURA BENY

Insider tradinglaws, stockmarket devel-opment, regu-latory policy,ethnic diver-sity in lawfirms, andgenocide in

Sudan are among the issues that occupyLaura Beny, a lawyer and scholar who hastaught at the University of Michigan since2003. Her Sudanese heritage combinedwith her training at Stanford (B.A.) andHarvard (M.A., J.D., Ph.D.) make aninternational legal scholar who is equallyat home in Khartoum, Cambridge, orAnn Arbor. And she is equally committedto the empirical study of law as practicedin America and the discussion of interna-tional crises.

Beny completed her B.A., M.A., andPh.D. in economics, and while at HarvardLaw School, she brought her training tobear in a prize-winning paper that exam-ined the relationship between the strin-gency of insider trading laws in severalcountries and the pattern of stock owner-ship and stock market development inthose countries. She also did her firstteaching. “I was already trained academi-cally,” she has said. “But the idea that Icould teach? I figured that out in lawschool. The law is interdisciplinary. I reallyliked that, and I liked that you can actu-ally get involved in things at the sociallevel.”

New FacultyWorld-class scholars offer rich global experience.The Law School is known for cultivating leaders. Our commitmentto preparing students for today’s interconnected world, in whichsocietal and international issues are increasingly prominent, is evident in the backgrounds and qualifications of our newest fac-ulty additions. These scholars have studied and worked in Sudan,England, Spain, France, and Central America. Their cross-disciplineinterests and education include philosophy, history, biotechnol-ogy, economics, sociology, and international affairs. They’vescreened presidential nominees, talked poetry with Frenchlawyers, worked with people on the margins. All are prepared to teach law and its interaction with other disciplines in the Minnesota tradition—to develop influential leaders of tomorrow.

Faculty Perspective

www.law.umn.edu

assert that attorneys should be required toraise red flags in cases of corporate chi-canery. “I pushed for the requirement thatlawyers representing a company reportknown illegal conduct up the ladder tothe board of directors,” he says. “And ifnobody else wanted to fix the problem,Congress should.” As it turned out, articlesand testimony by Painter were pivotal inadding the requirement to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in 2002.

Joining him in Minneapolis are hiswife, Karen Painter, a Harvard scholarwho will be taking up a professorship inthe music department, and three children.“They’re six months, two, and three-and-a-half,” says Painter. “And they are myonly outside interest right now.”

DANIEL SCHWARCZ

Among thelegal issuesthat animatethe mind andcareer ofDanielSchwarcz isthe hot-buttonone of health

insurance. The 28-year-old Harvard LawSchool lecturer is investigating the role ofgovernment in that industry, asking “whatdegree of regulation is appropriate,” hesays, “to the extent that markets are notworking well.”

His carefully analytical, balancedapproach to a topic that is packed withideological dynamite reflects a career paththat has combined economics, sociology,and practical lawyering. New York born,Schwarcz majored in economics atAmherst. After earning his J.D. at Harvard,where he was articles editor of the Har-vard Law Review, he clerked at the FirstCircuit Court of Appeals and practicedinsurance law at Boston’s venerable Ropes& Gray. As a working attorney, he wassurprised “at the extent to which otherdisciplines were involved in legal argu-ments,” he says. The realization has stayedwith him, and he has brought social sci-ence perspectives to bear on insurancelaw and other divisions of commercialand contract law. He has also examinedthe role of “shaming sanctions” in crimi-nal cases.

Schwarcz’s return to Harvard as a jun-ior faculty member teaching legal researchand writing gave him an opportunity toreconnect with mentors and friends andto interact with students in an atmosphere“that was like a postdoctoral fellowship,”

natural specialty for her. “Issues of owner-ship come out explicitly in my work,questions of genetic property and owner-ship of the body,” she says. “And that con-nects with the legacy of slavery and withthe days when women had no legalauthority over their person and theirproperty.” She is particularly concernedwith updating the law, as an expression ofsocial values, to cope with the rapidlychanging biotech world. “We’re trying toaddress 21st century problems with lawsdrafted in the 1920s,” she says.

When she comes to Minneapolis,she’ll be accompanied by her husband,Gregory Shaffer, who will join the Min-nesota law faculty in 2008, and by theirdaughter, Sage, 12. A son, Brook, graduatesfrom Bowdoin College this spring. Bothkids, she reports, show unmistakable signsof turning into scholars, too.

RICHARD W. PAINTER

On July 1,RichardPainter willrelocate hisoffice from1600 Pennsyl-vania Avenueto MondaleHall. The

Philadelphia-born, Harvard- and Yale-educated lawyer has been AssociateCounsel to the President for ethics since2005. The Office of Counsel “wantedsomebody who had experience in ethicsand finance,” he says, to supervise screen-ing of executive branch employees andpresidential nominees for conflicts ofinterest and other ethical problems.

Painter’s résumé is ample in bothareas. At Yale Law, he belonged to PhiDelta Phi, a legal fraternity with a strongfocus on ethical and social issues. Heclerked with Judge John T. Noonan of theNinth Circuit Court of Appeals in SanFrancisco—a legal ethics mentor withwhom he co-authored, in 1997, the stan-dard casebook Professional and PersonalResponsibilities of the Lawyer.

Painter worked in mergers and acqui-sitions and corporate law at Sullivan &Cromwell in New York and Finn Dixon& Herling in Stamford, Connecticut,before joining the law faculty at the Uni-versity of Oregon in 1993. Visiting profes-sorships and an endowed chair at theUniversity of Illinois-Champaign fol-lowed.

In the 90s, Painter was compelled byscandals like Enron and Worldcom to

Faculty Perspective


many different fields live and socializetogether. “It was so much less lonely thanthe typical American Ph.D. program,” hesays.

On Gallanis’ intellectual horizon: con-tinuing work with the National Confer-ence of Commissioners on Uniform StateLaws, unifying the various state statuteson trusts and estates, and research on 18thcentury British trial practice. “I want totry to solve a mystery,” he says. “Why didthe courts allow defense counsel for mis-demeanors and for treason but severelylimit recourse to counsel in felony cases?”He’s energized by the Law School’s initia-tive in reaching out to the history depart-ment and other social science disciplines,and eager to take part.

An opera and independent-film buff,Gallanis is enthusiastic about where he’llbe living. “I can’t wait to sample the cul-tural vitality of the Twin Cities and to getoutdoors, too, to walk around the lakes,”he says. “And my parents recently relo-cated to Rochester, so I’ll be close.”

MICHELE GOODWIN

This DePaulUniversitylegal scholarhas a hecticschedule, lec-turing inAmerica andabroad onstem cell

research, organ transplantation, assistedreproduction, the international trade inhuman organs, and the other burningbiotech issues that she studies within theframework of tort and property theory.But for four years, Michele Goodwin hastaken no commitments on Tuesday orThursday evenings in the fall. That’s beenher time to coach girls’ volleyball at aninner-city junior high in Chicago.

This kind of commitment is impor-tant to Goodwin, who grew up in privi-leged circumstances in Manhattan butspent summers with southern relativeswhose lives still bore the scars of JimCrow and economic hardship. Her mater-nal grandmother was a particularly impor-tant role model, as she stood up for justicein her community and lived and breathedthe struggle for equality. “It was like livingwith Rosa Parks,” says Goodwin with asmile.

After earning a B.A. from the Univer-sity of Wisconsin, a J.D. from Boston Col-lege, and an LL.M. from Wisconsin,Goodwin felt biotechnology issues were a

Faculty Perspective

he says. But he’s happy to be relocating tothe Twin Cities with his biologist wife,Tamar Resnick. (The two were marriedlast August.) “I’ve never felt that I wantedto stay in the Northeast all my life,” hesays. “I love Boston, but I am ready to trysomething new.”

Schwarcz is a gourmet cook andenjoys chess and other strategy games. Anavid Miami Dolphins fan, he’s also keenon baseball and ready to root for theTwins.

GREGORY C. SHAFFER

Gregory Shaf-fer is livingproof thatpoetry and thelaw can mix.The LoyolaUniversity ofChicago pro-fessor (and

husband of another new hire, MicheleGoodwin) majored in English at Dart-mouth, attended the prestigious BreadLoaf writing program, and studied sociallyconscious Spanish poetry in Madrid andSeville on a fellowship. But his interest injustice, particularly international justice,drew him to law school. With a J.D. fromStanford, he moved to France to practicelaw and discovered that both of thefounders and senior partners at BredinPrat, one of the elite firms where heworked, were literary authors.

At the same time, the EuropeanUnion and the U.S. impact as its tradingpartner and rival were opening up thesomewhat rarefied world of French law.“Working there was almost a form ofsociological field work,” says Shaffer. Heparlayed the seven-year experience into adistinguished career comparing Europeanand American legal practice and analyzinglegal, trade, and regulatory issues in theglobal economy, from transatlantic busi-ness transactions to the World Trade Orga-nization’s effect on the developing world.“I was drawn to studying the intersectionbetween law and politics at the interna-tional level, which I realized you couldn’tthink through in doctrinal political sci-ence terms,” he says. “You had to payattention to who the actors were andwhat the dynamics were.”

Shaffer found the multidisciplinarytraditions of legal scholarship congenial atthe University of Wisconsin, where hetaught for ten years, and he also led twocross-disciplinary international affairsstudy centers outside the law school. He

looks forward to a similar intellectualenvironment at Minnesota.

“I’m excited to be right next door tothe Humphrey School, where there aresome really good economists and politicalscientists,” he says. “And Minnesota hassome very interesting sociologists studyingthe impact of globalization around theworld.”

LISA STRATTON

When LisaStratton (classof 1993) wasworking onher J.D. atMinnesota, herinterest ininternationalissues led to an

internship with Human Rights Watch inCentral America. She visited families liv-ing on garbage dumps and inspected thesite of a political homicide—and marveledat the courage of local women working tochange the conditions that had producedsuch squalor and violence. “They weretaking a lot of risks that we don’t takehere,” she says. “Thinking about them, and after attending several internationalforums on human rights, I began to feelthat I could probably make the mostimpact working within my own legal system in my own country.”

The experience spurred Stratton tobuild a career in employment law helpingpeople on the margins, including womenin previously male-only professions,immigrants, and victims of racial discrimi-nation. The Boston native received herB.A. in political science at the Universityof Virginia. After graduating from Min-nesota and clerking in both state appealscourt and federal district court, she joinedthe Minneapolis/Washington D.C. firmSprenger & Lang. Among her clients wasan Iranian-born political refugee whostarted experiencing harassment at hishigh-tech job after 9/11. Her biggest casewas an innovative class action on behalf offemale television technicians nationwide.

Stratton’s visiting professorship in theWorkers’ Rights Clinic (since fall 2006) isher first teaching job. “I love teaching,”she says, “particularly in combination withthe kind of cause-oriented lawyering Ilike to do.” As a full-time clinical facultymember, she looks forward to continuingthe relationship with the nonprofit Work-ers’ Center, formed jointly by the Clinicand the Twin Cities Labor and ReligionNetwork to help workers obtain unpaid

wages and solve other problems. “I’mreally excited about sitting down withthem,” she says, “and working to addressthe needs of immigrant communities andworkers here.”

BARBARA Y. WELKE

Barbara Welkesays she caresabout historyfrom the bot-tom up: “I’mvery interestedin the rule oflaw in societyand the ways

in which law shapes society and societyshapes law.” With these concerns as herguides, Welke has combined scholarshipand teaching in dynamic ways. She is wellknown in the Minnesota history depart-ment, where she has taught since 1998,for learning all her students’ names andleading vigorous discussions of issues suchas the interactions of race, gender, andtechnology with American law and gover-nance in the 19th and 20th centuries.

When she takes up her tenured posi-tion at the Law School, Welke will becontinuing a career that began with aB.A. at the University of Kansas, followedby a J.D. at the University of Michiganand a two-year stint with the Chicago lawfirm of Jenner & Block. She earned herdoctorate at the University of Chicagowith a dissertation, “Gendered Journeys: A History of Injury, Public Transport, andAmerican Law, 1865-1920,” that wonprizes in both social science and women’sstudies. Her entry into the teaching pro-fession was at the University of Oregon in 1995.

Since then, Welke’s commitment toteaching has reached beyond academe:She’s worked on a history curriculum forhigh schools and adult programs, and sheonce wrote a play for fifth graders drama-tizing the struggles of African-Americanstudents in the 1950s. “I’m interested instudents,” she says. “I care about whythey’re in the classroom and I try my bestto open doors for them.”

Her scholarly writing includes Recast-ing American Liberty: Gender, Race, Law,and the Railroad Revolution, other bookprojects in the works, and a long list ofarticles. The mother of three is an avidBoundary Waters canoeist who bicycles towork, rain or shine.

By Jon Spayde, a freelance writer based in St. Paul.


Ellison is a testament to the impact law school has onalumni who move on to become legislators. He hadalready been involved in political activities earlier, butwhen he entered law school, what he learned amplified,refined, and bolstered his activism. Now, when lobbyingand debating bills or reaching out to voters, he can tap anextraordinary and wide-ranging knowledge base.

Other alumni who serve in the legislature agree thatlaw school supported their later participation in politicallife. In addition, it gave them quick-study analytical toolsand oratorical abilities that have proven exceptionallyuseful in the environment of the legislature. Law school,they suggest, offers a deep wellspring of legal knowledgethat, when combined with often exemplary and inspiringprofessors, gave them the confidence to exercise leadershipwhen they graduated. It helped crystallize political will andprovided an effective training ground for the intellectualrigors of the campaign trail.

The road from lawyer to politician is a natural pro-gression, says Melissa Hortman (class of 1995), a DFLmember of the Minnesota House from Brooklyn Park.

Lawyers and politicians share the same drive: to use law to protect the rights of clients and improve society. “Thecalling to be an attorney is like the calling to be a publicservant. They both promote a society of law and the concept that the law can make a society work better,”Hortman says.

Traditions of politiciansA cynic might argue that there are already toomany lawyers in legislative offices. After all, theUnited States has long filled its legislativebodies with lawyers. Lawrence M. Friedmanpoints out in A History of American Law that from1790 to 1930, two-thirds of Senators, about half ofHouse members, and between half and two-thirds ofstate governors were lawyers.

In the current Congress, the dominant occupa-tion continues to be law, according to an annualreport produced by the Congressional ResearchService in Washington, D.C. Most studies show thatstate legislatures are also dominated by attorneys, and



in a talk at the Law School in February, Keith Ellison (class of 1990) left no doubt

in audience members’ minds about his enthusiasm for political life. “Being in the state legislature is

something I would urge you to consider doing,” the former DFL Minnesota House member from the

Fifth District and first Muslim ever elected to the U.S. Congress told law students. “As a lawyer you

will understand legislation, you will understand how to draft it, how to write it, how it will be subject

to interpretation and misinterpretation,” he said. “It’s critical at this time that people who uphold the

rule of law or people who understand the importance of a society based on law participate in civil life.”

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Alumni say an education in law has prepared them well for a role in government.

BY FRANK JOSSI

that includes Minnesota’s. In the Minnesota House, lawyersare second only to educators in the occupation count. In

the Senate, the highest numberof seats, 19%, is held by attor-neys. Practicing law seemsalmost to be a prerequisite tomaking legislation.

The University ofMinnesota Law School hasdone its part in politicianproduction. Since 1980, it has

matriculated at least 32 legis-lators (and another who

attended but did not graduate),five Congressional members,three attorneys general, and the

current governor, Tim Pawlenty(class of 1986). Law School alumniinclude such well-known figures asSenator Ellen Anderson (class of1986) of St. Paul, former Housemember and Minnesota SupremeCourt Justice Kathleen Ann Blatz(class of 1984), former Housemember and Pawlenty cabinetappointee Charlie Weaver (classof 1984), and former Senator

and attorney general Hubert(Skip) Humphrey III (class of

1969).“The Law School has a long

tradition of producing leaders forMinnesota and for the nation,” says

co-dean Fred L. Morrison. “To take just one historic example, the class of 1929 producedHarold Stassen, governor andpresidential candidate; GeorgeMacKinnon, congressman andfederal judge; and Mel Steen,founder of one of the majorWall Street law firms. A latergeneration included peoplelike former Vice PresidentWalter Mondale [class of 1956],

Minnesota attorneys general

Doug Head [class of 1956] and Warren Spannaus [class of1963], and many legislators.”

Their interest in public affairs pre-dated their lawschool experience, say many legislators. Hortman, whoworked on the Clinton-Gore campaign in 1992, says shewent to law school with the idea that, given an opportu-nity, she would run for office at some point in the future.“When you want to have a chance to learn how the legalsystem works, you’re likely to choose legal training,” shesays. “If you want to serve the public, you’re likely tochoose law school as appropriate training.”

Extracurricular learningSeveral alumni report that outside-the-classroom activitiesoffered by the Law School—lawyer’s guild, law council,clerkships—allowed them to exercise and develop leader-ship skills. Some, like Anderson, had the opportunity to runfor office for the first time: “I had to run to be on theboard of the Minnesota Justice Foundation, and I had togive a speech,” she recalls. The outcome was a success forAnderson, who also served on the Lawyer’s Guild board.

Although not a practicing attorney, Anderson says lawschool training proved a key touchstone in her career as alegislator. In the classroom she gained an understanding oflaw and its application. Outside the classroom she workedas a public defender in Ramsey and Hennepin counties,was a member of the research staff at the MinnesotaHouse, and spent a summer working on migration issues inTexas. Those combined experiences have helped her “be a better legislator,” she says.

