Michael Browne Named Interim Civil Rights Director
Hamline alumnus Michael K. (Kip) Browne '99 has been appointed interim director for the Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights by Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak. He is replacing current Civil Rights Director Jayne Khalifa, who recently was named the new deputy city coordinator. Browne most previously served as director of enforcement and community outreach for the Civil Rights department where he also was responsible for assisting Khalifa with day-to-day department management.
"Michael Browne possesses a stellar combination of solid management experience and intense legal expertise," Mayor Rybak said in a released statement. "He has shown tremendous leadership managing and reforming our Civilian Review Authority and brings an innovative spirit to his work. I have complete confidence that Michael will guide our Civil Rights department, and those who rely on it, through this transition."
Browne joined the Civil Rights department in September 2005 after serving for nearly a year as a consultant to the department conducting a review of the city's Civil Rights Complaint investigations. During his time with the department, Browne most notably completed a comprehensive and independent study of the Minneapolis Civilian Review Authority.
A summary of the report can be found on the Hamline website.
A full copy of the report can be found on the Hamline website (pdf).
TopPeter Hofrenning Named Assistant Director for Health Law Center
Local attorney Peter Hofrenning will join Hamline's law faculty on May 23 as an adjunct professor of law and assistant director of the new Health Law Center. He will work closely with the new director, Lucinda Jesson, and serve as the primary administrator for the Center, helping to launch its operations and oversee the day-to-day administrative aspects.
Hamline University School of Law will formally launch its new Health Law Center in Fall 2006. The Center will focus on the burgeoning growth of health law, federal regulation of the healthcare system, tort reform, medical device development and regulation, and ethics. The Health Law Center will develop a symposium program, provide specialized practical training, lawyer education, legal ethics and significant scholarship in health law and related fields.
Hofrenning has a diverse health law background, with strong consumer, enforcement and healthcare industry experience. He currently serves as principal attorney in the Office of the General Counsel at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota where he oversees a team of lawyers and paralegals. His other responsibilities include serving as lead attorney for large contracts, managing outside counsel in their representation of Blue Cross and advising the organization on a wide variety of topics, including Medicare, ERISA and HIPAA privacy issues.
Hofrenning joins Professor Jonathan Kahn, Professor Cathryn Deal and other other Hamline law faculty, including Dean Jon Garon, Professor Michael Scherschligt and Professor Larry Bakken, who all provide a strong basis for the school's expansion in the health law area. New Health Law Center Director Lucinda Jesson and Assistant Professor Stacey Tovino will join the school in August 2006.
For more information, see the press release.
TopCompetitors Emerge as Finalists in Legal Writing Oral Arguments
Opposing sides do not often both emerge as winners in a courtroom showdown, but that's exactly what happened on April 21 in the Annette K. Levine Moot Court Room. The competitors, Stephen Schemenauer and Amber Neuhaus, both 1L students in Hamline Law Instructor Mary Trevor's Legal Writing class, received top honors in the Legal Writing Oral Arguments Honor Round. Stephen was named "best oralist" and Amber received "runner up oralist" recognition from a panel of judges that included The Honorable James Morrow, Brenda Tofte, Esq., Professor H. Allen Blair and Professor Joseph L. Daly.
Other 1L students participating in the Honor Round included Jennifer Rolfsrud, Emeric Dwyer, Annemarie Ellig, Kersten Kappmeyer, Amy Tripp, Rebecca Lanctot, Kathyryn Iverson, and Mary M. Kellerman. Judge Morrow later said that all ten participating students were "among the top 10 percent of all lawyers to appear in my court."
The Honor Round of Oral Arguments is the culminating event of the first year Legal Writing course says Legal Writing Instructor Alice Silkey. Hamline Legal Writing instructors select the best oralists from their sections to advance to the Honor Round. The oral arguments are based on the final major writing assignment of the year, the Appellate Brief. The Appellate Brief assignment and the subsequent oral argument require the students to persuade an appellate court to adopt their client's position on the legal issues in dispute.
TopEquality of Judicial Treatment Explored in Recent CLE Program
On a sunny Saturday in April, a group of students, lawyers, faculty and staff gathered at Hamline Law School to explore the dark issue of bias in the jury selection process. Dean Jon Garon welcomed the group, thanked Hamline's Multicultural Law Student Association (MCLSA) and MCLSA president Elise Thompson for organizing the CLE, and the law firms of Leonard Street and Deinard, and Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi LLP for co-sponsoring the program.
