(for more information on the Summer CLE Programs and to register, click here)

Sarbanes-Oxley

Saturday, June 23 — 8:30 – 11:45 a.m.; 1:00 – 4:15 p.m.
Sunday, June 24 — 8:30 – 11:45 a.m.; 1:00 – 4:15 p.m.
Hamline University School of Law Room 104

This course provides an introductory overview of the Sarbanes- Oxley Act (SOX), perhaps the most significant corporate legislation in decades, including a brief history of the issues SOX was designed to address. Enacted in response to major corporate and accounting scandals, SOX attempts to restore public confidence in reporting systems. The class will focus on SOX’s key regulatory provisions: Issuer Reporting (management certifications/internal controls); Governance (directors and executive officer requirements); Attorney reporting requirements, and other key provisions. The course will evaluate the effectiveness of these regulatory requirements in light of current applications and recent developments.

One academic credit 11.75 Minnesota CLE credits approved

International Trade and Environment — Striking a balance between trade liberalization and enhanced environmental protections.

Friday, July 13 — 8:30 – 11:45 a.m.; 1:00 – 4:15 p.m.
Saturday, July 14 — 8:30 – 11:45 a.m.; 1:00 – 4:15 p.m.
Hamline University School of Law Room 103

This course will focus on U.S. trade policy and how Congress and the Executive Branch have attempted to make trade and environmental policies mutually supportive. The course will provide a background on the constitutional and legal structure at the core of U.S. trade policy, as well as the history of the debate on trade and environment leading to the specific negotiating objectives in the Trade Act of 2002. The majority of the course will examine U.S. trade agreements and specific provisions dealing with environment and environmental cooperation.

One academic credit 11.75 Minnesota CLE credits approved
 

Saturday, August 4 — 8:30 – 2:30 p.m. (includes working lunch, provided)
Sunday, August 5 — 8:30 – 11:45 a.m.; 1:00 – 4:15 p.m.
Hamline University School of Law Room 240A

One academic credit 11.75 Minnesota CLE credits approved 

Past CLE Programs

Spring 2007 Alumni CLE Symposium - May 10, 2007

Fall 2006 Alumni CLE Symposium - October 13, 2006

From left to right Professor John Weeks, Mark McNeil, Bruce
McPheeters and William G. Thornton at the Fall Alumni CLE

Globalization is changing the structure and the practice of law and potentially affects every attorney in the region.  From the transactional attorney facing challenges to a client’s Internet presence to the litigator with a product liability claim against an overseas manufacturer, local attorneys in every sector are affected by the growing global economy.  The Fall Alumni CLE Symposium examined the changing nature of legal advice in the Twin Cities and nationally and discussed ways that attorneys and their clients can strategize to minimize the impact of diminishing jurisdictional barriers.  5.5 credits received in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Summer CLE

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 took 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 was 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" were 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.

Police Practices with Professor Robin Magee
June 10-11, attendees learned about the inner workings of police departments and the various relationships between lawyers and police. This seminar examined the police and their practices, as well as the U.S. constitutional, state law and local ordinances that govern the police. The history, selection, training and demographics of police forces were discussed, and the seminar further explored the relationship between police and crime. Patrols, investigations, interrogations, and courtroom testifying were among the traditional police activities that were reviewed and evaluated, with special attention paid to certain high-profile crimes, including gang activity, terrorism and computer crimes. The seminar also explored citizen complaints against police and policing, including those relating to intemperate behavior and bias policing, and accountability mechanisms.

Multi-Cultural Law Student Association CLE
Just How "Just is the Justice System? - Exploring Bias in Jury Selection
"Just How 'Just' is Justice?   Examining Bias in Jury Selection," was a dynamic seminar that took place on April 22 and was hosted by Hamline University School of Law Multicultural Law Student Association (MCLSA) and co-sponsored by the law firms of Leonard Street and Deinard, and Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi LLP. 

The program examined bias in jury selection, discussed legal responses to bias in the jury system, showcased a mock jury selection to show how bias can occur, and provided a variety of perspectives on this issue from distinguished judges, prosecutors, public defenders, defense attorneys, jury analysts, professors and community activists.

Speakers included Elizabeth Cutter, prosecutor in the Ramsey County Attorney's Office; David DeSmidt, a private defense attorney; Hamline University School of Law professors Tom Romero and Peter Thompson; Ann McCaughan, a state public defender; Jeremy Rose, a jury analyst with the National Jury Project; Nathaniel Khaliq, community activist with the NAACP and William Ward, chief public defender in the 10th Judicial District.  

Feminist Jurisprudence CLE Symposium
On Friday, April 7, 2006, participants in Hamline’s Feminist Jurisprudence Symposium explored practical solutions to important legal and human rights issues facing women. Retired Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Rosalie Wahl introduced this year’s keynote speaker, Professor Jane Larson of the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Professor Larson is a nationally-recognized women’s legal theorist. She will discuss her research involving prostitution and human rights.

The morning panel examined practical solutions to human trafficking. Panelists Minnesota State Senator Sandra Pappas and Minnesota Representative Kathy Tinglestead discussed their experience crafting anti-trafficking legislation in Minnesota. Panelists Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights Staff Attorney Laura Nelson and Connect US-Russia Executive Director Susan Hartman discussed their experiences fighting human trafficking in the international and national context.