Comprehending, composing, convincingClearly, law school alumni and working attorneys have an advantage when it comes to writing legislation andspeaking about it. They bring skills honed in courtroomsand law offices to legislative assemblies where many members have not been trained in living by their verbalwits and legal acumen. Working within the parameters of the law every day on behalf of clients, attorneys have a solid and practical “feel” for crafting legislation.

The same is true in making presentations to the legislature and defending or criticizing a proposed law. Few professionals spend as much time speaking beforeaudiences as do attorneys. What makes for good lawyeringmakes for good orating. “You find the more skilled oratorstend to have a legal background,” says Republican


Ellen Anderson Chris DeLaForest Keith Ellison Melissa Hortman Paul Kohls Tim Pawlenty Steve Simon

Perspectives S P R I N G 2 0 0 718


Ellison recalled co-sponsoring a bill with a Lake ElmoRepublican to adjust Minnesota’s drug laws to match thoseof surrounding states. The outcome would be shorter sen-tences for drug crimes and a savings of $30 million. “Wewere an odd couple,” laughed Ellison. “I was concernedabout salvaging people, he was concerned about saving thestate money.” They both knew they were doing the rightthing.

The making of a quick study Anyone who has spent time around the Capitol has seenthe crush of information that legislators and their staffsencounter in an average day. Law schools breed fast readersand quick learners, as well as efficient writers of compellingarguments.

“There’s an intensive focus on reading and writing,”says Kohls. “I have reams of paper that come across mydesk, and I have to have the ability to process this informa-tion and boil it down to something one of my constituentswho doesn’t have a lot of experience with health or educa-tion can understand. That’s something that law schoolhelped me develop.”

Proficient preparation, or lack of it, can make or break

Chris DeLaForest (class of 1999) of his experience at theMinnesota House representing District 49A. “It helpsbecause the skills you use in a cross-examination or a pros-ecution are the same skills you can use in presenting bills.”

Pawlenty believes that law school provides excellentopportunities for building critical thinking and communi-cation skills that are helpful in developing and discussingpublic policy. Ellison agrees: “You learn about communica-tion and the ability to look at both sides of the issue and tounderstand where the other side is coming from.”

Lawyers also learn attention to detail, a skill thatRepresentative Paul Kohls (class of 1999), a Republicanfrom Victoria, admits he sometimes uses to an almost irri-tating degree during cross-examination of proposed legisla-tion. “I tend to be pretty particular about language, aboutthe words that we put into legislation, and sometimes thatfrustrates people because they want to focus on the intentof what we’re doing.” But, Kohls says, “the words meansomething, and they will be interpreted and argued aboutat a later time.” Some colleagues might become impatientwith what they think is nitpicking, but he is adamant inmaking sure “the words mean what we want them to say.”

Lawyers also know a thing or two about negotiation.

“You learn about communication and the ability to look at both sidesof the issue and to understand where the other side is coming from.”

–Keith Ellison

www.law.umn.edu

Political Action Among AlumniGrad Year Name Office

1898 Einar Hoidale U.S. Congressman

1909 Theodore Christianson Governor of Minn., U.S. Congressman

1919 Ray P. Chase U.S. Congressman

1928 Wayne Morse U.S. Senator

1929 Harold Stassen Governor of Minn.

1938 John Burger Minn. House

1946 Orville Freeman Governor of Minn.

1948 Don Fraser Mayor of Minneapolis, U.S. Congressman

1956 Doug Head Minn. Attorney General

1956 Raymond J. Kempe Minn. House

1956 Walter F. Mondale U.S. Vice President, U.S. Senator

1959 David Durenberger U.S. Senator

1960 Wendell Anderson Governor of Minn., U.S. Senator

1963 Warren Spannaus Minn. Attorney General

1967 James R. Casserly Minn. House

As Dean Morrison and others have observed, the Law School has a long historyof fueling political fires in its students. Only 10 years after the School’s 1888creation, an alumnus could be found in the nation’s Congress. Since then, manymore have made their mark on the national scene. Harold Stassen, forexample, probably best known for his office-seeking perseverance, held foreign aid and disarmament posts in the Eisenhower administration. OrvilleFreeman served as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture in the Kennedy and Johnsonadministrations and was instrumental in getting the food stamp program offthe ground.

But most political careers start closer to home—in the governor’s mansion,mayor’s headquarters, county commissioner’s office. Or a Law School class-room. The political siren might sound its call during a campus rally. An intern-ship might launch an undiscovered passion for public service. An education injustice and the rule of law might inspire a determination to make a differencein society by way of its government.

Following is a sample of alumni who have taken their Law School educationinto a political realm and some of the posts they have held. Space limitationsprohibit a comprehensive list of past office holders. And the ambitions oftoday’s students to step up and lead make any tally a work in progress.

By Corrine Charais, a freelance writer and editor based in Bloomington.

*In office



both students and attorneys. Devotion to preparation is askill that transfers and translates well into the life of apolitician, says Steve Simon (class of 1996), a DFL Housemember from St. Louis Park. “You’ve got to know yourfacts,” he says. “If you’re made to look ridiculous becauseyou don’t know fundamental things about the bill youyourself are carrying, it reflects on your judgment. Thesame is true with the law.”

The old motto among attorneys, “Never ask a questionyou don’t know the answer to,” holds true for introducinglegislation and shepherding it through various subcommit-tees, committees, and entire legislatures. Simon’s work as anattorney taught him to anticipate the “questions, doubts,and attacks” surrounding proposed legislation. Life in thelegislature has involved a lot of thinking on his feet anddoing his homework, says Simon. “I can’t emphasizeenough the importance of being thorough, in the sameway lawyers have to be thorough for their clients.”

Law holds life lessonsThe background they gained from courses, clinics, andclerkships still reverberates with attorney-legislators. Theysay the wide range of court cases they once studied andother experiences during law school provided exceptionaltraining for whatever legislation comes their way. Forexample, Hortman fondly recalls former Professor JimChen’s course on regulated industries and says it hasinstructed her work as a legislator serving on committeesoverseeing transportation finance issues, transportationpolicy, higher education, and workforce development.

www.law.umn.edu

DeLaForest says “Law School gave me an advantage in becoming an effective legislator because it helped meknow something about nearly every subject I’ve encoun-tered in my role as a legislator.” On-the-job knowledge hegained during a clerkship at a law firm providing criminalprosecution services in Dakota County has been pivotal inhis role as a member of the House Public Safety PolicyCommittee, DeLaForest says.

For some alumni, memories of Law School offer a continual dose of inspiration. Simon recalls a deeper,almost spiritual call to the profession embodied by retiredprofessor Donald G. Marshall. Simon still has a smallmetallic plate inscribed with Marshall’s most famousphrase, heard by generations of Law School students:“Never whisper justice.” Says Simon: “Professor Marshallwas a giant. He looms large in my mind still to this day.”And so does his dictum. It might sound corny, says Simon,

Grad Year Name Office

1968 James Blanchard Governor of Mich., U.S. Congressman

1968 Bert J. McKasy Minn. House

1968 Robert Tennessen Minn. Senate

1968 Harry “Tex” Sieben Speaker of the House, Minn.

1969 Hubert H. Humphrey III Minn. Attorney General, Minn. Senator

1970 William Paul Luther U.S. Congressman

1971 Joe Mullery* Minn. House

1972 Michael R. Sieben Minn. House

1972 David M. Olin* Minn. House

1973 Mike Hatch Minn. Attorney General

1973 Gerald Edward Sikorski U.S. Congressman

1974 Richard Krambeer Minn. House

1975 Robert L. Ellingson Minn. House

1976 Dean Barkley U.S. Senator

1976 Thomas W. Pugh Minn. House

Grad Year Name Office

1978 Fritz Knaak Minn. Senator

1979 Phil Carruthers Minn. House

1979 Harold R. Finn Minn. Senator

1979 Randolph W. Peterson Minn. Senator

1984 Kathleen Ann Blatz Minn. House, Chief Justice

1984 Doug Meslow Minn. House

1984 Charlie Weaver Jr. Minn. House, Chief Justice, Minn.

1988 John Tuma Minn. House

1990 Matthew Entenza Minn. House

1990 Ron Kind* U.S. Congressman

1990 Henry Todd Van Dellen Minn. House

1991 Geoff Michel Minn. Senator

1995 Satveer S. Chaudhary* Minn. House, Minn. Senator

1997 Mee Moua* Minn. Senator

2001 Ryan Winkler* Minn. House

“Law School gave me an advan-tage in becoming an effectivelegislator… it helped me knowsomething about nearly everysubject I’ve encountered….”

–Chris DeLaForest



“Some of my best friends and most lasting relationships are with myfellow law students, and I don’t think that will ever go away.”

–Steve Simon

“but when people talk aboutjustice, it is not something to be muttered.”

On the campaign trail(and trial)Discussions of how a legaleducation plays into cam-paigning for office yieldmixed messages. Kohls recallsthat after the last redistricting,he had to introduce himselfto a new group of votersliving at the border of met-ropolitan Twin Cities andrural Minnesota, where sub-divisions run up against farmfields. While he did not “runaway from the fact” he was alawyer, neither did he suggestthat being one would be areason to vote for him.

www.law.umn.edu

Simon maintains that campaigning requires “just a wholeother set of skills” and is uncertain whether law school, theUniversity of Minnesota, or anything else really preparedhim for it.

Not so, argues Hortman. Law School taught her to condense complicated events into simple summaries for judges and juries—and potential voters. She says thatcandidates, like lawyers appearing before a judge or jury,have only a few minutes to present their message in a persuasive way. In both courts and legislatures, short, concise, specific arguments can win the day.

Whatever the situation, law school alumni have oneimportant advantage, at least for Simon. “Some of my bestfriends and most lasting relationships are with my fellowlaw students, and I don’t think that will ever go away,” he says. Pawlenty, too, met one his best friends during law school—a woman named Mary Anderson (class of1986) who would later become a well-known judge and the governor’s wife.

By Frank Jossi, a freelance writer based in St. Paul.

More than 3,650 bills were introduced into the Minnesota State Legislature in the 2007 session. Each and every one of them will be reviewed by a staff of 13 attorneys in the state’s Office of Revisor of Statutes.

Led by Michele Timmons (class of 1979), the Office serves as the Legislature’s “quality control” division, reviewing bills to ensure that they use appropriate legal language, proofreading for errors, and applying the correct codes to fit into state statutes. After the Legislative session ends, the Officepublishes new bills to paper and the Web, complete with cross-referencing to existing statutes andproper numbering and coding.

Even with a short legislative session, lawmakers have plenty of time for errors. That’s why the last bill the Legislature passes each session, Timmons says, is a “corrections bill” that makes a number ofadjustments in new laws.

Timmons came to the revisor’s job eight years ago after working for Ramsey County for 18 years,mainly in the civil division of the county attorney’s office. Some of the skills she brought to the job were first nurtured at law school, where she studied a wide variety of law topics and learned the core legal principles of American jurisprudence.

Law school professors gave Timmons her first glimpse of the “tension” between accuracy and clarity she sees played out daily at the Legislature. “When we’re drafting legislation, we’re trying forclarity so it [the law] can be understood by anyone and at the same time make it as legally accurate as possible,” she says. “Sometimes, unfortunately, that requires using legalese that will make it difficult for a nonlawyer to interpret.”—F.J.

Both U.S. Congressman Keith Ellison (’90)(top) and Governor Tim Pawlenty (’86)(bottom, at left) spoke at the Law Schoolthis spring about their experiences aslaw students and politicians.

Life as a Revisor of Statutes


The Clinical DifferenceStudents learn law for the real world in clinical courses.

BY JON SPAYDE

One recent afternoon, John Gregory Robinson (class of 2007) got a

message that opposing counsel in a case he was working on had called. “We were highly leveraged on

the case, mainly because of the procedural posture,” says Robinson. He quickly returned the call and

negotiated with opposing counsel to fatten the proposed settlement. Then he contacted his client. She

was excited about the offer but wanted to sleep on it before making a decision. “I went back to the

managing partner,” says Robinson, “and we talked strategy: what the next step should be, depending

on the decision my client made, and what we should say if the client asked our opinion of the offer.”

www.law.umn.edu


The Clinical Difference

www.law.umn.edu

This would have been a good day for any attorney han-dling a civil suit. But Robinson is a third-year law studentenrolled in the consumer protection clinic, taught byProfessor Prentiss Cox (the “managing partner” he refersto). For Robinson, it was a thrilling opportunity to experience the role of a working lawyer.

Experience through public serviceConsumer protection is just one of the clinical coursesthrough which the Law School offers students real workon real cases, mostly involving poor or indigent clients. Forthe community, the clinics are a priceless free legalresource. For students like Robinson, they’re a skill-building, if sometimes nerve-jangling, immersion in thereal world of law after hundreds of hours of book work.

The clinics, open to second- and third-year law students, offer a remarkably diverse array in their 19

1. Kathryn Sedo, left, with front to back, Jonathan Holt (’07), Sarah Bronson (’07) and James McGuire (’08).

2. Jennifer Ciresi (’07) is the co-director of the tax clinic.

1

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specialty options, among them civil practice, tax law, misdemeanor defense, federal defense, bankruptcy, housing,and immigration. Clinic work begins with classroom studyand practice in nuts-and-bolts basics, such as drafting documents. Simulations help students develop interviewingskills and courtroom savvy. Then they take real cases intocourtrooms and hearing rooms. Clinical faculty guide and supervise, but students usually sit in the first chair.

First-case scenariosTony Kriesel (class of 2006) remembers his first time in the hot seat in one of the three domestic violence clinicsfounded and supervised by Professor Beverly Balos (class of 1977). “It was an immigrant couple. The husband hadphysically and verbally abused the wife,” Kriesel explains.

“Often in these domestic abuse cases, the respondentdoesn’t bother to show up or the issues are worked outbefore the hearing itself. But I had a full-blown hearing.The respondent, the abuser, was there, and I had to cross-examine him. I was prepared for it, but it was nerve-wracking.”

Paula Brummel (class of 1999), now a HennepinCounty public defender, had a different learning experi-ence in the Social Security clinic headed by ProfessorKathryn Sedo. “My client had a long history of trying toget Social Security for her disabled son,” says Brummel.“She was somewhat mentally disabled, so meeting with herwas very long and drawn-out, and she had a lot of emo-tional needs. She’d call me many times each day. I thoughtI’d just go in and do an oral argument. I didn’t realize therewould be a human being attached to the case.”

Learning to listenBrummel’s realization—that clients are real people whoseneeds, circumstances, and social settings don’t always fitneatly into legal pigeonholes—is at the heart of the LawSchool’s clinical education. “Lawyers are not isolatedpeople,” says Professor Balos. “Practicing law means thatyou have relationships with lots of different people: yourclient, other attorneys, judges. Practicing law is a relationalfunction, and the clinical experience gives students a senseof that fact that they otherwise might not get.”

Professor Stephen Simon (class of 1971), who super-vises the criminal defense clinic, says this relational ability isfundamental to legal competence and students develop it,like any other skill, through experience. “Only after theyPh

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“Practicing law means thatyou have relationships withlots of different people.”

–Beverly Balos


The Clinical Difference

“One of the things they taught was how to be a compassionatelistener—how to listen on more than one track at a time.”

–Wendy Zeller

have had to use the law in a world of court and client dothey develop the sort of understanding of it that really isnecessary,” says Simon. “Unlike philosophy, the law doesnot exist just as words on a page. The purpose of law is togovern relationships among people in the real world.”

Wendy Zeller (class of 1998), an associate at Robins,Kaplan, Miller and Ciresi in Minneapolis, credits the clin-ical faculty with introducing her to the human complexi-ties. “I found the clinic professors to be a tremendouslycompassionate group of people who taught by example,”she says. “One of the things they taught was how to be acompassionate listener—how to listen on more than onetrack at a time.” While one part of your mind is analyzingfacts and organizing them in a legal context, another partmust focus on the person who has come to you for helpand is probably very fragile, Zeller explains. To form a connection with clients and earn their trust, “You have to be very careful in how you respond to what they tellyou,” she says.

Zeller discovered that once she learned this two-trackattentiveness, and the client-centered approach that itreflects, her confidence grew. Law students are “tremen-dously aware” of all they don’t know and somewhat intim-idated by the whole legal process, she says. “But many ofthe clinic clients are intimidated by anybody who knowsanything about the law. So all of a sudden you, the second-year student who doesn’t know a heck of a lot, are theexpert.”

Brummel agrees. “When I had doubts about my abili-ties in law school, when I had a bad exam grade or felt Iwasn’t getting something, the clinic helped me feel thatthere was something I could do in a legal capacity and besuccessful,” she says. “It was a very positive episode in whatcan be a very long three years.”

Clinics multiply and diversifyThe idea of giving law students a supervised taste of real-world lawyering is about a century old. The University ofMinnesota was one of the first law schools in the countryto establish a clinic, in association with the MinneapolisLegal Aid Society, in 1913. Senior students spent about 15afternoons a year observing and taking a modest part inthe proceedings at the clinic’s downtown office.

However, as Professor Robert Stein (class of 1961),former dean of the Law School and clinic director,observes in In Pursuit of Excellence: A History of the Universityof Minnesota Law School, for about 50 years following itscreation, the clinic program neither grew nor developed

significantly. Part of the reason was that the University of Minnesota was a national leader in incorporating procedural law and legal writing into its regular academiccurriculum. But as clinical education, usually with a social-service slant, burgeoned nationwide, students andfaculty at Minnesota cooperated to expand the clinicalopportunities.