Professor Peter Thompson gave the opening address. "If we don't talk about it, bias remains invisible -- but that doesn't mean it isn't there," Professor Thompson told the crowd. He also said that "Equality is difficult to achieve in an unequal world where bias is rife in our community." He provided sobering statistics and examples of how bias enters into the jury selection process, even when people of good intent are involved. "Lawyers and judges have made great strides," he summarized, "but we still have a long way to go in eliminating bias from the trial process."
The program featured a mock jury selection to show how bias can occur, as well as diverse perspectives on the issue from a variety of speakers, including Ramsey County prosecutor Elizabeth Cutter, state public defender Ann McCaughan, private defense attorney David DeSmidt, Hamline law professors Tom Romero and Peter Thompson, jury analyst Jeremy Rose, NAACP community activist Nathaniel Khaliq and 10th Judicial District Chief Public Defender William Ward. Downloadable podcasts of all of the speakers are available through Hamline's "Conversations in Law" program at http://www.hamline.edu/law/conversations
TopFriends of Color Gathered in April
Alumni, faculty, staff and students gathered on April 25 in Minneapolis at the office of Halleland Lewis Nilan & Johnson for the annual Friends of Color reception. It was a delightful evening with ample opportunities for networking and socializing. The Friends of Color reception is one of many events sponsored throughout the year by the Alumni Association to foster connections between alumni, faculty and current students. Visit the Hamline University School of Law Alumni Association web page for a complete listings of all upcoming events.
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Minnesota Court of Appeals Hears Oral Arguments at Hamline
A divorced couple were in disagreement about how to handle a tax refund. . . a client alleged that a law firm committed fraud and negligent misrepresentation. . . a man appealed a first degree burglary conviction . . .a medical clinic sued an insurance company for breach of contract. . . this was the case docket on April 27 when the Minnesota Court of Appeals heard oral arguments in the Annette K. Levine Moot Court Room. Many students took advantage of the opportunity to see and hear the court in action. Judge Gordon W. Shumaker was the presiding judge. He was joined by Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright and Judge Kevin G. Ross. In an interesting twist, Judge Christopher J. Dietzen presided for Judge Shumaker in the last argument because his wife, alumna Marianne Settano '86, works for one of the companies involved in the dispute. Judge Shumaker had another reason to sit the argument out: his former law clerk Hamline alumna Theresa Bofferding '02 argued in the case.
The Court of Appeals met with students after the event to discuss the decision-making process in the judiciary and to provide insights on the best appellate practice. At a luncheon following the court session, members of the court spoke more casually with students, providing career advice and sharing stories about practicing law in a successful and meaningful manner.
TopHamline Law Journals Receive Frequent Citations
Hamline University School of Law reports that the school has moved into the top quartile for citations to its Law Review and the second quartile for the Journal of Law and Public Policy. According to the Washington and Lee Most-Cited Legal Periodicals website, Hamline's Law Review and Journal of Law and Public Policy are the 197th and 231st most frequently cited journals. (The website tracks 953 journals.) One year ago, Hamline's two journals ranked 290th and 389th, so there has been significant improvement in the rankings.The Hamline Law Review is tied with the law reviews at the University of Miami, Baylor University and the University of Utah. Congratulations to the many Hamline law students whose hard work and excellent scholarship have made Hamline's law journals noteworthy.
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Hamline Alumnus is New President of Lipscomb University
Warmest congratulations to L. Randolph Lowry III '81 on his recent inauguration as the 17th president of Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tenn. He is the founder of the nationally recognized Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution and was a professor of law at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. President Lowry is shown here with fellow Hamline alumna Anna Everton '98, who served as Hamline's delegate to the President Lowry's inauguration ceremony on March 29, 2006.
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Nathan Hansen receives Dim Scholarship
Hamline 2L student Nathan Hansen recently was honored with a Dim Scholarship, which recognizes his outstanding scholarship and relevant internship and employment experience.Hamline 2L student Nathan Hansen recently was honored with a Dim Scholarship, which recognizes his outstanding scholarship and relevant internship and employment experience. His accomplishments include earning the grade of "A" in two federal law courses and having his article on federal employee ethical rules promulgated to address conflicts of interest published in the Fall 2005 edition of Hamline University's Journal of Public Law and Policy. He served as personal summer law clerk to the General Counsel of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C. and worked in the U.S. Attorney General's Office. Top"Conversations in Law" Receives National Media Attention
Regular listeners of National Public Radio may have heard a feature story cross the airwaves in early May focusing on Hamline University School of Law's "Conversations in Law" podcast series. The series was described on the program "Future Tense" and featured comments from Hamline's web developer Geoffrey Hankerson. If you missed the original broadcast, you can read the story by visiting: Future Tense on the Web or listen.