The afternoon panel discussed practical solutions to legal problems facing the battered immigrant community. Panelists, including Lonna Stevens of the Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women, Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services Staff Attorney Rebecca Rossow, and Luz Frias from the City of Saint Paul, discussed the application of the Violence Against Women Act, current policy issues, and best practices from the perspective of a referee and as an advocate.

Spring Alumni CLE Symposium, March 3, 2006

On March 3, 2006, Hamline's Spring Alumni CLE Symposium, Every Breath You Take: The Health Law Implications of Environmental Hazards, examined critical aspects of health law within the environmental context.

In the first session, "Reserve Mining, Where it all Began," Professor Howard Vogel, who represented the Minnesota Environmental Law Institute in the Reserve Mining litigation, moderated a panel including Reserve Mining insiders Byron Starns, who represented the State of Minnesota as the Chief Deputy Attorney General in the litigation, and Professor Peter N. Thompson, who was the law clerk to Judge Miles Lord for the duration of the case.  Please follow this link to listen to the Reserve Mining panel presentation (48 minute 21.6mb mp3).

Attorney Lucinda Jesson of Jesson & Pust, P.A., discussed potential health law issues arising out of disasters such as hurricanes, infectious disease outbreaks, and bioterrorist attacks.  An experienced trial lawyer and frequent lecturer on heath law topics, Ms. Jesson will pay a pivotal role in the development of the Law School's new Health Law Center; her participation in the CLE symposium was a wonderful introduction to some of our alumni community. Please follow this link to hear Ms. Jesson's presentation (52 minute 23.5mb mp3). 

CLE attendees also heard from the "Queen of Mold" - local attorney Joan Quade '87 of Barna, Guzy & Steffen, Ltd.  Ms. Quade discussed why mold is a sensitive legal issue, the potential liability of parties associated with a moldy environment and important mold insurance issues as well as legal strategies for reducing the risk of liability and for recovering damages related to property and personal losses. 

For the afternoon CLE sessions, St. Paul attorney Thomas Norby '83 of Murnane Brandt, P.A., discussed the status of the $140 Billion Fairness in Asbestos Injury Resolution Act (FAIR) Act against the backdrop of exposure patterns and recent state court reforms, and the legacy of asbestos litigation for future mass tort claims.  Then, attorney Gregory Luce presented a thorough overview of the legal issues relating to lead, including a step by step guide to the Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act that he developed.   Gregory Luce is an attorney with Christensen, Laue & Rasmus, P.A, and the Executive Director of Project 504, a housing-related neighborhood organization in Minneapolis that works extensively to address indoor environmental hazards in tenants' homes, including lead. Please follow this link to hear Gregory Luce's presentation (44 minute 19.8 mb mp3).

To round out the day, Keith Halleland; founder and shareholder of Halleland Lewis Nilan & Johnson and of the firm's affiliated consulting company, Halleland Health Consulting; presented a discussion of current initiatives that focus on environmental justice and a safer health environment for our local communities. To listen to Mr. Halleland's presentation, please follow this link. 

At the CLE luncheon, Alumni Association Board member Curtis Zaun '96 presented Alumni Scholarship Awards to the students selected by the Board's Scholarship Committee to receive this honor.  All 5 students - Megan E. Hladilek, Chad Alan Staul, Michael S. Maza, Angela Bergmann, and Jason Geer - were present to receive their award recognition.  Following the scholarship presentation, Hamline Law Professor Jonathan Kahn, J.D., PhD, gave the keynote presentation regarding the legal and ethical implications racial categories produced and disseminated in the course of drug development and the implications of this categorization on health law.

Fall Alumni CLE Symposium - October 7, 2005
Lawyers Learn Best Strategies for Working with Microentrepreneurs
Dozens of attorneys attended this year's Fall Alumni Symposium on October 7. Entitled Multi-Cultural Community Development and the New Entrepreneur, the symposium focused on the needs of micro-enterprises, including small business development; growth of business pro bono opportunities for lawyers and clients; and application of micro-enterprise business planning to multicultural and new immigrant communities.

The day started with an introduction to the microenterprise arena from the perspective of microbusiness professionals including Esperanza Guerrero-Anderson, the founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Milestone Growth Fund, Inc.; Rodney McGee, State Director of the Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) of the Metropolitan Economic Development Association (MEDA); Mara O'Neil from the Neighborhood Development Center (NDC); Jane Winston Gustafson, business leader and Principal with JWG Consulting; Pam Wandzel, Fredrikson & Byron's pro bono coordinator; and a successful microbusiness client, Manny Gonzalez of Manny's Tortas located in the Mercado Central. This first panel was moderated by John Stout, shareholder with Fredrikson & Byron and co-founder of MEDA, which had its official start in 1971. Listen to the session (20 mb mp3).

The symposium also included a popular and practical crash course for attorneys interested in providing legal assistance to microentrepreneurs. The panel was presented by a panel of experts moderated by Professor Carol Swanson; an overview of pro bono opportunities in microbusiness from attorney and former MSBA President Jim Baillie; and an introduction by Caroline Palmer '99 to LegalCorps, a liaison between attorneys looking for pro bono opportunities and the clients who need their assistance.

The day concluded with a two-hour elimination of bias panel discussion that focused on supply diversity from the corporate and agency perspective. Supply diversity professionals Alvin-o Williams 100, the President of the Minnesota Minority Supplier Development Council (MMSDC); Timothy A. Thomas, Director of Cargill's supplier diversity imitative; and Joe Mudd, the Senior Manager of Minority & Women Business Development for Target Corporation lead an interactive discussion that introduced the participants to the details of supply diversity in the context of bias.