An agreement with the Minnesota Bar Associationresulted in the establishment of a student-run clinic in1958. Students began receiving academic credit for workin the clinic in 1965, and Robert E. Oliphant (class of1966) became the first clinical professor in 1969. It was acoming of age for the program, which has been growingever since.

In 1979, Victor Kramer, a professor at the Law Schoolfrom 1981 until his retirement in 1994, compiled a report on ways to develop the program. Kramer’s recommendation—to multiply the clinics and peg them toa diverse set of course offerings—became the hallmark ofMinnesota’s approach, and clinics proliferated through the1980s and 1990s. (See the memorial for Professor Kramer,who died in January at age 93, on page 53.)

Clinic students have argued cases all the way to theU.S. Court of Appeals, including the Huntsman v.Commissioner of Internal Revenue case in 1990, a landmarkdecision on the deductibility of home mortgage points.“These are the kind of results any law firm would bepleased to have,” says Professor Stein.

Lawyering for the little guyThe law clinics’ impact on the world outside of MondaleHall can be measured in various ways. Clinics take about700 new cases every year and provide around 18,000 hoursof free legal service to people who would otherwise havegreat difficulty getting a satisfactory day in court.

But a more important measure may be the spirit with which these cases are undertaken. “In law school, you are always reading constitutional law cases thatchanged the law of this country, big cases that a lot of big people paid big attention to,” says Zeller. Think aboutapplying that level of interest to the case of some ordinaryperson, a case that will never influence law or have a greatdeal of importance to anyone except your client, she con-tinues. “The clinic professors, every single one of them,were completely engrossed in the cases of those people.And they taught us to care in the very same way.”



Philosopher of Law

www.law.umn.edu

“It has been importantto me to impart tostudents a sense ofbeing a good, ethical,reflective lawyer with

a social conscience.” With that credo,Maury Landsman, who retires from the directorships of the clinical andlawyering skills programs in May andfrom the Law School next year, sumsup his educational approach as well ashis biography. He has been a studentand servant of the good (as a philoso-pher) and the just (as an activist andlawyer) all his life, the last four years as coordinator of the Law School’sclinical courses, most of which servethe poor.

Born and raised in Washington,D.C. (“in the city, not the suburbs”),Landsman began undergraduate studiesin pre-med at the University ofChicago. After transferring to GeorgeWashington University, he fell in lovewith “the abstraction, the rigor, thepleasure of thinking things through” hefound in philosophy. He also gotcaught up in the civil rights andantiwar movements, activities that gavehim an opportunity to meet StokelyCarmichael, the young and not-yet-controversial D.C. mayor Marion Barryand, on a picket line, his wife-to-be,the writer Julie Landsman.

Though he studied for his Ph.D. in philosophy at Yale and taught phi-losophy at Carleton College for fiveyears, his activist leanings began tomake him more and more discon-tented with the field. One of his col-leagues at Carleton was a young polit-ical science professor named PaulWellstone. “I watched him combineactivism with academics,” says

Landsman, “and I just didn't see how Icould do that with philosophy.”

The Landsmans moved to the TwinCities, where he took several clinicalcourses in the William Mitchell nightschool program and spent a congenialyear clerking for Minnesota SupremeCourt Justice Lawrence Yetka (class of 1948). Next he worked at a firmthen called Robins, Zelle, Larson, andKaplan, but “large firm work wasn’t as laid-back as I liked,” he says with asmile. After a stint as partner in a smallfirm founded with friends, Landsmanapplied for an opening in the LawSchool clinic program and has beenpart of it for more than two decades.

His dual loves—philosophy and thepractice of law—have made Landsmana “special breed” of teacher, says DeanFred L. Morrison. “He gives studentsnot only the skill to do things but anunderstanding of why they are doingthem.” As an educator, Landsman’s keyquestion has been “Where do you drawthe line between allowing the student

to make mistakes and making sure thatthe client is served? If you're notthinking about that all the time, you'renot thinking about the core issue.”

His biggest administrative challengehas been to promote both the practicalbent of the clinics and the scholarlyinterests of the faculty. He tries to keeptabs on what everyone is doingwithout interfering, he says. “I walkaround the offices, I ask questions, I tryto make myself available.” His open,informal approach is clearly an asset.

What’s ahead? The Landsmans areheaded for Italy next year. “We’regoing to rent an apartment inSpoleto,” he says, “not have a car, andshop at the local grocery stores.” He’llwork on his photography—a lifelonginterest—and collaborate with Julie onsome visual-literary projects. “And,” headds, “I’ll sleep for a year and catch upon 25 years of reading.”


❯ Faculty Profile

Philosopher of LawMaury Landsman has taught students how to practice law, and why.

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Prosecutor on the Defense

Between graduating fromcollege and starting lawschool, I worked for anonprofit sexual assaulttask force in the Pacific

Northwest. In college, I was passionateabout the issues of domestic violenceand sexual assault, and I was excited tobe working to make a difference in thefight against them. I was already plan-ning to go to law school when I startedwith the task force, but working theregave me new motivation.

The task force focused predomi-nantly on public policy and trainingfor professionals, including police offi-cers in investigating sexual assault,nurses in conducting forensic exams,and district attorneys in prosecutingacquaintance-rape cases successfully,cases that can be notoriously difficultto prosecute.

I remember clearly the dynamicprosecutor who came to train districtattorneys in the state. She was persua-sive, smart, and savvy about the law.She knew how to handle those toughcases and win. Meeting her was themoment I first began thinking aboutpursuing a career in prosecution.

Once in law school, I was eager forpractical experience that would pre-pare me to be a prosecutor. I heardfrom friends that Professor StephenSimon’s misdemeanor clinics were aphenomenal way to learn some on-the-ground skills. I signed up for themisdemeanor defense clinic in the fallof my second year and found that it fitthe bill.

Practical lessons for a life in lawThe defense clinic was an educationaland memorable experience, largely due

to Professor Simon’s expertise and pas-sion for teaching the art of lawyering.The clinic focuses on the practicalskills new lawyers need. Before stu-dents enter the courtroom, they arethoroughly prepared with in-class lec-tures, discussions, and courtroom simu-lations. Only then does ProfessorSimon turn students over to the realworld of lawyering.

Even at the courthouse, he strikes a balance between learning throughinstruction and learning through experience. For instance, he gave meopportunities to practice what I wouldsay to negotiate a better offer from the prosecutor or to advocate forclients to get their bail moneyreturned. He helped me craft the best explanation so my clients wouldunderstand their options.

Establishing rapport with clients is a unique challenge of the misde-meanor defense clinic. The clinicclients qualify for the public defenderso they don’t have the luxury ofchoosing their lawyer, and they canoften be distrustful. Students mustlearn to gain their trust, and quickly,since the case will likely be settledwithin hours. Students learn the kindsof words to use to empower them-selves as the person who will helpguide the client through the situation.Such seemingly small, but practical, les-sons were invaluable to me.

Look at crime from both sides nowFor many students interested in crim-inal law, the misdemeanor clinics canhelp indicate whether prosecution ordefense work suits them best. Althoughmy interest in criminal law remains on

the prosecution side, my experience inthe misdemeanor defense clinic waspriceless in developing my skills as asoon-to-be lawyer. I will always valuethe opportunity I had to look at casesfrom a defense perspective.

By Sarah Vokes (’07).

❯ Student EssayPh

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Prosecutor on the DefenseA graduating student reflects on the value of seeing issues from multiple perspectives.

Editor’s Note: Next year Sarah willcontinue her legal education as aclerk to Minnesota Supreme CourtChief Justice Russell Anderson (’68).


The Law School hosted the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals oral arguments on April 3. Co-DeansCharles and Morrison flank (from left to right) theHonorable Myron Bright (’47), the HonorableKermit Bye, and the Honorable William Riley.

8th Circuit oral arguments

A traditional drumming group at theNational Native American Law Moot Court

Dinner on February 16.

Board of Visitors April Reception at Eastcliff.LEFT: Tom King (’65), left; Sara Jones (’88), center; and Dean Charles.

MIDDLE: James Bender (’81) and Judith L. Oakes (’69) at right.RIGHT: Charles Noerenberg (’82), in center, with Katie Nordahl (’05), Nick Wallace (’05), and Dean Charles.

The “New Breed” of African Leaders Conference co-hosted with the Humphrey Institute of PublicAffairs, the Law School, and the Human RightsCenter, April 6-7. Pictured from left are Professor David Weissbrodt, Arnold Tsunga,Meredith M. McQuaid, Daniel Abebe, Michael Clough, Alemayehu Mariam, Peter Takirambudde, Birhanemeskel Abebe Segni, and Kristi Rudelius-Palmer.

Over 900 registrants competed in the 5th Annual Race for Justice on April 15.

The event raised an estimated $19,500 for theLoan Repayment Assistance Program.

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Presented by the Minnesota Journal of International Law, the Minnesota Center for LegalStudies, and the Transitional Justice Institute

Symposium on the War on Terror

explored the legitimacy of hegemonicintervention, the authority of conflictrules, and the applicability of thoserules to the current war on terror.

In a fitting wrap-up to the sympo-sium, the final panel examined peaceand exit strategies.

The 2006 symposium was a proudachievement for the staff and editors of the Minnesota Journal of InternationalLaw. The event marked the beginningof a new era for the reconfiguredjournal formerly known as theMinnesota Journal of Global Trade andoffered an opportunity to showcase the journal’s expanded reach and con-tinued commitment to a high-quality,scholarly publication.

The Minnesota Journal ofInternational Law will feature the articles written for the symposium in volume 16, issue 2, due out thissummer.

Further information on the sym-posium and the archived webcast ofpanels and presentations are availablethrough the journal’s website atwww.law.umn.edu/mjil/2006symposium.html.

By Stuart Nostdahl (‘07), symposium editor.

The world’s foremostinternational law scholars con-verged on the Law School on

November 9 and 10, 2006, for “Waron Terror: International andInterdisciplinary Perspectives.” Thesymposium, jointly hosted by theMinnesota Journal of International Law,the Minnesota Center for LegalStudies, and the Transitional JusticeInstitute (of Northern Ireland), wasconvened to examine new and chal-lenging legal issues raised by the inter-national war on terror and the abilityof current international legal regimesto properly deal with them. Amongthe critical issues evaluated were thelegitimacy of the use of force, the roleof conflict rules, and human rights.

Law scholars traveling to the LawSchool from across the United Statesand Europe included Professors ColmCampbell, Shane Darcy, and ChristineBell (University of Ulster); DavidKennedy (Harvard University); AchillesSkordas (University of Bristol); DavidWippman (Cornell University); IanLustick and Brendan O’Leary(University of Pennsylvania); andChristian Davenport (University ofMaryland). Professors DavidWeissbrodt, Oren Gross, and Fionnuala

Ní Aoláin represented the Universityof Minnesota Law School.

E. Thomas Sullivan, former Deanof the Law School and current SeniorVice President and Provost of theUniversity of Minnesota, presented thekeynote address, entitled “Proportion-ality and Just Wars Doctrine.” Fourpanel discussions followed, eachfocusing on different issues.

The first panel, moderated byFrancesco Parisi of the Law School,discussed the interaction betweeninternational law and the use of forcein the 21st century. It centered on theopposing viewpoints of the “BushDoctrine’s” preemptive use of force onthe one hand and the vitality of theUnited Nations Charter Article 2(4)prohibiting such use of force on theother.

The second panel, moderated byBrian Bix of the Law School, addressedlaw, repression, and social movementtheory and examined, among otherthings, how the violation of humanrights implicated by the internationalwar on terror might work to incitefurther terrorism and violence.

Members of the third panel dis-cussed how a conflict such as the waron terror should be conducted. They

Professor Oren Gross and Professor Christine Bell Professor David Kennedy Provost E. Thomas Sullivan

At the Law School


Kellar InterdisciplinaryLectures and Distinguished Visitors Program

Reed Hundt, former chairmanof the Federal CommunicationsCommission under President

Clinton and current principal ofCharles Ross Partners, a privateinvestor and business advisory service,spoke at the Law School on February20 as the Horatio Ellsworth KellarDistinguished Visitor.

Hundt argued that the new powerexerted by China (and by other countries experiencing rapid economicexpansion, including India) could have negative implications for mostAmerican citizens and undermine the American Dream of a steadilyimproving quality of life. He assertedthat explicit and expansive promotionof entrepreneurship is America’sgreatest competitive edge and will help the country make the best ofChina’s global competition.

“China’s access to a large and inexpensive labor force will empowerthousands, even hundreds of thousands,of firms to compete with Americanfirms. Highly trained Chineseemployees will compete with highlytrained Americans and in doing so may saw off the top end of Americans’income ladder,” Hundt said. “But bythe time the upper class has sufferedserious impact from Chinese rivalry,the opportunity for an effectivenational response might have passed.There’s not a moment to lose inpreparing both American firms andworkers for the new wave of competi-tion.”

At the heart of successMeeting the Chinese challenge doesnot require adopting the current legislative program of the left or rightor imposing a government plan on

business, Hundt maintained.Rather than attempting tocoordinate a national strategyfor particular industries, theUnited States must expandand renew the culture ofentrepreneurship that hasbeen at the heart of its eco-nomic success for centuries.

Hundt focused particu-larly on the energy andhealthcare sectors. Hebelieves that unless substantial entre-preneurship upsets the status quo inthese areas (as it did in communica-tions and computing in the 1990s), theaverage American’s standard of livingwill decline. This would in turnthreaten America’s commitment to thevalues that are at the core of itsnational character: liberty and equality.

Hundt recommended changes inthe following specific areas:

• The architecture of law—statute,regulation, and cases—to encouragestartup companies and entry into newareas by existing firms

• The architecture of technology, to encourage open and collaborativeresearch and development

• The architecture of leadership, toencourage leaders from outsideexisting centers of power and toexpand the influence on America’spolicies exerted by chief executives ofstartup companies and social networksof workers and consumers

Capture opportunitiesAs a case study of an effective entrepreneurship movement, Hundtreviewed the lessons of the Golden1990s, when law, technology, and lead-ership produced a robust culture ofentrepreneurship. He contrasted thatwith the current culture of protec-tionism and government planning,which has undermined entrepreneur-ship in key sectors.

In China’s ShadowReed Hundt’s lecture highlighted risks to the United States from China and other rapidly growing economic powers.

❯ Lectures

Co-Deans Guy Charles and Fred Morrison with Reed Hundt.

While Hundt effectively—andsomewhat frighteningly—conveyed thereal threats to American interests posedby China’s economic ascendancy, heoffered a hopeful vision, bolstered byour past success. With the appropriateactions and changes, America caneffectively make the most of theopportunities of an expanded globalmarketplace.

The Horatio Ellsworth Kellar Distinguished Visitors ProgramThis program was established in 1996by Curtis B. Kellar (class of 1940) inmemory of his father, HoratioEllsworth Kellar. In keeping with hisfather’s interests, Curtis Kellar designedan interdisciplinary lecture series thatseeks to connect emerging issues inlaw with other disciplines, such as art,drama, and literature. The youngerKellar, who passed away on November18, 2006, was a devoted Law Schoolvolunteer and donor, and in additionto the Kellar Lecture, he endowed TheCurtis Bradbury Kellar Chair in Lawcurrently held by Professor Ann M.Burkhart.

By Scotty Mann, Director, Alumni Relations &Annual Giving.

Law and Inequality Symposium:The Next 25 Years

At the Law School


To commemorate its 25thyear as an academic journal committed to examining the

law's effects on disadvantaged people,the University of Minnesota LawSchool’s Law and Inequality hosted asymposium entitled “The Next 25Years” in February. Scholars from across the country took part, and several submitted papers for publica-tion later this academic year.

Participants included ProfessorPeter Blanck (Syracuse UniversityCollege of Law), Dean Jim Chen(University of Louisville BrandeisSchool of Law), Professor DanielFarber (University of California,Berkeley School of Law), Professorjohn powell (Ohio State UniversityMoritz College of Law), ProfessorMark Rothstein (University ofLouisville), and Professor DinahShelton (George Washington School of Law). Co-Dean Guy-Uriel E.Charles and Professors Stephen F.Befort, Oren Gross, Ruth Okediji, and Myron Orfield represented theLaw School.

After introductions by ProfessorsOkediji and Befort, Professor Blanckspoke about his work at SyracuseUniversity, the importance and devel-opment of the Americans withDisabilities Act, and the nation’s con-tinuing problems regarding discrimina-tion against disabled people. Next,Professor Rothstein summarized issuesconcerning genetic testing, genetic discrimination, and insurance under-writing and led the audience in con-sidering how best to modify existingmedical information privacy laws.

The next topic was class and racein America. Professor powell empha-sized that a discussion of class is func-tionally and theoretically inadequatewithout a discussion of race because ofthe historical and cultural climate ofthis country. Professor Orfield followed

up with an outline of racial seg-regation in various parts of thenation and possible explanationsfor these sometimes disturbingtrends.

The next segment of thesymposium, introduced byProfessor Gross, consideredinternational human rightsstandards. Professor Sheltonpresented her examinationof the standards employedby international humanrights organizations andtheir arguably disparateapplication to membernations. Despite somerationale for the priori-ties of internationalhuman rights law,enforcement andinvestigation are hin-dered by the existingsystem, she stated.