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Alumnus Rich Ruohonen: Curler Extraordinaire
How many busy lawyers still pursue a hobby begun in elementary school? Alumnae Rich Ruohonen has found a way to successfully pursue his passion for the sport of curling, which he began playing in fifth grade, while maintaining a thriving personal injury practice and spending time with his family. Rich has earned the title of St. Paul Curling Club Champion six times since 1997 and has received a President's Trophy seven times and won the St. Paul Super League Championship on numerous occasions. Rich also has won many other tournaments across the country. Even more impressive is his involvement on the U.S. World Team Trials at National Championships in 2006, 2005 (5th place), 2004, 2002 (5th place), and 1998 (5th). He also was part of the 2005 U.S. Olympic team trials, finishing fifth in the country and one win away from the final four teams to make it to the Olympics.
Rich's accomplishments are not exclusive to ice rinks. He made partner in his firm, Pritzker, Ruohonen & Associates, after only four and a half years, and he was the youngest "Super Lawyer" named by Minnesota Law and Politics in 2000. He has tried more than 20 civil cases to a jury, winning more than 80 percent of those trials. He is most proud of a $1.5 million verdict won for a client in 2003 and a $3.75 million recovery in 2005 for a client who suffered an amputated leg as a result of a recreational vehicle accident. He even found a way to combine his love for curling with his profession by representing two curling teams against the United States Curling Association when he believed there were major mistakes made by the organization.
Rich says his future goals include winning Nationals and representing the U.S. at the World Championships or Olympics. He also hopes to watch or coach his daughter and son at the World Championships some day, "If I can get them interested in curling!"
TopSpring Flings
Unseasonably warm spring weather coaxed students out of the classroom and on to the Law School's patio for relaxation and libations...a perfect pre-exam break hosted by the Hamline Student Bar Association in late April.
Students from Hancock Elementary, Hamline University and neighbors in the Hamline-Midway neighborhood also took to the streets recently to celebrate the installation of the first piece of public art on Snelling Avenue. The mural was designed and created by Hancock third graders and Hamline art students. Hamline University School of Law also participates in the partnership with Hancock Elementary through the annual mini moot court program.
TopJurors Needed
Gray Plant Mooty will be conducting training sessions for its litigation attorneys on Saturday, May 20 and Sunday, May 21. Each training session will include a mock trial to be conducted from 12:30-5 p.m. at the University of Minnesota Law School. Volunteer jurors are needed. Volunteers will be paid a participation fee of $30 per session, plus $5 for parking if applicable. Volunteers of all ages are welcome but must be at least 16 years old. If interested, please contact Linda Spotts at 612-632-3345 or by email at linda.spotts@gpmlaw.com. TopFeatureEvents
10th Annual Hamline University School of Law Alumni Golf Tournament
The 10th Annual School of Law Golf Tournament will take place at Prestwick Golf Club in Woodbury, Minnesota on Tuesday, June 6, 2006. In addition to a great day of golf, camaraderie, contests, and fun, each golfer will receive a canvas Golfer's Kit bag filled with premium items (including this year's Golf Tournament T-shirt) from the Law School and from some of our sponsors. A silent auction, live auction and raffle will take place during and after dinner.
Each year, proceeds from this event benefit the Hamline University School of Law Alumni Association Scholarship Fund. Last year proceeds from the tournament resulted in $12,000 in scholarship money, which was awarded to five students.
Date: Tuesday, June 6Location: Prestwick Golf Club in Woodbury
Contact: A golf registration form can be downloaded from http://www.hamline.edu/law/alumni/2006_Golf_Tournament.html. For additional information on 2006 golfing packages and sponsorship packages, please contact Susan H. Stephan at 651-523-2338 or by e-mail at lawalum@hamline.edu.Top
Hamline School of Law Reception - MSBA Annual Convention
Please join Dean Jon Garon and members of the Hamline University School of Law faculty and staff on June 22, 2006 at a reception for alumni and friends during the Minnesota State Bar Association's Annual Convention Madden's Resort in Brainerd. The reception will take place from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. at the Madden's Town Hall.
Hamline law professor Howard Vogel will speak at two sessions on Friday, June 23, as part of the convention's professional development track: "Exploring Our Identity as Lawyers" and "Called to the Law: Practicing Integrity & Authenticity." To register for the MSBA Convention sessions, visit www2.mnbar.org/convention or call Sue Bores at 612-278-6325.