The day’s aca-demic appearancesended with a jointpresentation by

Professors Chen and Farber on the disparity in impact of natural disasterson the impoverished as compared withthe wealthy. Specifically consideringHurricane Katrina, they noted that systematic discrimination against thepoor at both the planning and execu-tion stages of governance significantlyworsened the effects on the economi-cally disadvantaged of New Orleans.

Law and Inequality is dedicated tocarefully examining and illuminatingthe ways in which law influences socialexpressions of inequality across theworld. The staff and Editorial Boardthank everyone who has contributedto this goal over the years.

By Larina Brown (‘07).

Professor john powell Professor Myron Orfield Professor Peter Blanck

February 16, 2007 9:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.University of Minnesota Law School

Walter F. Mondale Hall, Room 25Attendance is free and open to the public6.25 CLE credits available

2007 Symposium

LawandInequality:

The Next 25 Years

International Human Rights Standards

Professor Dinah L. SheltonGeorge Washington University Law School

Professor Fionnuala Ní AoláinUniversity of Minnesota Law School

Race and ClassProfessor John A. PowellOhio State University Moritz College of Law

Professor Myron Orfield


Genetic DiscriminationProfessor Mark A. RothsteinUniversity of Louisville

Poverty and Natural DisastersProfessor Jim ChenUniversity of Minnesota Law School

Professor Daniel A. FarberUniversity of California, Berkeley School of Law

Disability and EmploymentProfessor Peter BlanckSyracuse University College of Law

PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITYThe Law School firmly believes that anappreciation of the important ethicalissues involved in the profession of lawis essential to a sound education.Therefore, it is committed to intro-ducing inclusive and engaging trainingin the basic rules of professionalresponsibility, using a five-prongedapproach.

• A kickoff lecture, made possibleby a generous gift from Lee Bearmon(class of 1956), will introduce the new

Law School curriculum focus. The pur-pose of the endowed lecture is tofoster awareness, interest, research,and commitment regarding legalethics and professional responsibilityamong students during their legaleducation and throughout their professional lives.

Bearman, now retired, was OfCounsel at Briggs and Morgan andsenior vice president/general counselat the Carlson Companies. The lecture

will be presented by James Hale (classof 1965), now retired as generalcounsel for Target Corp.

• The Work of the Lawyer coursewill build ethical issues into the simu-lation problem, and discussions willemerge naturally from the practical situations.

• A series of lectures in the firstyear will address the role of lawyersand law in society from various per-spectives. Speakers will represent a

wide range of occupations and back-grounds.

• An intensive one-credit course(structure to be determined) takenafter the first year will focus on theformal rules of professional responsi-bility.

• A three-credit elective on profes-sional responsibility might be offered,and seminars or lectures on specializedareas (public relations, business ethics)might be available.

At the Law School

The Law School is in the midst of some big changes in its firstyear curriculum, driven mainly

by two concerns:• The doctrinal substance of the

first year curriculum does not ade-quately reflect the types of law thatmatter to most lawyers today. Statutes,administrative rules, and treaties nowplay a much bigger role than they didin the past.

• The teaching methodology does not emphasize sufficientlynumerous other skills that successfullawyers need. Many faculty membersbelieve we should integrate doctrineand analysis with the teaching of practical lawyering skills and emphasison the social role of lawyers and the law.

The leading proposals focused onstatutory interpretation, electivecourses on critical topics, and practicalinstruction. These changes will bemade in two phases. The first phasewill be implemented for the 2007entering class and the second phase forthe 2008 entering class.

Phase OneThe first phase brings teaching of rules of statutory interpretation intothe first year, adding one credit’s

worth of classes to the second semesterof Legal Writing. These classes willhelp prepare students to write a legalbrief on a question that involves interpreting a statute—the mainproject of the second semester of Legal Writing—and will be taught by tenured and tenure-track faculty.They will teach the fundamentals ofinterpreting statutes, a key skill formodern lawyers, and unite tenured faculty teaching doctrinal topics withadjuncts focused on practical skills. The abstract sets of rules learned willbe applied immediately to the practicaltask of writing a brief.

Phase TwoFollowing are the main elements ofthe second phase:

• The Work of the Lawyer, a three-credit course, will be required in thesecond semester. Students workthrough stages of a representation in aseries of simulations and learn the skillsof, and theory behind, interviewing,counseling, negotiation, and drafting.The course will introduce professionalresponsibility (see sidebar). The repre-sentation will be transactional, a shiftfrom litigation focus in the first year.

• One elective course from the following four options will be required

in the second semester:1. International Law: an increasingly

important part of practice for manylawyers and of growing importance tounderstanding the role of law in themodern world

2. Perspectives on the Law: collabo-ration of three professors who writewithin various disciplinary perspectives(e.g., legal history, law and economics,critical theory), each analyzing how thatperspective helps in understanding somewell-known first year cases and topics

3. Corporations: a three-unit version of the upper-level BusinessAssociations/Corporations course, acornerstone of the business law cur-riculum

4. Civil Procedure II: personal andsubject matter jurisdiction, Erie, andthe addition of new topics (e.g.,injunctions, appeals, complex litigation)to material currently taught

• A fourth unit will be added toCivil Procedure I, increasing it fromthree to four credits. Civil Procedure Iwill cover the sequence of a case fromcomplaint to preclusion. ConstitutionalLaw II (individual liberties) will berequired in the second or third year.

By Professor and Associate Dean for AcademicAffairs Brett McDonnell.


Curriculum ReformFirst year classes will reflect changing needs.

1. Kate Dyson (’08), and staff members Rosemary Rogers, Stacy Doepner-Hove (’97), Caryn Lantz, and Susan Miller.

2. Racers sprint to the finish at Nicollet Island.

3. Celebrating victory are top finishers Dan Church, Tom Church ('06), Chris Lundberg ('08), Karla Valnsek, Dawn Brintnell, and Monica Stangl.

1

2

3

2007 Race for Justice

At the Law School


5k has a Banner Day

COMMUNITY SUPPORT FOR PUBLIC INTEREST FUNDRAISER CONTINUES TO GROW.On April 15, the Law School's Fifth Annual Race for Justice, a 5K Fun Run andWalk benefiting the Loan Repayment Assistance Program of Minnesota (LRAP),brought members of the Law School and local legal communities, as well as thegeneral public, to historic riverfront Minneapolis for an event of unprecedentedsuccess. On a picture-perfect spring day, the scenic race route looped partici-pants around Nicollet Island, across the Mississippi on the Hennepin Avenuebridge, back over the Stone Arch Bridge, and down the home stretch past St.Anthony Main.

In its fifth year, the race shattered records across the board. Contributing to theevent’s success were more than 900 registrants, over 100 hard-working volun-teers, 30 generous sponsors, and more than 20 spirited teams. Their combinedefforts yielded an estimated $19,500 in proceeds for LRAP, marking an increase of over 45% in funds raised. By subsidizing education loan payments, LRAP helpsdedicated graduates of the University of Minnesota and other local law schoolsprovide much-needed representation to low-income litigants.

As in past years, all race participants and volunteers received coveted Race forJustice T-shirts and race packets. With the help of current LRAP attorneys andLRAP's Executive Director, Heather Rastorfer Vlieger, the fastest male and femalefinishers were recognized following the race. Top female finishers were KarlaValnsek, Dawn Brintnell, and Monica Stangl. The fastest men, all from the LawSchool Cross Country Team, were two-time top finisher Chris Lundberg in firstplace and Tom Church and Dan Church in second and third place.

The Dean of Students Office wishes to thank the many race volunteers, partici-pants, donors, and sponsors, who helped make the Race for Justice a great success, thus ensuring that a public-interest lawyer will be available when low-income Minnesotans need legal services.

At the Law School


The Law School’s Career & Professional DevelopmentCenter (CPDC) is at the fore-

front of law schools nationwide thathave added professional developmentand professionalism to their portfolio of offerings for students and others.These components stem from nearly a decade of conversations with variousconstituencies.

We have heard from alumni andemployers regarding their concernsabout the savvy and sophistication of their new colleagues, from careerprofessionals regarding the need fornew information on cross-generationalcommunication and divergent workstyles, from law firms regarding thehundreds of thousands of dollarsdevoted to training and CLE, and fromstudents regarding their genuine desireto succeed at their future work.

From the first public conversations

about student professional develop-ment in 2005 have come a host ofnew initiatives and ideas from acrossthe country.

Elevated aspirationsOver the past two years, the CPDCstaff has reconfigured its program offerings to enhance and add essentialprofessional development topics. These topics extend beyond traditional professional responsibility and ethicsteaching, which is done as part of theregular Law School curriculum.

At the 2006 American Associationof Law Schools Annual Meeting,dozens of career professionals met aspart of the Student Services section todiscuss presentations on various profes-sional development models. Both of usfound the presentations disappointing.With few exceptions, they focused onvariations of the Golden Rule (e.g.,being nice) and the Model Rules ofProfessional Responsibility (e.g., notstealing clients’ money), which repre-sent only the ground floor of profes-sionalism. The CPDC staff has higheraspirations for Minnesota students andalumni.

Skills for professionalsCPDC professionalism programs seekto add a third leg to the Law School’sdoctrinal and clinical/advocacy skillsteaching. The goal is to offer students away of understanding and learning the“soft” skills that will enable them to besuccessful practitioners and members ofthe legal profession.

While a work-in-progress, the professional development offerings,organized under a track called “Pathsto Professionalism,” are designed toilluminate the unspoken and unad-dressed issues that new professionalsmay encounter. They are in addition to the CPDC’s Nuts and Bolts andCareer Explorations programs.Following are some of the topicsoffered over this past academic year:

• What I learned in my first year

in practice: The perspective of fourmembers of the class of 2005

• Presentation skills from RoshiniRajkumar (class of 1997) (former tele-vision journalist, media-relations con-sultant, and journalism adjunct professor)

• Identifying, navigating, and managing relationships in the legalworkplace: A stakeholder analysis of the various constituencies with whomyoung attorneys will interact duringtheir legal careers

• Communicating across generations: Help for new lawyers,who may encounter as many as fourgenerations in the workplace, indecoding differences (e.g., amongTraditionalists, Baby Boomers, X-ers)

• What do clients want? A presentation by the Law School’sProfessor Ralph Hall, a partner atBaker & Daniels, Indianapolis

• What does it mean to be a professional?

• Tips for a successful summer: The ultimate how-to program

• The business of law (sixth year of CPDC collaboration with the Black Law Students Association)

• Taking charge of your careerdevelopment

• Support staff savvy: Timely information from Gina Sauer, consultant and former president ofNALP (the association for legal career professionals), for students whowill be supervising staff at work

Professionalism programming anddevelopment offerings will necessarilyevolve over time as they function to fill the gaps among classroom content,clinical and law clerk experiences,Nuts and Bolts job search skills basictraining, and general career explo-ration. The CPDC looks forward todeveloping additional programmingand strives to engage alumni and thelegal community in these efforts.

By Susan Gainen and Steve Marchese, co-directors, Law School Career & ProfessionalDevelopment Center.

The CPDC Steps UpNew professionalism programming points graduates toward successful careers.

Roshini Rajkumar (’97) introduced studentsto professional presentation skills.

Mircea Tipescu and Trevor Copeland (’03)share their experiences practicing IP law at Brinks Hofer, Chicago.

BEIJING ACTIVITIES

At the Law School

The Joint Degree Program inLaw, Health & the Life Sciencesand the Consortium on Law and

Values in Health, Environment & theLife Sciences partnered with theAcademic Health Center and the StemCell Institute, all University ofMinnesota groups, to host a one-dayconference on February 26, 2007, inthe Coffman Memorial UnionTheater. This national conference,entitled “Creating Stem Cells byResearch Cloning: Scientific, Ethical,Legal & Policy Challenges,” exploredthe process of creating practices forresponsible somatic cell nuclear transfer(SCNT) policy in academia.

Featured plenary speakers includedProfessor Jose Cibelli (Michigan StateUniversity) on “Moving Forward Afterthe South Korean Scandal—LessonsLearned,” Professor Kevin Eggan(Harvard University) on “The Scienceand Issues Surrounding ResearchCloning,” and Professor LeRoy Walters (Georgetown University) on “International Approaches toSCNT Policy.”

University of Minnesota ProfessorMeri Firpo (Stem Cell Institute) andMinnesota Representative Phyllis Kahndiscussed the recently introducedMinnesota House File 34, a bill thatwould establish state policy for stemcell research and appropriate money to support the research.

Professor Nigel Cameron(Chicago- Kent College of Law) and Professor Ronald M. Green(Dartmouth College) debated theethics of SCNT in a session moderatedby University of Minnesota ProfessorJeffrey Kahn (Center for Bioethics).

Smaller afternoon break-out sessiontopics were “Primer on the Science of Research Cloning and Stem Cells”led by University of MinnesotaProfessors Meri Firpo and NobuakiKikyo (Stem Cell Institute), “IssuesInvolved in Funding SCNT Research”led by Arlene Chiu (CaliforniaInstitute for Regenerative Medicine)and Brock Reeve (Harvard Stem CellInstitute), “Intellectual Property Issues”

led by Judith Kim, J.D. (Sterne, Kessler,Goldstein, Fox) and Katharine Ku,M.S. (Stanford University), and “StateLegislative Developments and PublicAttitudes Toward SCNT” led byPatrick Kelly (Biotechnology IndustryOrganization).

Articles resulting from this conference will be published in theWinter 2008 issue of the MinnesotaJournal of Law, Science & Technology.Video coverage of the full conferencewill be available at http://www.lifesci.consortium.umn.edu/conferences/scnt.php.

By Associate Director of Research & EducationJordan K. Paradise.


National Conference on Research Cloning

www.law.umn.edu

Panelists from left to right: Professor Brian Dowd, School of Public Health; ProfessorDan Kaufman, Harvard Stem Cell Institute; Katharine Ku, Stanford; Brock Reeve,Harvard Stem Cell Institute; and Professor Steven Teitelbaum, Washington University.

Muria Kruger has been appointed the new Director of International Programs and will beresponsible for the LL.M. program for foreign students, exchange programs, and the newChina programs. Kruger received her B.A. in phi-losophy from Hamline University and her J.D.magna cum laude in 2001 from the Law School.Before returning to the University, she workedin class action litigation, primarily in the areas of antitrust and securi-ties, at Heins Mills & Olson, Minneapolis. She has co-authored severalarticles on human rights codes of conduct for businesses.

New Director of International ProgramsIn April, Associate Dean of Administration and International ProgramsMeredith M. McQuaid and the International Programs Office held anevent in Beijing, China, for University of Minnesota graduates practicingthere. Enrollees in the upcoming LL.M. program (classes beginning inNovember) were also invited to the event.

Enrollment in this year’s Beijing summer study abroad program for J.D. students is almost double that of May–June 2006, when the program was launched. Thanks to alumni, who play a key role inmaking arrangements, this year’s J.D. class plans to visit the NationalPeople’s Congress, the Supreme People’s Court, and law firms in China.

At the Law School


Spotlight On International Fellowship Program

Upper Midwest Human Rights Fellowships

Mahima Achuthan (2L) Amnesty International New York City

Elizabeth Borer (1L) New Orleans Legal Assistance New Orleans

Sonia Gill (2L) Law Society of Zimbabwe Zimbabwe

Eissa Villasenor (2L) Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights Zimbabwe

Mark Wagner (1L) International Criminal Tribunal Court for Rwanda Tanzania

Alycia Wright (1L) National Service of Gacaca Courts Rwanda

Congratulations to the Law School’s 2007 Upper Midwest Human Rights Fellows!

The Upper Midwest HumanRights Fellowship encouragesstudents and other individuals

with a strong connection to the UpperMidwest region of the United States topursue a lifetime of human rights workeither as professionals or as knowledge-able volunteers—by providing themwith opportunities for practical humanrights experiences. A fellowship place-ment offers both training for the indi-vidual and assistance to the host organ-ization. The Upper MidwestFellowship Program is unique inencouraging fellows to bring theirexperiences back to their home com-munities, thereby expanding theimpact of their human rights work.Fellowship opportunities also helpbuild a human rights constituency inthe Upper Midwest, create links withhuman rights leaders worldwide, andassist fellows who are planning or pursuing social justice careers.

Since 1989, the Human RightsCenter has awarded more than 350internship/fellowship grants to studentsand community leaders in the UpperMidwest region to pursue practicalhuman rights experiences in humanrights organizations in more than 60countries. The Human Rights Center

awards on average 20–25 fellowshipgrants per year. Grants cover travel andliving expenses incurred during theapproximately ten-week fellowshipexperience.

By Rima Reda, Office Administrator, HumanRights Center.

The Hubert H. HumphreyInstitute of Public Affairs initiatedits International Fellowship

Program in 1978, and in 2003 itbecame a joint venture with theUniversity of Minnesota LawSchool/Human Rights Center. Theprogram, sponsored by the U.S.Department of State and administeredby the Institute of InternationalEducation, brings professionals fromdeveloping democracies to host uni-versities for a year of professionaldevelopment and academic study.Fellows are chosen competitively fortheir commitment to public service. Ofthis year’s 160 Fellows, 14 were assignedto the University of Minnesota.

One of Minnesota’s InternationalHumphrey Fellows is Dr. Ilknur

Altuntas, a passionate champion ofvictims of human trafficking. With abachelor’s degree in law, master’s

degree in civil law, and doctorate inprivate international law, she certainlyholds the academic keys to battling

Dr. Ilknur Altuntas Arnold Tsunga

❯ Human Rights Center

At the Law School


trafficking of persons. But her zeal forthe law has led her to expand her legalexpertise by attending classes at theLaw School.

A native resident of Turkey, Dr.Altuntas is currently an investigativejudge in the General Directorate ofInternational Law and ForeignRelations of the Ministry of Justice inAnkara. Her career has includedworking on the (Turkish) NationalTask Force on Trafficking in HumanBeings since its inception, in meetingsof the Ad Hoc Committee on ActionAgainst Trafficking in Human Beings(composed primarily of representativesof the member states of the Council ofEurope), and on the text of theCouncil of Europe Convention onAction Against Trafficking of HumanBeings in Strasbourg.

Since becoming a HumphreyFellow, Dr. Altuntas has furtherincreased her advocacy efforts. She

Summer Clerkship Program

made presentations at the 17th AnnualNobel Peace Prize Forum and the12th Annual International Women’sDay Celebration conference. ThisApril, she will be a main panelist at ahuman trafficking conference in Texas.

Another International HumphreyFellow, Arnold Tsunga, is theembodiment of the Martin EnnalsAward for Human Rights Defenders,which he received in 2006. Evencoming to Minnesota required thatMr. Tsunga, a native of Zimbabwe, fightfor human rights—this time his own.

Mr. Tsunga received his law degreein 1989 and is currently the executivedirector of Zimbabwe Lawyers forHuman Rights and the executive secretary of the Law Society ofZimbabwe. He sits on several boards ofhuman rights groups in Zimbabwe,including the Crisis in ZimbabweCoalition, Zimbabwe NationalStudents Union, and Zimbabwe

Human Rights NGO Forum. Manylocal and global organizations havehonored him with awards, including theHuman Rights Watch Award in 2006.

In January 2006, Mr. Tsunga spokeat the World Social Forum in Kenyaon behalf of the InternationalFederation for Human Rights. On hisreturn to Zimbabwe, he was con-fronted at the airport, detained, andinterrogated. Although later releasedwithout being charged, throughoutJanuary and beyond, Mr. Tsunga foundhimself under surveillance and thevictim of intimidation and even threatson his life, all aimed at preventing himfrom carrying out his professionalduties. Yet these incidents have notbeen enough to deter Mr. Tsunga fromhis professional development and dedi-cation to justice.

By Rima Reda, Office Administrator, HumanRights Center.

Each year, the Minnesota JusticeFoundation sponsors and funds the Summer Clerkship Program,

which allows law students to work atlegal aid offices and public interestorganizations serving low-income anddisadvantaged clients across Minnesota.Student clerks provide assistance withcasework, research, and legal writing foragencies that are often struggling withlimited resources. Working a minimumof 400 hours at the direction and underthe supervision of each agency’s ownlawyers, students gain practical legalexperience and an awareness of publicinterest law.

This summer’s student clerks andplacements are: Sarah Johnson Phillips(class of 2009) with Farmers’ LegalAction Group, Emily Mugaas (class of2009) with Legal Services of NorthwestMinnesota, and Michelle Wilwerding(class of 2008) with the MinnesotaCenter for Environmental Advocacy.

MINNESOTA JUSTICE FOUNDATION WELCOMES TWO TO STAFF

Anna Dunbar-Hester joined theMinnesota Justice Foundation asstaff attorney in February. Shereceived her B.A. cum laude fromBryn Mawr College in linguisticsand languages and her J.D. cumlaude from the Law School in2006. She will receive her M.A. inpublic policy from the HumphreyInstitute in May.

JoAnn McGuire is the newDevelopment Director at theMinnesota Justice Foundation.

She received her B.A. from the University of Minnesota in journalism and her J.D. fromthe Law School in 1975. After graduation, JoAnn was a corporate litigation attorneyworking in-house for Fortune 500 companies. She began her nonprofit career in 2005 working for the American Red Cross, Minneapolis Chapter, as a fundraising professional during the Hurricane Katrina disaster. She then worked as theDevelopment Manager for a small nonprofit organization in St. Paul that providesshelter and programming for abused women and their children.

Anna Dunbar-Hester JoAnn McGuire

At the Law School


Treasured Vintages: Fine Wines and Rare BooksOn March 8, 2007, the Riesenfeld Rare Books ResearchCenter sparkled with outstanding wines, wonderful conversation, and delicious chocolates in a celebrationof fine wines and rare books. Distinguished alumni andfriends of the Law Library joined the editorial boards ofMinnesota Law Review, Law and Inequality, MinnesotaJournal of International Law, and Minnesota Journal ofLaw, Science & Technology in savoring a few highlightsof the Law Library’s renowned rare books collection. Asommelier was on hand to guide guests in sampling anintriguing selection of wines.

2 3

1. Katherine Hedin, curator, with Law Library's oldest book, Satham’s Abridgement, printed in 1490

2. Associate Dean Joan S. Howland with NathanLaCoursiere (’07), left, and Michael Reif (’06), right

3. Joseph T. O'Neill ('56) and the Honorable Marilyn B. Rosenbaum

4. Allen I. Saeks ('56), Sarah Corris (‘08), Andrea Templeton (’08), Archana Nath (’07),and Dean Guy-Uriel Charles

1

4

MOOT COURT COMPETITION

Front row (left to right): Campbell University School of Law’s Team 1–Stephanie Evans, Jennifer Kerrigan, and Jamie Gentry;Washington University School of Law’s Team 1–Roxanna Mason,Toneille Raglan, and Bill Patterson.

Back row (left to right). Final judge panel: Minnesota AssistantAttorney General Tamar N. Gronvall (’00); Hennepin County DistrictCourt Judges Charles Porter Jr. (’70) and Lloyd Zimmerman;Minneapolis Public Schools Chief of Operations Steven Liss Esq., and Minnesota Court of Appeals Chief Judge Edward Toussaint Jr.

The 22nd Annual William E. McGeeNational Civil Rights Moot CourtCompetition, held at the University ofMinnesota Law School on March 1-3,2007, attracted 40 teams from lawschools across the country. Contestantswere required to submit briefs and argueorally the constitutionality of the volun-tary race-conscious school assignmentplan used by the Seattle School district tomaintain integration in its primary andsecondary schools.

This year's top honors went to Team 1of Campbell University School of Law,which also won Best Brief, and secondplace went to Team 1 of St. Louis-basedWashington University School of Law (see photo at right). The University ofWashington School of Law’s Team 2(Andrea Schmitt and Suzanne LiaBraaten)took third place, and the University ofWisconsin Law School’s Team 1 (Eric Weissand Wendy Richards) took fourth.

Sean Cowley of the University of

Detroit Mercy’s School of Law Team 1 captured both Best Oral Advocate of the Preliminary Rounds and the top individual award, Best Oral AdvocateOverall.

More than 100 attorneys and judgesvolunteered their time to evaluate thebriefs and oral arguments. In appreciationof their service and to enhance the experi-ence, the Law School offered a continuinglegal and judicial education programbefore the competition, entitled “TheConstitutionality and Efficacy of VoluntaryRace Conscious School Assignment Plans.”

The interscholastic appellate mootcourt competition is sponsored by theLaw School to promote interest and dis-course among the legal community oncivil rights law. The competition also givesstudents the opportunity to develop theoral advocacy and writing skills essentialto be successful appellate practitioners.

By Professor Carl Warren.

CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLECLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLECLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLECLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLECLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE • CLE •CLE

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Contracts for the International Sale of Goods8:30-4:30 with Professor Oren Gross

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Business Concepts for Lawyers8:30-4:30 with Professor Edward S. Adams

Thursday, May 31, 2007

Understanding the Current State of the Lawin Trademarks8:30-4:30 Copyright and Related Areas of Intellectual

Property with Professor Daniel J. Gifford

Friday, June 1, 2007

The First Amendment: Freedom of Speech,Press, and Religion 8:30-4:30 (A Primer) with Professor Michael Stokes Paulsen

Saturday, June 2, 2007

Recent Developments in the Regulation ofLawyers and Judges9:00-3:00 Rules, Cases and Statutes (morning)* and

Dealing with the Biases of Others (afternoon)** with Professor Maury S. Landsman and Professor Carl M. Warren/Julie Bennett

Monday, June 4, 2007

The Constitution in the Rehnquist Court andBeyond8:30-4:30 with Professor Dale A. Carpenter

Tuesday, June 5, 2007

Selected Topics in Unfair Competition andBusiness Torts8:30-4:30 with Professor Thomas F. Cotter

Wednesday, June 6, 2007

Digital Evidence: Implications for CriminalLaw and Civil Practice8:30-4:30 with Professor Joan S. Howland and

Professor Michael J. Hannon

Thursday, June 7, 2007

The Emerging Law of Data Privacy 8:30-4:30 with Professor William McGeveran

Friday, June 8, 2007

A Primer on and New Developments inInternet Law8:30-4:30 with Professor Dan L. Burk

Saturday, June 9, 2007

21st Century Legal Research8:30-4:30 with Professor Suzanne Thorpe and

Professor Mary Rumsey

6.5 General credits have been requested for each course, May 29-June 1 & June 4-9.

*3.0 Ethics credits have been requested for June 2 (morning).

**2.0 Elimination of Bias credits have been requested for June 2 (afternoon).


The University of Minnesota Law School Presents

THE TWENTY-EIGHTH ANNUAL SUMMER PROGRAM OF CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION SEMINARS

SUMMER CLEs —

Mark your calendar!

FOR MORE INFORMATION:VISIT www.law.umn.edu/cle/, OR CALL (612) 625-6674, OR EMAIL [email protected]

$195 per seminar or use the SuperPass and save! Take up to 7 courses for only $695!



Adjunct Professor Joseph O’Neill (’56) andLieutenant Governor Carol Molnau withstudents in the Legislative Process class.

Stephanie Travis (’08) introducing U. S. Congressman Keith Ellison (’90) during

the Black History Month event co-sponsored by the Black Law Students Association,

the Muslim Law Students Association, LawSchool Democrats and MLK Raise the Bar.

Students who completed at least 50 hours ofpublic service with, at left, Dean Erin Keyes (’00)

and Co-Dean Fred L. Morrison, and at right,Supreme Court Associate Justice

Paul H. Anderson (’68).

Sarah J. Vokes (’07) holding her FBA award with

the Honorable Joan Ericksen (’81).

Nikki Johnson (’07) at the National NativeAmerican Law Moot Court Competition.

LLM students spend a winter weekendon one of Minnesota’s many lakes icefishing and playing cards.

Student Perspective

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Meryl Del Rosario and members of the Class of 2009,

Lindsay Moilanen, Jessica Beerbower, Katherine

Belzowski, and Meggie Choie,enjoy a night at the

Malpractice Ball this spring.

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Students in the TORTS production, Frankenlaw

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Student Perspective


MOHAK BHADANACLASS OF 2007

For LL.M. student MohakBhadana, a legal career was not aforegone conclusion, but it was

on a short list of options. “In India, ifthe father is a lawyer, one of the kidshas to be a lawyer, because it is afamily thing,” he explains. The onlyson of a solo practitioner in Delhi,Bhadana says if he had not gone intolaw, he would have entered the Army,another family profession, but his par-ents discouraged him from that.Bhadana is philosophical: “Whateverhappens, happens for the good.”

Motivated by the advantages that a U.S. law degree can bring in the rapidly globalizing Indian legal market,Bhadana came to the Law Schooldirectly from a B.A., LL.B. law degreeprogram at Nalsar University inHyderabad. Nalsar University is amongthe newest of India’s challenging five-year law school programs, which beganemerging in the late 1980s as part ofan effort to regulate and elevate thelevel of practice.

Part of the school’s mission is toprepare students for an active courtpractice as advocates, as opposed to the more highly paid corporate or lawfirm positions, Bhadana says. “Judiciaryis regarded as one of the strongest pillars of Indian democracy and is held in high regard,” he says. Becausethe Indian judiciary draws from thepracticing bar, the school seeks to pro-duce skilled and socially aware lawyerswho might someday serve as judges.

The courtroom emphasis is a good

laborer in Texas and eventually to theslums of Mumbai, India. “With thefarming,” he says, “I got this idea that if I did something that was absolutelyforeign and that I had no natural dis-position for and that required me tostruggle, then I might develop a betterappreciation for everything that hasbeen given to me.” What he learned,he says, was that he loved the farm andhis fellow workers, and that he was aterrible farmer.

From Texas, he accepted a one-year fellowship in Mumbai, whichuncovered a passion for internationaldevelopment work. The realization thathe needed practical skills and solid credentials to make meaningful inroadsbrought him to law school.

Newly married and deeply tied tohis family, Muralidhara recognizes thatpractical considerations now limit hislife-defining adventures. For now, helooks forward to private practice andgaining experience for a career thatsomehow accommodates both hiscommitment to service and his interestin the developing world. His next stopis Boston, at the law firm GoodwinProcter. Fortunately, no farming isrequired.

SARAH CORRISCLASS OF 2008

During her first year of LawSchool, when most classmateswere completely absorbed in

their studies, Sarah Corris was keepingher priorities in line. She saw little usein striving to be an academic all-star,

❯Student Profiles

Dissimilar Backgrounds Converge at the Law School

www.law.umn.edu

fit for Bhadana, who plans a litigationpractice when he returns home. Forhim, part of the draw is a healthyappreciation for the power of skilledadvocacy. “During my internships withthe advocates, I could very well noticethe aura that a practicing lawyer com-mands as compared to those who sit in the law firms or corporate,” herecalls. Bhadana sees truth in the wordsof Indian Supreme Court Judge, JusticeS.B. Sinha: “A lawyer without words isa soldier without ammunition.”

SHILESH MURALIDHARACLASS OF 2007

Shilesh Muralidhara’s parents,born in India, overcame manyhurdles to earn multiple advanced

degrees and naturally expected theirson to share their commitment to education. But to their consternation,he says, diligence was lacking in hisearly undergraduate years.

The intervening years more closelymatched their expectations. Afterearning an MS from the LondonSchool of Economics, Muralidharaentered the Law School and has spenta summer in China and served aseditor-in-chief of Law and Inequality.He has also gained a mature perspec-tive on how he might put his skillsinto service.

Muralidhara says his transformationinto a serious student grew from asearch to test the boundaries of hisknown world after college. It led himfrom a communal yoga institute inrural Pennsylvania to a job as a farm

Student Perspective

40

she says. “School is important, and it’sgood to do well, but as far as I wasconcerned, I was a mediocre student.”

Her academic accomplishmentssince then belie any claimed mediocrity,but perhaps her greatest achievementhas been motivating fellow students tomake a difference in the world. Lastyear, Corris and Jane Gazman (class of2007) co-founded Raise the Bar, aLaw School day of service designed to honor Martin Luther King Jr. bygathering faculty and students to workon local projects.

Corris credits her father, a solopractitioner in Milwaukee who isdeeply committed to communityengagement, for her passion forservice. “I believe that my dad is asclose to perfect as a person can be,” shesays. But despite her close family tiesand fondness for Wisconsin, she is notreturning home after law school.“They passed a constitutional amend-ment to ban same sex marriage,” sheexplains. For Corris and her partner,that renders the state uninhabitable,despite hometown appeal.

With degrees in social work and aresume full of service-related positions,Corris seems a natural for publicinterest law, but she is interested inexperiencing life in a private firm. “Ifeel like I’m an infant in the law at thispoint,” she says. “I’ve liked pretty mucheverything in law school, and I want toacknowledge that by going to a place

where I can have experience doing abunch of different things.” Her imme-diate future holds a summer clerkshipat Maslon, Edelman, Borman andBrand and a position next year aseditor-in-chief of Law and Inequality.

KYLE BRENTONCLASS OF 2009

Many students come to LawSchool from a career in someother field but rarely from the

exotic world of dramaturgy. First-yearstudent Kyle Brenton spent severalyears at the Pittsburgh Public Theaterin a job he admits is mysterious andobscure, even to those who do it.Dramaturgy, he explains, involves col-laborating with playwrights and direc-tors to develop their artistic visions andconvey them to an audience.

Law school represents a decideddeparture, but he maintains that, essentially, the skills required in the two professions are not as dissimilar asthey seem. “Ultimately, dramaturgy is a sort of repackaging of complex

REMEMBERING CHRIS OSTER

The University of Minnesota Law School lost a valued member on January 14, 2007: second-year student, Christopher Oster. He wasremembered by students, faculty, and staff, aswell as his sister Kim, at a gathering at the LawSchool on January 18. Chris was described asthoughtful, funny, and genuinely fascinated bythe study of law. In the following, friend andfellow 2L student Matthew Powers shares his own memories of Chris.

Few at the Law School knewChris. Even those who knew him did not know him well. He sat quietlyin the back of class and rarely raised his hand. He walked quietly throughthe hallways, sat quietly in the library;he kept to himself.

But he was the best among us,beyond brilliant. When professorsspoke of him, they emphasized hisunparalleled intelligence. When calledon, he made others uncomfortable: Hisanswers were too perfect. He was tooarticulate. His abilities highlightedothers’ deficiencies.

Those of us who knew him founda kind, soft-spoken, and caring indi-vidual. I feel fortunate to have beenable to call him a friend. Whenstudying with classmates, he gave of his time with an eager heart. He was

always willing to explain the more difficult concepts we encountered inclass—and with a rare compassion, displaying none of the arrogance orimpatience that many of the trulygifted reveal when interacting with us mere mortals.