Date: Thursday, June 22Location: Madden's on Gull Lake, Brainerd
Contact: Contact Raquel Nelson at rnelson11@hamline.edu or by phone at 651-523-2943 with questions or to R.S.V.P.Top
Summer CLE: Police Practices with Professor Robin Magee
Spend two days this summer learning about the inner workings of police departments and the various relationships between lawyers and police. This seminar will examine the police and their practices, as well as the U.S. constitutional, state law and local ordinances that govern the police. You'll learn about the history, selection, training and demographics of police forces and further explore the relationship between police and crime. Patrols, investigations, interrogations, and courtroom testifying will be among the traditional police activities that will be reviewed and evaluated, with special attention paid to certain high-profile crimes, including gang activity, terrorism and computer crimes. The seminar also will explore citizen complaints against police and policing, including those relating to intemperate behavior and bias policing, and accountability mechanisms. To register or to learn more about this CLE, contact Deb Lange at dlange@hamline.edu or call 651-523-2371 or 651-523-2122.
Date: June 10-11Location: Law School Room 105
Contact: To register or to learn more about this CLE, contact Deb Lange at dlange@hamline.edu or call 651-523-2371 or 651-523-2122.Top
Love & Law on the Road to Reconciliation: Truth Commissions, the Possibilities of Forgiveness and the Role of Lawyers in the Face of Conflict
This two-day, one-credit course takes the stirring example of the South African Truth Commission as the point of departure for examining the relation of love & law and the implications for the practice of law. A critical examination of the South African experience in comparison to other truth commissions around the world will be undertaken as a means of exploring the possibilities of, and the conditions necessary for, reconciliation in the face of deep conflict. In the course of our exploration, themes such as "repentance," "mercy" and "forgiveness" will be considered, with special attention to the professional responsibility of lawyers as "representatives of clients," "officer[s] of the legal system," and "public citizen[s] having a special responsibility for the quality of justice" as set out in the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct. One law school credit; 12 Minnesota CLE credits applied for.
Date: July 29-30, 2006Location: Law School Room 105
Contact: Deb Lange at dlange@hamline.edu or call 651-523-2371 or 651-523-2122Top
FacultyNotes
New Faculty Publications
Allen Blair, You Don't Have to be Ludwig Wittgenstein: How Llewellyn's Concept of Agreement Should Change the Law of Open-Quantity Contracts, 37 Seton H. L. Rev (2006).
Peter N. Thompson and James Coben, Disputing Irony, A Systematic Look at Litigation about Mediation, 11 Harv. Negot. L. Rev. 43 (2006).
TopProfessor Larry Bakken
Professor Larry Bakken recently taught a class on International Treaty Dispute Settlement Mechanisms at the Riga Graduate Law program in Riga, Latvia. While in Latvia, he consulted with a public policy group concerned with citizen participation in Riga development issues, and advised a group of lawyers, judges and lay persons interested in establishing a community mediation center. Professor Bakken also worked with a German judge on a project to encourage the use of mediation in Latvian courts.
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Professor Jonathan Kahn
Professor Jonathan Kahn was interviewed about the commercial aspects of race-specific drugs on the National Public Radio Marketplace Morning report. A link to the audio can be found at: http://marketplace.publicradio.org/shows/2006/02/03/AM200602032.html.
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Professor David Larson
Professor David Larson moderated two panels and was a symposium speaker at the "Enhancing Worldwide Understanding through Online Dispute Resolution" international conference at the University of Toledo School of Law on April 22. He discussed, "Technology Mediated Dispute for the Wired (and Wireless) Generation." Professor Larson also made a presentation based on his article, "Technology Mediated Dispute Resolution (TMDR): A New Paradigm for ADR" to the Minnesota Bar Association and the Hamline University ADR chapter at the ADR Spring Banquet on April 10.
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Professor Bobbi McAdoo
Professor Bobbi McAdoo was a panelist for the Legal Educator's Colloquium at the ABA Section of Dispute Resolution spring conference in April. Her presentation was entitled, "Mediation in the Court System: Is it Terrible, Horrible, No Good or Very Bad? Not yet, but. . ."
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Professor Mary Jane Morrison
Professor Mary Jane Morrison participated in a Policy Forum Breakfast Club discussion on May 5. The topic was "What Belongs in a Constitution?"