His short life is an example to usall. We should understand that each of us endures secret challenges and turmoil in our lives. We shouldremember the vital importance ofreaching out to those within our community. The profession of lawcomes with unique challenges andstresses, but our law school experienceties us with a common bond. Allow his untimely death to remind us that friendships can be fleeting. Thegreatest honor we can pay Chris is to go out every day and be a friend.

Perspectives S P R I N G 2 0 0 7 www.law.umn.edu

3/29/1984 –1/14/2007

materials in a way that’s understood by an audience,” he says. “From what I know of the law at this point...it’s a similar discipline in terms of taking a complex body of information and processing it for a particular audience.”

With a set of enviable credentials,including an M.F.A. from theAmerican Repertory Theatre’s Institutefor Advanced Theatre Training at Harvard and professorial gigs teachingundergraduate theater history, Brentonwas well on his way to a successfulcareer. But he offers a compelling andwell-packaged explanation of his decision to make such a seeminglyradical shift: “If you specialize as muchas I did, your opportunities becamenarrower, although potentially deeperand richer. Looking down the road, I wanted it to go somewhere wherethere would be constantly new anddifferent challenges, so that I wouldalways be faced with having to growand expand my knowledge and myskill set.”

So far, he has no regrets. Reeling off his list of reasons, fromMinneapolis’ robust theater scene tothe welcome rigor of his classes andthe school’s engaging atmosphere,Brenton laughs, “I sound like a LawSchool brochure.”

By Leslie Watson (’99), a freelance writer basedin Minneapolis.

Student Perspective


Raise the Bar’s Day of ServiceThe winter Day of Service sponsored by Raise the Bar, the third such eventsince the activity was initiated in January 2006, was held January 27. It was a successful, rewarding day according to student organizers Betsy Flanaganand Lauren Baird (both class of 2008).

About 90 Law School students, faculty, and staff as well as family and friends volunteered their Saturday to serve the disadvantaged in a practical,tangible way. Projects were available throughout the Twin Cities area atCourage Center, Goodwill, Habitat for Humanity, United Way, and severalother organizations.

Raise the Bar was co-founded by Sarah Corris (class of 2008) and JaneGazman (class of 2007) to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. and hislegacy through community volunteerism and advocacy. One Day of Serviceis held near Martin Luther King Day and a second one in the fall semester.

The next event is tentatively planned for the second or third Saturday ofSeptember 2007. For more information, contact Betsy Flanagan([email protected]) or Lauren Baird ([email protected]).

www.law.umn.edu

Michelle Dawson and Seth Skiles (both class of 2007) won the 34thannual AmericanIntellectual Property LawAssociation Giles SutherlandRich Memorial Moot CourtCompetition in April inWashington, D.C. Thenational competition con-sisted of writing a brief on a specific topic and givingoral arguments in front of a panel of judges.

Dan Robinson (class of2007) won the 2007 BurtonAward for legal writing for“Embracing Equity: A NewRemedy for Wrongful HealthInsurance Denials,” pub-

lished in the May 2006 issueof the Minnesota LawReview. This is the third timethe Law School has receivedthis prestigious nationalwriting prize: DavidLeishman won the Burtonaward in 2006 and KariDahlin won it in 2001.

Venora Hung (class of2009) was elected by theMinnesota State Legislatureto serve a six-year term onthe University’s Board ofRegents.

Matthew Ramage-White(class of 2008) was electedpresident of the 2008 student Law Council.

Ivan Ludmer and Sonia Gill were elected 3L representatives, and Jessica Beerbower, Jon Taylor, and MichaelZmora were elected 2L representatives.

Robert Barton (class of2009) was elected studentsenator.

Kevin O’Riordan (class of2008) was elected editor-in-chief of Volume 92 of theMinnesota Law Review.

Peter Thomas (class of2008) was elected editor-in-chief and Katherine Dyson(class of 2008) was elected

executive editor of Volume 9of the Minnesota Journal ofLaw, Science & Technology.

Sarah Corris (class of 2008)was elected editor-in-chiefand Rebekah Bailey (classof 2008) was elected execu-tive editor of Volume 26 ofLaw and Inequality.

Katherine McKnight andKristin Petersen (class of2008) were elected co-editors-in-chief of Volume16 of the Minnesota Journalof International Law.

1. Michelle Dawson (’07) and Seth Skiles (’07)

2. Dan Robinson (’07)3. Venora Hung (’09)

Appointments, Awards, Recognitions

31 2

Student Perspective


The Law School providesmore than a great academicprogram. It also offers

opportunities to get to knowAmerican culture and customs. So in early January, a handful ofdaring Law School students set off to experience a true Minne-sota tradition: ice fishing.

Grace Yu and Tony Wang from Taiwan, Herman Ruiterfrom the Netherlands, and I(from Germany) had signed upfor a trip to Lake Mille Lacs, the second largest of Minnesota’s10,000 lakes, organized by theUniversity of MinnesotaHunting and Fishing Club(HFC). We arrived to below-zeroweather—a good temperature for icefishing because it allowed the ice toreach a thickness of almost two feet.We soon appreciated that fact, becauseafter we bought our angling licenses,we drove to the ice house.Yes, wedrove heavy SUVs on the lake.

That was our first shock. Walkingon a frozen lake remained a strangefeeling, which became especiallyprominent at night when we couldhear the ice “working” and producingprolonged cracking sounds. The secondshock was seeing our “hotel” for theweekend, a primitive hut on the icethat housed bunk beds and, of course,holes in the floor. But it turned out to be absolutely sufficient, with theheater being the essential element.

Those in the group who had been ice fishing before were veryhelpful and enjoyed showing us beginners what it was all about. After drilling holes in the ice and setting up fishing rods, we had plentyof time to get to know each other. We had interesting conversations aboutour home countries, played card gamesand, of course, told fishing stories.Time went by quickly as we madenew friends.

Our fishing was not very successful,

so our grilled suppers consisted of hotdogs, brought along by the experiencedpresident of HFC, Kevin Denny. Thesocial aspects and outdoor experiencesmade up for the lack of fresh fish.Although some people missed theirbeds and showers, everyone had greatfun, met nice people, and enjoyed awonderful adventure.

Minneapolis is very interesting andhas all the amenities of a big city, but

Experiencing MinnesotaFrom Atop the Ice

its real distinction is thatgreat outdoor activities are just a shortdrive away. It is an excellent place toboth enjoy academic challenges andtry out new things.

I encourage everybody to takeadvantage of the manifold outdooractivities available in Minnesota. Thatincludes ice fishing.

By Maurits Steinebach (’07).

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1. I heard that Minnesotans drive their cars on the ice, but actually being in a car driving on frozen water is a strange feeling.

2. Since the body needs to generate heat, we took in some calories on the way to the lake.

3. Sunrise at 6 a.m.4. This nice gentleman drilled the holes into

the ice for us.To see more photos go to http://www.twincities.de/icefishing.html

Despite opening on the heels of a major snowstorm, the Theatre of theRelatively Talentless (TORT) drew its largest total crowd ever, nearly 1,700,for the March 2 and 3 productions of Frankenlaw. The musical depicted alaw professor attempting to reform the law by creating the perfect lawstudent—out of body parts of other law students. Thanks to TORT’s spon-sors, which include prestigious Twin Cities law firms, this year’s productionwas held in the larger Pantages Theatre in downtown Minneapolis.

The student-run theater group, in its fifth year, writes and produces original shows, with a law school twist. Continuing its tradition, this year’s musical featured several Law School staff members, professors and distinguished guests, including former U.S. Vice President Walter F.Mondale (’56), Minnesota Supreme Court Justices Paul Anderson (’68) andLorie Skjerven Gildea, Chief Federal District Court Judge JamesRosenbaum (’69), and U.S. District Judge John Tunheim (’80).

To learn how to sponsor next year’s production, see a list of current spon-sors, or get information about TORT, go to http://www.tc.umn.edu/~tortor send an email to [email protected]. Producers Emily Melvin and SitsoBediako (both class of 2008) are already planning next year’s blockbuster.

The Twisted Tale of TORT’s Reform

Student Perspective


An out-of-bodies experience


Professor Alex Klass, the Honorable Michael J. Davis (’72) and Gordon Palmquist (’07)

at an FBA networking reception held atHalleland, Lewis, Nilan and Johnson.

Dave Hvistendahl (’77), Tom Hutchinson (’77),Becky Hutchinson, David Malban (’77), and

Robin Fuller at the Class of 1977 Reunion

Bruce Hartigan (’57), Robert Gangrud (’57), and Dean Charles

at the Class of 1957 Reunion

Steve Hoge (’82), Steven Thal (’82), Sally Stolen Grossman (’82), Naomi Williamson (’82), and Monica Lewis (’82) at the Class of 1982 Reunion.

John Drawz (’67), Dan Utter (’67), and James Cullen (’67) at the Class of 1967 Reunion

Alumni Perspective

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Joe Henderson (’97), Tara Sterger,Richard Sterger (’97), and David Walter (’97)

Jeffrey Ring (’77), Mary McCormick (’77), and Verla Ring at the Class of 1977 Reunion

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Alumni Perspective

www.law.umn.edu

opened up the location of govern-ment-funded habitats to researchers.Biologists are now counting bobwhitequail in 35 states, and preliminaryresults indicate an uptick in numbers.

“I can’t take all the credit for it,”Benjamin demurs. Still, she says, clearlyin love with the idea that the law canhave a practical effect in the naturalworld, “It’s pretty cool.”

DWIGHT LINDHOLMCLASS OF 1954

As a solo practitioner, Dwight Lindholm has had thefreedom to follow his dreams.

After a stint in the Air Force, theMinnesota native moved to LosAngeles for warm weather and oppor-tunities. He found both. “This is just agreat place,” he says.

Lindholm passed the bar on his firstattempt, worked for a few years as aninsurance adjustor, and then hung outhis own shingle. He specialized in civillitigation, working on personal injury,real estate, and divorce cases. In 1972,he teamed with another attorney towin the largest personal injury juryverdict in Los Angeles County.

Another long-time interest hasbeen politics. As an undergraduate,Lindholm represented CollegeRepublicans in a 1948 debate atMacalester College in St. Paul. On theDemocratic side was a young maneveryone called Fritz. “In politics, I wasan abject failure,” he says, not soundingthe least bit sad. “Everything I tried, Ilost. The most significant thing I didwas debate the future vice president ofthe United States!” Who won the stu-dent debate? “The Democrats said hedid and the Republicans said I did,”

Lindholm says. In the 1960s, hedonated thousands of hours to RichardNixon’s California gubernatorial bid.Nixon was defeated, along with localRepublican candidates Lindholm sup-ported.

In 1982, he took a break from bothlaw and politics. Lindholm, his wife,and their five children, then ranging inage from 15 to 24, sailed from LosAngeles to Tahiti in a 51-foot boatcalled the Golden Viking. Lindholmcaptained the vessel, despite the factthat just eight years earlier, he lackedany sailing experience at all. The high-light of the two-year Pacific Oceanvoyage was a stretch of four days inwhich there was no other boat within1,000 miles. “It was a lifetime highlightfor me,” Lindholm says.

BRET THIELECLASS OF 1999

In just 16 years, Bret Thiele hasgone from factory worker toleading international human rights

attorney. Imagine where he’d be if hehad started college right after highschool. Thiele chose to work insteadand didn’t enroll at the University ofMinnesota until age 29, even thenholding down a managerial job at avan conversion company. He joinedthe Law School at age 36.

Before college, he had volunteeredas a mentor to Hmong immigrants inSt. Paul, so focusing on human rightscourses was a natural. He got his bigbreak when Professor David Weissbrodtasked him on a trip to Geneva. ThereThiele served as liaison to the Centreon Housing Rights and Evictions(COHRE), a non-government organi-zation with offices, at that time, in Sri

❯Distinguished Alumni Profiles

SALLY BENJAMINCLASS OF 1994

After a wild-turkey biologistspoke at her small-town schoolon Earth Day 1970, Sally

Benjamin decided she would learneverything she could about the subject.That’s why two years later, the preco-cious 15-year-old found herself aloneon a bus en route to a PennsylvaniaGame Commission meeting inHarrisburg, the state capital.

The hearing, however, wasn’t worththe trip. Panelists spoke in legalese andrarely discussed science. “I was tremen-dously disappointed,” Benjamin says.“None of it made any sense to me. Itwasn’t about biology at all.” But thetrip did make her realize that theremight be more to biology in thepublic sector than science. This hunchwas confirmed early in her careerwhen, working as a fisheries researcher,she watched fishing enthusiasts breaktheir fly rods in anger at news of achange in the way Pennsylvania man-aged its trout streams.

With degrees in biology and waterresource management, Benjamin addedbreadth to her resume with a degreefrom the Law School. That helped hersecure a job as national wildlife biolo-gist at the governmental Farm ServiceAgency. There, her legal acumenopened the door to scientific research.

But measuring the effectiveness ofa research program in which the gov-ernment leased farmland for conserva-tion purposes was made impossible bya reading of the 2002 Farm Bill thatprevented bureaucrats from tellingresearchers which farmers were leasingtheir land. Benjamin’s interpretation ofthe law resulted in a legal opinion that


Alumni Perspective

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development contracts at LarkinHoffman in Minneapolis. But he soon struck out on his own andopened a two-man firm called DepotDevelopment. Its goal was to refurbishthe historic Milwaukee Road Depot in downtown Minneapolis.

Another firm outbid DepotDevelopment for the land, so Shapirobecame an independent developmentconsultant. That’s how he met Gordon.She owned a small bakery and waslooking for a place to rent, and the two hit it off. They dated for a while,and though they broke it off romanti-cally, they stayed together as businesspartners.

Two decades later, French Meadowhas grown from a niche business withone retail location to a national playerin the organic baked goods market. On any given workday, Shapiro mightbe found writing a business plan,reviewing legal documents (he’s stilllicensed), or hanging out at the store in jeans, tennis shoes, and a comfort-able shirt.

“It’s a blast,” he says, pulling a soda from a cooler near the cash register. “It’s a great place to come to work.”

By Todd Melby, a freelance writer and radio producer based in Minneapolis.

Lanka, Brazil, Australia, Ghana, andSouth Africa.

After Thiele graduated from LawSchool and clerked for a state judge fora year, COHRE hired him and openedan office in Duluth, Minnesota.COHRE employs just 45 peopleworldwide (including three in Duluth),but its work has a big impact, and itjust suits Thiele. “Working for a firmdidn’t interest me,” he says. “It’s not thetype of work I wanted to do.”

Thiele coordinates COHRE’s litigation program. In recent years, he has encouraged Sri Lankan tsunamivictims to fight for housing rights, testified before an African commissionabout government-sponsored murdersin Sudan, and drafted legal documentsprotesting the Rio Negro massacre inGuatemala. He hopes that later thisyear, the Inter-American Commissionon Human Rights will hear COHRE’s suit regarding the RioNegro killings.

Closer to home, he’s bringingtogether U.S. activist groups to fighthomelessness. Even in the world’srichest nation, homelessness affectsmillions of people every year, and theyneed help too, Thiele says. “We’retrying to create a social movementnationally to show that housing is ahuman right.”

STEVE SHAPIROCLASS OF 1978

For a while back in 2003, SteveShapiro was on the wrong side of the law. The U.S. Drug

Enforcement Agency wanted theFrench Meadow Bakery inMinneapolis, which Shapiro co-ownswith Lynn Gordon, to stop producing“Healthy Hemp Sprouted Bread”because it believed hemp seed was anillegal substance. Shapiro and Gordondidn’t budge, believing hemp seed wasa healthy ingredient. They fought backand ultimately won a Ninth CircuitCourt of Appeals ruling. Today, thathemp bread is a best-seller for thecompany, which has about $8 millionin annual sales.

How did someone with a LawSchool degree, as well as a BED inarchitecture, get into the bakery busi-ness? After graduation, Shapiro didwork as an attorney—in real estate law, reviewing architectural and

Greg Davis (’90) and Stuart Gibson (‘76) Alumni enjoying the Law School’sAALS reception

Dean Guy Charles with Chris Hurd (’05),and Jen Opheim Whitener (’04)

Estella Schoen ’(99), Lu Zhou (’05), and Julie Eum (’05)

Washington, D.C.—January 3, 2007 New York City—January 31, 2007

Alumni Receptions

Each year the Law School hosts a reception in conjunctionwith the American Association of Law Schools annualmeeting; this year’s reception on January 3 was attended by more than 70 alumni and faculty. We look forward toseeing you in January 2008 in New York!

Jen Opheim Whitener (’04), Chris Hurd (’05), and their law firm, Dewey Ballantine LLP, generously hosted a reception for more than 35 Law School alumni, students, and friends onJanuary 31. The Law School is grateful to its hosts and DeweyBallantine LLP for helping our New York alumni stay connected.


Alumni Perspective

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1932

Thomas Flynn checked in from Sun City, Ariz., toannounce that he finally decided to retire from practice and closed his law office last year.

1944

Barbara Ruud is doing well in Austin, Tex. Herneighborhood has recently drawn attention withthe arrival of Lance Armstrong, who appears to havepurchased several lots to build an estate. She occa-sionally hears from Professor John A. Bauman(class of 1947), who is retired from teaching at UCLASchool of Law and now lives in The Woodlands, Tex.

1949

Lauren Smith practices law at Schoenauer, Smithand Fullerton ASP in Clinton, Iowa. In addition, he isa Presbyterian minister and for many years haswritten a newspaper column called “Crow Call” underthe pseudonym Christopher Crow. Lauren andBarbara, his wife of 60 years, have a daughter andtwo sons, the younger of whom died when thefishing boat of which he was captain went down in astorm. Their daughter, Laura, practices law inOklahoma City, and her daughter and son have bothenrolled in law school.

1958

Austin Anderson was appointed by the AmericanBar Association to oversee meetings with membersof the Bahrainian Law Society to establish a contin-uing legal education program within the Society.Austin is a principal and shareholder of the AndersonGroup, based in Ann Arbor, Mich., and is president ofthe international Network of Leading Law Firms.

1968

Marvin Schurke retired at the end of October 2006after serving for 30 years as the first executivedirector of the Washington State Public EmploymentRelations Commission in Olympia. At the time of hisretirement, he was the longest-serving agency headamong U.S. labor relations agencies and amongWashington state agencies.

1970

William Briggs has been elected president of theMinnesota Association of City Attorneys. He is man-aging partner of the Detroit Lakes, Minn., law firm ofBriggs, Ramstad & Skoles PA and has been DetroitLakes City Attorney since 1987.

1973

Gerry Sikorski was recently featured in The Hill, thenonpartisan newspaper written for and about theU.S. Congress and published in Washington, D.C. The article highlights the former Congressman’s

Alumni enjoying The Kitchi Gammi Club Dean Fred Morrison, Judge Gerald Heaney(’41), and Thomas Clure (’63)

Paul Swanson (’82) and W.C. TwigMills (’82)

Jared Hager (’04), and Daniel Potts (’02)

Class NotesSend us your newsTell us about the important things that happen in your life! We welcome your submis-sions for the Class Notes section of Perspectives. To be included in the next issue, youritems must reach us by October 1, 2007.

Submit your news via our Web site at www.law.umn.edu/alumni/submit.html; via emailto Scotty Mann at [email protected]; via regular mail at N160 Walter F. Mondale Hall, 22919th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55455; or via fax at (612) 626-2002.

Anyone interested in serving as a Class Reporter, please contact Scotty Mann. Thanks forkeeping in touch!

Duluth, Minn.—February 15, 2007 Seattle, Wash.—March 7, 2007

Paul Swanson (’82), Barbara Duffy (’89), Mary Schug (’02), andtheir firm, Lane Powell PC, hosted more than 35 alumni andfriends at a reception in Seattle on March 7. The event was a great opportunity to celebrate the Law School’s growingalumni group in Washington; we hope to see you at the next one!

More than 35 alumni and friends attended a reception at theKitchi Gammi Club in Duluth on February 15. The Law Schoolis grateful to our host Thomas Clure (’63), for helping ourDuluth alumni stay in touch.


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successful career as a liberal Democrat representa-tive and later, as a lobbyist, despite more than adecade of Republican dominance in Congress.

Randall Tigue has taken his 33 years of experienceas an attorney in Minnesota to the east coast, wherehe will work as an in-house lawyer for a Virginiacompany.

1974

Michael Horsman was named president of theWestern Heritage Insurance Company in Scottsdale,Ariz. He has been acting president of the companysince July 2006 and brings 30 years of insurance-industry experience to the position.

Lynn Krominga was recently named to the Boardof Directors of the AvisBudget Group Inc., based inParsippany, N.J. Lynn will serve on the board’s AuditCommittee.

1976

Daniel Greenwald III continues to practice law inDubai, United Arab Emirates, where he has beensince 1986. He is a former president of the AmericanBusiness Council of Dubai and chairman of theAmerican Business Council of the Gulf Countries.

Eileen Trost has joinedChicago-based Bell, Boyd &Lloyd’s Estates and Trusts

Group as a partner. Formerly with SonnenscheinNath & Rosenthal, she is highly regarded for herexperience in advising corporate fiduciaries andhigh-net-worth clients on the tax and legal aspectsof estate planning and administration.

1978

Frederick Grunke has became the newest districtcourt judge for Stearns County, Minnesota. He previ-ously worked at Rajkowski Hansmeier Ltd. in St.Cloud, Minn.

1979

Catherine Ludden recently accepted the positionof Independent Compliance Consultant and isreviewing the major Wall Street broker-dealer BearStearns & Co. in connection with its $250 millionsettlement with the Securities & ExchangeCommission in certain mutual funds transactions. In2003, Catherine retired from UBS Warburg, a major

investment bank and broker-dealer, as head of liti-gation. Before that, she was head of the SecuritiesLitigation Practice Group at Morgan, Lewis &Bockius LLP in New York.

1981

After graduation,David S.Krueger wandered over tothe Pacific Coast, finally set-

tling in Eureka, California, where he spent a fewyears working in a traditional law firm. Next hespent a few years doing public interest environ-mental law and making a difference in the KlamathNational Forest (in Northern California and Oregon).After acquiring an instant family, which requires asteady income, Dave has spent the past 15 yearsdoing criminal appellate work through the State ofCalifornia. A big achievement has been taking acanoe down the Grand Canyon for his 50th birthday.

Kathleen Martin is currentlychair-elect of the ABA Sectionof Real Property, Probate and

Trust Law for the 2006-2007 bar year. She is apartner in the Minneapolis firm of MalkersonGilliland Martin LLP and practices primarily in thearea of commercial real estate development.

Michael Unger was one 15 Minnesota attorneyschosen by Minnesota Lawyer as an “Attorney of theYear” for 2006, for advocacy in procuring a majormedical-malpractice settlement, service to the pro-fession as president of the Hennepin County BarAssociation, and leadership in various other organi-zations.

1983

Karla Teasley has been appointed president ofBelleville, Illinois-based Illinois American Water, asubsidiary of American Water, the largest waterservices provider in North America.

1984

Annamarie Daley was one 15 Minnesota attor-neys chosen by Minnesota Lawyer as an “Attorney ofthe Year” for 2006 for her work in the intellectual-property litigation field, including her advocacy forArctic Cat Inc. in a major patent case with Robins,

Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi LLP in Minneapolis.

1985

Joseph Doyle has been named vice president, gen-eral counsel, and secretary of Pactiv Corporation, aleading producer of specialty packaging products forconsumer, food-service, and food-packaging mar-kets, located in Lake Forest, Ill.

Philip Reid has been elected shareholder in theLitigation and Risk Management Practice Group ofvon Briesen & Roper in Milwaukee. In 2006, he wasselected as a Minnesota Super Lawyer in the area ofprofessional liability by Minnesota Law & Politics.

Howard Root is CEO of Vascular Solutions, a medical device company based in Minneapolis.

1987

Michael Wentworth was elected partner atDickstein Shapiro, in Washington, D.C. He focuses onenergy law with an emphasis on electric power reg-ulatory issues and represents electric public-utilityclients before the Federal Energy RegulatoryCommission as well as state and federal courts.

1988

Jean Binkovitz is teaching modern American lawand international law at Capital University,Columbus, Ohio. Jean recently contributed an entryto the Encyclopedia of American Civil Liberties.

Renee Brown has been elected to serve a two-yearterm on the board of the Tenant-in-CommonAssociation, a trade organization that representsprofessionals involved in providing tenant-in-common investments. Renee is principal ofWildwood Wealth Management in Minneapolis.

1989

Jon Hoppensteadt is still working from Florida oncreating international interest in and improvingresources for survivors of crimes, which he has donesince 1993.

Natalie Tyrrell was recently re-elected to a secondsix-year term as judge in the North Las Vegas JusticeCourt, Department 2.

1990

Steven Lentz is a partner in Faegre & Benson’sInvestment Management Practice in Minneapolis.He practices corporate law, focusing on investmentmanagement.


Alumni Perspective

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1991

Christopher Larus was named partner at RobinsKaplan Miller & Ciresi LLP in Minneapolis.

1992

Kwon Lee was recentlyelected chair of the EuropeanUnion Chamber of Commerce

in Korea Real Estate Committee and also co-chairsthe American Chamber of Commerce in Korea RealEstate Committee.

1993

Andrew Friedman was elected partner at PattonBoggs, Washington, D.C. He represents clientsinvolved in government investigations, civil enforce-ment matters, and criminal proceedings.

Brian Nomi has started hisown law firm, the Law Officeof Brian Nomi, in Camarillo,

Calif., practicing in the fields of bankruptcy, land-lord-tenant law, and general civil litigation.

Cathie Puzak has joined Lurie Besikof Lapidus &Company in Minneapolis.

Edward Rice has been named a member of theBoston Bar Association’s prestigious Public InterestLeadership Program for his dedicated public servicework. The Program enables members to developleadership skills and form professional relationshipsthat are essential to success. He is a staff attorney atthe Volunteer Lawyers Project of the Boston BarAssociation.

1995

Stephen Chippendale was named partner atMcKenna Long & Aldridge LLP in Washington, D.C.

Ann Gabrielson works for the U.S. Department ofState in Virginia.

1996

Cathy Gillman is in house counsel at the NorthCentral Group, a hotel developer, owner, and oper-ator in Madison, Wis.

Norman Jones is one 15 Minnesota attorneyschosen by Minnesota Lawyer as an “Attorney of theYear” for 2006, for his work putting together a com-plex legal structure for the NeighborhoodDevelopment Center on the Midtown Global Marketproject with Winthrop & Weinstine PA, Minneapolis.

Deborah Misir is serving as Deputy AssistantSecretary for Policy in the U.S. Department of Laborin Washington, D.C.

Jeffrey Post was chosen for the 2005-2006 ElmerH. Wiblishauser Author’s Award from the MinnesotaState Bar Association Publications Committee, givenannually for the best work published in Bench & Bar.He and co-author Melissa Baer received the awardfor “Limits of Urban Development? Kelo, Walser, andCondemnation in Minnesota” in the August 2005issue.

1997

Lee Friedman has accepted a position as directorof business operations and strategies at WildernessInquiry Inc. in Minneapolis.

Peter Michaud was recently named chair of therecruitment committee and the hiring partner atLindquist & Vennum PLLP in Minneapolis.

Hoyt Stastney has been chosen as a 2006Wisconsin Rising Star by Minnesota Law & Politics.He practices in the areas of corporate finance, securities, financial institutions, privately held businesses, and general corporate law at Quarles & Brady LLP.

1998

James Bock has formed a partnership named Bock& Battina LLP, located in Minneapolis. It focuses onfamily law, business representation, general litiga-tion, appellate work, and equity stripping cases.

Jennifer Clements has been chosen as a 2006Wisconsin Rising Star by Minnesota Law & Politics.Her practice at Quarles & Brady LLP focuses on theareas of mergers and acquisitions and private equityinvestments.

Amy Helsene has joined Larkin Hoffman Daly &Lindgren Ltd. in Minneapolis. From 2003 to 2006,she has been chosen as a Rising Star by MinnesotaLaw & Politics.

Dave Kettner has accepted the position of ChiefIntellectual Property Counsel for Virent EnergySystems Inc. in Madison, Wis.

Rinky Parwani has joined Middleberg Riddle &Gianna in Dallas; her practice focuses on mortgagecompliance services. Previous positions includeassistant general counsel with Wells Fargo Financialand senior vice president, compliance and fairlending, with Countrywide’s Consumer MarketsDivision.

Russell Platzek recently returned to New York,where he will work for the Labor Relations andCollective Bargaining Unit of the New York CityDepartment of Education.

1999

Travis Anderson has beenmade partner inOppenheimer, Wolff &

Donnelly Corporate Finance and TransactionsPractice Group in Minneapolis. His focus is mergersand acquisitions law.

Aaron Crandall was electedshareholder of Leonard, Streetand Deinard in St. Cloud,

Minn. His practice focuses on business law, withemphasis on representation of privately ownedentrepreneurial companies.

Eileen Day was electedshareholder of Leonard, Streetand Deinard in Minneapolis.

She practices in the Tax, Estate Planning, andProbate Practice Group.

Robin Caneff Gipson was recently elected share-holder of Briggs and Morgan PA in Minneapolis.Robin is a business litigator who concentrates indealer, franchise, and antitrust law.


Alumni Perspective

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Thomas Jensen has beenelected shareholder ofLeonard, Street and Deinard in

Minneapolis. His practice emphasis is providingstrategic counsel to companies in the financial serv-ices and energy industries.

Todd Lee has recently been promoted to share-holder at Briggs and Morgan PA in Minneapolis. Hedeals primarily in transactional matters related tothe financial services industry.

Krista Schwarting was recently elected presidentof the Bar Association in Anchorage, Alaska.

Robert Smith was electedshareholder of Leonard, Streetand Deinard in Minneapolis,

where his practice focuses on construction law. Hewas chosen as a Rising Star by Minnesota Law &Politics in 2005 and 2007.

Bret Thiele was re-elected to a three-year term onthe Board of Directors of the U.S. section of AmnestyInternational. He is a human rights lawyer workingfor the Geneva-based Centre on Housing Rights andEvictions and a long-time volunteer with AmnestyInternational.

2000

Clayton Chan has been selected as a 2007 RisingStar by Minnesota Law & Politics. Clayton practices inthe Estate and Business Succession PlanningDepartment of Winthrop & Weinstine PA inMinneapolis.

Steven Olson has been elected partner at TonkonTorp LLP in Portland, Ore. His practice emphasizeslabor and employment law.

2001

Nathan Alexander now works at Dorsey &Whitney in Seattle.

Katie Aune has taken the position of director ofalumni relations at DePaul University Law School.

Abigail Crouse was elected principal of Gray PlantMooty, Minneapolis. Her practice focuses on theareas of employment and labor law and higher edu-cation law. She was named a 2007 Rising Star byMinnesota Law & Politics.

Kathryn Nash was elected principal of Gray PlantMooty, Minneapolis. Her practice is focused onemployment law, higher education, and nonprofitorganizations.

Christopher Renz was recently promoted to share-holder at Thomsen & Nybeck P.A. in Edina.

2002

Jessica Munson joined the Department of State,Foreign Service, in September 2004. She wasassigned to Malawi in February 2005, where sheand her husband stayed until February 2007. After ayear in Washington, they will go to Bahrain for twoyears, beginning in February 2008.

Alexis Pheiffer has been chosen as a 2006Wisconsin Rising Star by Minnesota Law & Politics.She works at Quarles & Brady LLP in Madison, Wisc.

David Turner and Brittney Doherty were marriedon October 14, 2006, at the University of MinnesotaLandscape Arboretum. David is an associate atBassford Remele, Minneapolis, and Brittney is anassociate in the litigation group at Fabyanske,Westra, Hart & Thomson PA, Minneapolis.

Matthew Widick and Bethany Claus Widick(class of 2003) welcomed a daughter, Vivian KateWidick, to the family on July 13, 2006. Matthewworks for Oracle Corporation and Bethany works forthe U.S. Government Accountability Office, both inWashington, D.C. Their home is in Baltimore.

2003

Nicole Bolton is working at Schlichter Bogard &Denton in St. Louis.

Soheui Choe has joined the intellectual propertygroup at Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP inWashington, D.C., with a practice focusing on lifescience, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical andchemistry-related matters.

Christopher Huntley joined the financial institu-tions and real estate section of Briggs and MorganPA in Minneapolis.

Krisann Kleibacker Lee has changed practicegroups at Faegre & Benson, Minneapolis, from cor-porate to general litigation.

Matthew Lillvis has joined Lehman Brothers inNew York City as an assistant vice president withintheir hedge fund business.

Tracie Olson was appointed Yolo County, Calif.,assistant chief deputy public defender.

Linda Rurangirwa and Mohammad Rahmanwere married in February 2007 and live in LosAngeles. Linda was recently named a Los AngelesSuper Lawyer Rising Star.

Amy Salmela has taken a new position as patentcounsel for Infineon Technologies in Munich,Germany.

Bethany Widick and Matthew Widick (class of2002) welcomed a daughter, Vivian Kate Widick, tothe family on July 13, 2006. Bethany works for theU.S. Government Accountability Office and Matthewworks for Oracle Corporation, both in Washington,D.C. Their home is in Baltimore.

2004

Cory Allen was named Deputy Attorney of LakeCounty, Mont. Cory grew up in Great Falls andHelena, Montana.

Jennifer Haluptzok has relocated to Houston,where she practices with the law firm of NathanSommers Jacobs. Wasting no time adapting to hernew environment, she has already volunteered toraise money for a charity rodeo.

Leah Janus joined the litigation group ofFredrikson & Byron PA in Minneapolis.

Allison Leppert joined Leonard, Street and Deinardin Minneapolis as a corporate associate specializingin tax issues.

Stacey Mitchell has accepted a visiting assistantprofessor and international program coordinatorposition with the University of Minnesota LawSchool’s Beijing LL.M. program.

Dennis Puzz has rejoined the Native American LawSection of Best & Flanagan LLP in Minneapolis. Asformer executive director (and member) of theYurok Tribe in California, he worked to help settle a20-year-old dispute with the Department of theInterior over release of funds under the 1988 Hoopa-Yurok Settlement Act. The dispute was resolved inMarch and the $90 million fund was released to thetribe.

Steven Reeves was recently named president ofthe National Asian Pacific American Bar Association-Minnesota Chapter.


Alumni Perspective

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Adam Speer recently joined Hellmuth & JohnsonPLLC in Eden Prairie, Minn. He will work in theCommunity Association Law Practice, representingcondominium and townhouse associations in trans-actional and collection matters.

Aaron Street has joined the Law School depart-mental staff and is helping start the Institute forLaw and Politics.

2005

Peter Franke has joined the Tampa, Fla., office ofShutts & Bowen LLP, where he will work in theCorporate Transactions Practice Group, concentratingon transactional business law.

Britt Gilbertson joined the business litigationteam of Briggs and Morgan PA in Minneapolis.