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Professor Peter Thompson
Professor Peter Thompson spoke at the ABA Section on Mediation, Annual Meeting in Atlanta on April 7. He presented a Mediation Case Law Review. He also spoke at the Minnesota Continuing Legal Education program, "Evidence in the Courtroom," on April 21, in which he presented an update on Minnesota and Federal Rules of Evidence. He was speaker and moderated at panel on April 22 at the MCLSA program, "How Just is the Justice System?"
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ClassNotes
Class Notes
Jenna Perrin '04 has joined Stroz Friedberg, LLC as Counsel and Discovery Consultant. Stroz Friedberg is a computer forensics and electronic discovery consulting firm.
Jeffrey Cameron '99 has been named the Minnesota Intellectual Property Law Association's president for 2007-2008. He currently is vice president.
Jorge Saavedra '97 is running for Congress (5th Congressional District).
Susan Gustad '96 has been elected a shareholder of the firm Bassford Remele. Gustad handles complex insurance coverage matters, as well as commercial litigation, and regularly represents hospitals and health care providers in medical malpractice cases, as well as other professionals in professional liability claims. She also represents municipalities in civil rights and property damages cases.
Bob (Robert) Lightfoot '95, a shareholder at Murphy Desmond S.C. in Madison, Wisconsin, has been elected by the Board of Directors of the Wisconsin Assisted Living Association (WALA) to serve as the association's president elect. He will serve as WALA's president beginning in 2008. WALA is the premier assisted living association in Wisconsin with more than 600 members representing about 11,000 residents of assisted living facilities in Wisconsin. Lightfoot's health care practice focuses on the representation of all aspects of assisted living and nursing home operations.
Mark Covin '91 has been elected a shareholder of Bassford Remele. Covin is licensed to practice in Minnesota and Wisconsin and represents clients in complex multi-party cases in the areas of construction law, real estate, products liability, civil and commercial litigation, and insurance coverage.
Barton J. Cahill '85 has opened Cahill Law Office, P.A. in Moorhead, Minnesota. He began practicing law in 1986 with his father, James D. Cahill and brother, Steven J. Cahill, in Moorhead. Cahill is admitted to practice in all state and federal courts in Minnesota and North Dakota as well as the Eighth Circuit Federal Court of Appeals. He is a civil trial specialist, certified by the Minnesota State Bar Association. He will continue to concentrate his practice in the area of civil litigation.
Joseph P. Bluth '78 has been selected as one of the top 24 Family Law Lawyers in the state. Minnesota attorneys who appeared in The Best Lawyer in America who were asked "If you had a close friend or relative who needed a lawyer, and you couldn't handle the case yourself - because of reasons of conflict of interest or time - to whom would you refer them?" The results, according to an article in the current issue of Minnesota Monthly, "provide a reliable and useful directory of the state's most respected attorneys." Bluth is a principle in the firm Bluth & Kohlmeyer.
Family News
K. Paige (Mitchell) '00 and Gabe Berntson '98 proudly announce the birth of their third child, Carolyn Joy. She joins big sisters Savannah, 3, and Amelia, 2.
Obituary
JoAnne Jankowski '83 died April 4, 2006 after a valiant battle with cancer. She was an attorney, nursing home owner and administrator, co-publisher of the Minnesota Christian Chronicle, member of many evangelical boards, and a member of First Baptist Church in Minneapolis and Grace Church in Eden Prairie. She was active in the state and national Republican Party, and a promoter/facilitator of mission projects in South America and Eastern Europe.
GivingOpportunities
Letter from Bill Martin
Dear Alumni:
After 25 years in the field of development for higher education I’m rarely surprised in my work. . . at least that was true until earlier this month. An admitted out-of state applicant chose not to enroll this fall yet he sent us a check for $200. He wrote:
“I feel honored to have been accepted into Hamline University’ School of Law for the fall of 2006. For a number of reasons, however, I have decided to remain…..and teach mathematics to the 6th grade for another year.
Come next fall, I am sure that there will be many days when I will think about Hamline and the solid, very satisfying legal education I would have received had I availed myself of the wonderful opportunity you have offered me. To further the valuable work that Hamline continues to do I would like to make a small contribution……”
We often hear from alumni who recognize the value of the Hamline JD in terms of their careers and their lives. Some express appreciation in the form of gifts to the Law School or by volunteering time to coach Moot Court teams, assist in the legal clinics, or serve as adjuncts. This is the first time in our collective memories, however, that an applicant has recognized that value and expressed it in the form of a gift.
I just thought that you might like to know that there is support for the Hamline JD, even from people who have not yet earned it.
Sincerely,
Bill Martin
P.S. Our fiscal year ends June 30.