Sarah McLaren joined the litigation group ofFredrikson & Byron PA in Minneapolis.

Daniel Van Dyk joined the financial institutionsand real estate section of Briggs and Morgan PA inMinneapolis.

Daniel Ventura has joined Fafinski Mark &Johnson PA in Eden Prairie, Minn., as an associate in transactional practice.

2006

Geoff Biegler has joined Fish & Richardson PC inMinneapolis as an associate in the litigation group,focusing on the areas of biology and chemistry.

Stephanie Bitterman has joined the litigationgroup of Maslon Edelman Borman & Brand LLP inMinneapolis.

Matthew Brodin has joined the business litigationteam of Briggs and Morgan PA in Minneapolis.

Augustine Chung has joined the business litiga-tion team of Briggs and Morgan PA in Minneapolis.

Anna Dunbar-Hester has joined the MinnesotaJustice Foundation as a new staff attorney.

Charles Frohman has joined Nichols, Kaster, andAnderson PLLP in Minneapolis, which focuses onrepresenting employees in litigation against theiremployers.

Seth Haskell has joined Baker & Daniels LLP andpractices corporate finance from the firm’sIndianapolis offices.

Monaya Krause has joined Fedrickson & Byron PAin Minneapolis and practices in the corporate; secu-rities; mergers and acquisitions; and food, drug, andmedical device groups.

Kurt Krenz has joined Fish & Richardson PC inMinneapolis as an associate in the PatentProsecution Group, focusing in the area of electricalengineering.

Matthew Krueger has beenoffered a Bristow Fellowshipin the Solicitor General’s office

for next year. Bristow Fellows draft briefs in opposi-tion to certiorari filed against the government in theSupreme Court and prepare recommendations tothe Solicitor General on authorization of govern-ment appeals in the lower courts. Matthew is currently working for Judge Paul V. Niemeyer on the Fourth Circuit in Baltimore.

Mike Lehet is working as an employment andlabor law attorney in Littler Mendelson’s Phoenixoffice.

Laurence Reszetar has joined the Business andSecurities Group of Maslon Edelman Borman &Brand LLP in Minneapolis. Laurence was selected tocompete as one of the Law School’s representativesin the ABA’s 2005 National Appellate Advocacy com-petition.

David Schlesinger is an associate attorney atNichols, Kaster, and Anderson PLLP in Minneapolis.

More than 100 graduates from the classes of 1996through 2006 braved blizzard conditions to attend aRecent Graduates Happy Hour hosted by the Office of Alumni Relations and the M&S Grill on February 28.Safe inside, alumni enjoyed good company, food anddrinks, and a musical treat in the form of The JasonWeismann Quartet. The Office of Alumni Relationsthanks both M&S Grill and The Jason Weismann Quartet for their help in pulling off another greatRecent Graduates Happy Hour, and the producers of TORT for selling tickets to their show on site! Wehope to see recent graduates at the next event at The Chambers Hotel on May 22.

1. Jayna Paquin (’03), Allison Woodbury Leppert (’04), and Annsara Lovejoy Elasky (‘04)2. David Eldred (’02), and friends

1

2

Recent Graduates Find Shelter from the Storm


Alumni Perspective

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2nd Annual Spring Alumni WeekendReturning, Remembering, Reconnecting.

Members of the Class of 1957 and their spouses at the Campus Club

John Swenson (’67), Darlene Swenson, Mary Molzahn, and James Casserly (’67)

at the Class of 1967 Reunion

Mark Doman (’77) and William Fishman (’77) at

the Class of 1977 Reunion

Kanad Virk (’92), Jeanette Bazis (’92), EliseReed (’92), and Henry Reimer (’92) at the AllAlumni Cocktail Reception at Mondale Hall

Members of the Class of 1967 at The Depot


Alumni Perspective

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More than 600 alumni and guestsreturned to campus to celebratetheir University of Minnesota yearsat the Law School’s second annualSpring Alumni Weekend April 12-15, 2007. A cocktail reception, generously sponsored by the Saint Paul Grill, kicked off the festivities.

The Half Century Club led offthe reunions with a luncheon for allalumni graduating more than 50years ago. The Class of 1957, poised

to join that august club next year,held its 50th reunion at the Univer-sity of Minnesota’s Campus Club.

The classes of 1967, 1977, 1982,1992, and 1997 also held individualreunions at venues throughout theTwin Cities. Earning special distinc-tions: The Class of 1977 had thelargest turnout, with more than 90.The Class of 1992 had the alumnuswho came the greatest distance—Kanad Virk traveling 4,024 milesfrom London. The Class of 1997

partied the latest (past midnight!).The weekend also included a

popular CLE program presented byLaw School professors EdwardAdams, Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, andOren Gross. A Sunday brunch inconjunction with the Law School’sannual Race for Justice concludedthe events.

By Anita Cole, Assistant Director of AlumniRelations and Annual Giving.

What memories reunions stir up!

Members of the Classes of 1956 and earlier celebrate at the Half Century Luncheon at the Campus Club

Members of the Class of 1977 at The LocalMembers of the Class of 1997

at the Calhoun Beach Club

Members of the Class of 1982 at Brit’s

Doug Jordal (’57) and Stuart Gale(’57) at the Class of 1957 Reunion

Professor Laura Cooper, Bill Otteson (’97), Professor Ed Adams, Denise Adams, Tom Trachsel (’97), Susan Snyder (’98),

and Roshini Rajkumar (’97) at the Class of 1997 Reunion


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LAWRENCE BROWNCLASS OF 1960

Lawrence Chauncey Brown, age 70, of Minneapolis, passedaway on December 4, 2006. He

graduated from Southwest High,Minneapolis, in 1954, and received hisbachelor of law in 1958 and his J.D.,cum laude, in 1960 from the Univer-sity of Minnesota Law School. He wasa staff member of the Minnesota LawReview. Immediately following grad-uation, he clerked for MinnesotaSupreme Court Justices Lee Loevingerand Leroy Mattson, and later he servedas a lieutenant in the Army.

Brown was a highly respectedmember of the legal community andpracticed law at Faegre & Benson,Minneapolis, until his retirement in1996. During his career, he tried morethan 100 lawsuits and representedmany of the leading businesses inMinnesota, including Bemis Company,Target Corporation, Norwest/WellsFargo Bank, and IDS. He successfullyargued before the U.S. Supreme Court,winning a decision in favor of theMinneapolis Star and TribuneCompany.

Brown was a Fellow in theAmerican College of Trial Lawyers. In 1996, the Hennepin County BarAssociation awarded him itsProfessionalism Award in recognitionof his career traits of integrity, colle-giality, and civility, qualities that notonly created trust and respect among

lawyers but also promoted the resolu-tion of problems.

It was his wish to help Law Schoolstudents who struggle with financialdifficulties, as he did during his lawschool years. In honor of her husband’sintentions and his life, his wife, Dr.Mary Dunn Brown, established theLawrence Chauncey BrownScholarship Fund. Gifts from family,friends, colleagues, and other contribu-tors to this fund will support high-achieving new students enrolling in theUniversity of Minnesota Law Schoolwho are in need of financial assistance.

Brown was preceded in death by his parents, Robert and BernyceBrown. He is survived by his wife and their children, Paula K. Brown and Chauncey Brown.

VICTOR KRAMER

Victor Horsley Kramer, whotaught at the Law School from1981 until his retirement in

1994, died January 8, 2007, at SibleyMemorial Hospital, Washington, D.C.,of acute respiratory failure. He was 93and made his home in the District. He astonished the legal community in1970 by leaving an illustrious career asan antitrust attorney for public interestlaw and education. He co-founded the public-interest Center for Law and Social Policy and was the firstdirector of the Institute for PublicRepresentation at GeorgetownUniversity. There he taught antitrust

law and legal ethics before coming to Minnesota.

When it came to the law, he wasknown to be disciplined anddemanding, of himself as well as others.“Victor was at his best at faculty meet-ings,” says Law School Professor JohnMatheson, “not letting any of us getaway with sloppy logic or analysis. Hisdisdain for rambling discussions wouldoften evidence itself in those meetings.When a long discussion hit but amomentary pause, Victor would blurtout, ‘Call the question!’ To this day, thefaculty uses that phrase in his memoryto speed up faculty meeting discus-sions.”

Kramer was born in Cincinnati andreceived his undergraduate degree ingovernment from Harvard Universityin 1935. Soon after receiving his lawdegree from Yale in 1938, he started his nearly 20-year career at the JusticeDepartment, first as a trial lawyer andlater as chief of the litigation section in the antitrust division. Because of the many cases he tried and won inthose years, he earned a label from theWashington Post as one of “Uncle Sam’strustbusters.” During World War II, heserved in the Navy as a pharmacist’smate.

In 1957, he joined Arnold, Fortas& Porter and represented such clientsas Coca-Cola, Ford Motor, and majorleague baseball. In the well-knownFlood v. Kuhn case, he helped success-fully defend baseball commissionerBowie Kuhn against a charge of federalantitrust law violation.

In retirement, Kramer volunteeredmany hours, established a foundationto support scholarship at several lawschools, and wrote a personal memoir.And, according to his son-in-lawKawin Wilairat, he believed as stronglyin spending time with his family as hebelieved in high standards of conduct.Matheson recalls: “When I would seehim in the Law School halls, he wouldalways ask about the health andprogress of ‘the boys,’ referring to mythree sons, whom he and Solveig

❯Memorial Tributes

(Victor’s wife and soulmate) had seengrow up in and around the LawSchool.”

Kramer is survived by his wife of40 years, Solveig Grette Kramer; threechildren by his first wife (the lateMiriam Tickton Kramer): Ruth Zionyof Los Angeles, Edith Kramer Wilairatof the District, and Stephen Kramer of New York; two stepdaughters fromhis second marriage: Kristin Kelly ofLos Angeles and Carolyn Wolfe of SanDiego; a brother, S. Paul Kramer of theDistrict; and six grandchildren.

ROBERT McCLURECLASS OF 1939

Robert C. McClure, 91, a retired Law School professor and staunch defender

of individual rights and freedoms,passed away February 2, 2007, ofParkinson’s disease-related pneumoniain Robbinsdale, Minnesota.

After graduating from the LawSchool in 1939, McClure worked for alaw firm in St. Paul, his hometown. In1942, he moved to New York for a jobwith the FBI, work that he recalled assometimes boring but a good windowon the many sides of life. He was a ser-geant in the Marines during World WarII, serving in a legal office. He joinedthe Law School in 1946 and taughtuntil his retirement in 1985.

McClure’s leadership in theAmerican Civil Liberties Union datedback to formation of the Minnesotabranch in 1952, when he served as secretary and treasurer. He was anexpert on censorship and co-authoredwhat came to be seen as a classic onthe subject. Together with former LawSchool Dean and Professor WilliamLockhart, he fought a practice of the

time—in which police kept track ofshopkeepers who sold objectionablematerials and threatened them withprosecution—as a form of censorshipand defended their freedom of expression.

He also taught a seminar onobscenity law, and some of his articleson pornography have been cited bythe U.S. Supreme Court. His teachingphilosophy, that students learn bydoing, was considered an innovation inlegal education at the time. “I had thegood fortune to know Bob McClureas both a teacher and a colleague,” saysLaw School Professor Stephen Befort(class of 1974). “He cared deeply aboutteaching, and it showed. The classroomalways was packed for the teacherknown affectionately as Boots” for his preferred footwear.

Former Vice President WalterMondale put his thoughts about hisLaw School professor on record in theMinneapolis Star Tribune: “He was notonly a terrific scholar but a nice personas well. He was one of the mostrespected and beloved. I think I canspeak for my classmates: We all lovedthe guy.”

McClure is survived by his wife of 64 years, Margaret, of Minneapolis;daughters Joan Van Norman ofMilwaukee and Mary Grewe of ParkRapids, Minnesota; sons Paul ofPrinceton, Minnesota, and Donald of Prescott, Wisconsin; and six grandchildren.

EDITH WARGOCLASS OF 1938

The University of MinnesotaLaw School and women in thelegal profession lost an enthusi-

astic champion on November 30,2006, when Edith Powers Wargo

passed away at age 92 in Minneapolis.She graduated from the Law School in1938. Employment as a lawyer was nextto impossible for a woman, so Wargoentered the work force as a buyer forMinneapolis-based Powers departmentstore. On her own merits (the matchbetween her maiden name and thestore name was a coincidence), she roseto top buyer and company executive.

Always a generous donor to the Law School, she decided in the late 1970s to put her considerableenergies into a different form of support by working to keep womenalumni involved in their school. By 1981, she had founded LexAlumnae, an organization of womengraduates of the Law School. Sheworked diligently to plan and organize meaningful programs,speakers, and receptions for the organization, and members still recall fondly the elaborate holidayluncheons she arranged. Lex Alumnaenow provides the networking, mentoring, and assistance that Wargohad hoped for and has become thelargest active organization of womenlaw alumni in the nation.

Wargo also served on the LawSchool’s Board of Visitors, was a classrepresentative for the annual funddrive, and volunteered at universityfund drives, business meetings, andsocial functions. In 1988, she was recognized for her years of unstintingservice with a University of MinnesotaAlumni Service Award.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Joseph E. Wargo, also a 1938 graduate and dedicated supporter of the Law School, whoserved as District Judge of AnokaCounty. In his honor, she generouslycontributed to endowment of theJoseph E. Wargo and Anoka CountyBar Association Professorship in Family Law. She is survived by herniece, Linda Irwin Workman, whoreceived her M.S. at the University of Minnesota and worked with heraunt to create the Law School’s Wargo-Workman Audio/Visual Fund, which supports upgrades in technology tools used in legal education.

By Corinne Charais a freelance writer andeditor based in Bloomington. .


Alumni Perspective

www.law.umn.edu

Alumni Perspective


CLASS OF 1936Frank Plant, Jr.Jan. 1, 2007Plymouth, Minn.

CLASS OF 1937Edward ColemanDec. 21, 2006Anoka, Minn.

CLASS OF 1938Edith WargoNov. 30, 2006Minneapolis, Minn.

CLASS OF 1939Bruce EricksonFeb. 9, 2007Kasson, Minn.

CLASS OF 1939Robert McClureFeb. 2, 2007Minneapolis, Minn.

CLASS OF 1939Irving WiltroutJan. 30, 2007Marshall, Minn.

CLASS OF 1943Ross ThorfinnsonNov. 29, 2006Medina, Minn.

CLASS OF 1946Henry Haverstock, Jr.Feb. 12, 2007Minneapolis, Minn.

CLASS OF 1947Joseph HerrickFeb. 20, 2007Lanesboro, Minn.

CLASS OF 1949Neil DuffyMarch 26, 2002Burnsville, Minn.

CLASS OF 1951Robert SchreinerSept. 23, 2005Ortonville, Minn.

CLASS OF 1951Stanley Staples, Jr.Nov. 18, 2006Wausau, Wis.

CLASS OF 1953Morris DickelFeb. 1, 2007Scottsdale, Ariz.

CLASS OF 1957Eugene HamesNov. 23, 2006Denver, Colo.

CLASS OF 1957John RendahlFeb. 10, 2007Greenville, S.C.

CLASS OF 1960Lawrence Chauncey BrownDec. 4, 2006Minneapolis, Minn.

CLASS OF 1965George Greene, Jr.Nov. 26, 2006Whitefish Bay, Wis.

CLASS OF 1967Peter BrownJan. 30, 2007Kirkwood, Mo.

❯ In Memoriam

University of MinnesotaLaw Alumni AssociationBoard of Directors

OFFICERSJudith L. Oakes ’69, PresidentProfessor Brad Clary ’75, SecretaryProfessor Stephen Befort ’74, Treasurer

DIRECTORS

Term Ending 2007Grant Aldonas ’79, Washington, DCStacy Lynn Bettison ’99, Minneapolis, MN Thomas A. Clure ’63, Duluth, MNJudge Joan Ericksen ’81, St. Paul, MN Joan Heim ’68, Washington, DC Thomas Hood ’73, New York, NY Dave Kettner ’98, Madison, WI Judge Lajune T. Lange ’78, Minneapolis, MN David Lee ’70, Los Angeles, CA Judge Edward J. Wallin ’67, Orange, CAAnn Watson ’79, Minneapolis, MN

Term Ending 2008Leslie M. Altman ’83, Minneapolis, MNJ. Charles Bruse ’71, Washington, DC James Cho ’99, New York, NY Brad Clary ’75, Minneapolis, MN Dan Goldfine ’88, Phoenix, AZ Joan Humes ’90, Minnetonka, MNNora Klaphake ’94, Minneapolis, MN Marshall Lichty ’02, Minneapolis, MNJudge Peter Michalski ’71, Anchorage, AKPaul Swanson ’82, Seattle, WANick Wallace ’05, Minneapolis, MNMary Lee Wegner ’86, Santa Monica, CACarolyn Wolski ’88, Minneapolis, MN

Term Ending 2009James J. Bender ’81, Tulsa, OKElizabeth Bransdorfer ’85, Grand Rapids, MIJudge Natalie Hudson ’82, St. Paul, MN Chuck Noerenberg ’82, St. Paul, MNJudith L. Oakes ’69, St. Paul, MNPatricia A. O’Gorman ’71, Cottage Grove, MN

Dean Guy-Uriel E. CharlesDean Fred L. Morrison

The University of Minnesota is committed tothe policy that all persons shall have equalaccess to its programs, facilities, and employ-ment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, or sexual orientation.

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