mitchell on law summer 2014

FIVE PERSPECTIVES ON WILLIAM MITCHELL’S NEW HYBRID ENROLLMENT OPTION

SUMMER 2014 ON LAW

Dean Janus to return to the classroom

Deborah Ellis ’83 succeeds in her 30-year fight for freedom

A career filled with remarkable firsts for Judge Cara Lee Neville ’75

CONTENTSMITCHELL IN FOCUSA number of reasons to take pride in William Mitchell 2

STUDENT, FACULTY, AND CAMPUS NEWSNews and information from William Mitchell 4–7

COMING TO THE AID OF INVENTORS How Professor Jay Erstling and the Intellectual Property Law Clinic are paving the way for patents 18

LOUIS AINSWORTH ’77 AND THE BUSINESS OF LAW His “If Not for Mitchell” Campaign gift supports practical wisdom 20

THE “IF NOT FOR MITCHELL” CAMPAIGN SURGES FORWARDHistoric fundraising effort already 9 percent4 to its goal 22

SIX THINGS ABOUTDavid Law ’00 28

CLASS NOTES Judge Kathleen Gearin ’75: hanging up her gavel 29

IN MEMORIAM Remembering Rex Turner, an unsung hero 34

TO THE POINTStephen B. Bonner ’72 35

onononononononon law

10

VOLUME 32, NO. 1Published by the Office of Institutional AdvancementWilliam Mitchell College of Law

875 Summit AvenueSt. Paul, MN 55105

651-290-6370651-290-7502 fax

[email protected]/alumni

PRESIDENT AND DEAN

Eric S. Janus

CHAIR, BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Stephen B. Bonner ’72

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Steve Linders

WRITING

Nancy CrottiFelicia KelleyMelissa PriebeJim Walsh

ART DIRECTION

Karl Peters

DESIGN

Karl PetersKate Siebert

PHOTOGRAPHY

John ConnellyTim RummelhoffBrady WilletteFEATURES

“This takes grit ... and it takes skill”

Dean Eric Janus on his time as dean, his first day

in the classroom, and Mitchell’s mission

The Case for Innovation

Five legal leaders share their thoughts on

the new hybrid enrollment option

Freedom Fighter

Deborah Ellis ’83 succeeds in her 30-year fight

for a death-row inmate’s freedom

Legal Legend

A career filled with remarkable firsts

for Judge Cara Lee Neville ’75

8

10

24

26

58

18

1Number of Minnesota law schools consistently ranked among the best in the country for clinical programs and practical training (William Mitchell, as ranked by U.S. News & World Report and National Jurist)

The Number of Reasons to take pride in William Mitchell is endless—the

commitment to practical wisdom, the long list of elected officials who graduated

from Mitchell, the college’s unwavering support of students from all walks of life.

Here are some more.

The number of reasons to take pride in William Mitchell are endless—the commitment to practical wisdom, the long list of elected officials who graduated from Mitchell, the college’s unwavering support of students from all walks of life. Here are some more. 1 Where William Mitchell ranked among Minnesota law schools in a recent survey of 1,750 local, practicing attorneys for “preparedness of graduates” (Anderson, Niebuhr & Associates) 13 Number of William Mitchell students hired as law clerks last year by the Minnesota Court of Appeals (out of a total of 25 clerk positions) 77 Rank of William Mitchell’s Law Review for citations by the courts among the nation’s 507 student-edited law reviews (in the top 15 percent) 1 Number of Minnesota law schools consistently ranked among the best in the country for clinical programs (William Mitchell, as ranked by U.S. News & World Report and National Jurist) 43 Number of judicial law clerks from the William Mitchell class of 2013 8,000 Number of clients last spring’s graduating class served while in law school through Mitchell’s top-ranked clinical program and other experiential learning opportunities 1 Where William Mitchell ranks among the state’s private law schools in a recently released ABA report on 2013 employment outcomes 18 Where Mitchell ranks among law schools for percentage of students awarded state clerkships (National Law Journal: “Which Law Schools Are Tops for Jobs?”) 2 Number of law schools whose alumni comprised 25 percent or more of Minnesota’s Super Lawyers in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013 (William Mitchell and the University of Minnesota) 1 Where Mitchell’s part-time program ranks among the region’s law schools (U.S. News & World Report)

Where William Mitchell ranked among Minnesota law schools in a recent survey of 1,750 local attorneys for “preparedness of graduates” (Anderson, Niebuhr & Associates)

2Number of law schools whose alumni comprised 25 percent or more of Minnesota’s Super Lawyers in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013 (William Mitchell and the University of Minnesota)

18Where Mitchell ranks among law schools for percentage of students awarded state clerkships (National Law Journal: “Which Law Schools Are Tops for Jobs?”)

77Rank of William Mitchell’s Law Review for citations by the courts among the nation’s 507 student-edited law reviews (in the top 15 percent)

1Where William Mitchell ranks among the state’s private law schools in a recently released ABA report on 2013 employment outcomes

43Number of judicial law clerks from the William Mitchell class of 2013

13Number of William Mitchell students hired as law clerks last year by the Minnesota Court of Appeals (out of a total of 25 clerk positions)

8,000Number of clients last spring’s graduating class served while in law school through Mitchell’s top-ranked clinical program and other experiential learning opportunities

1Where Mitchell’s part-time program ranks among the region’s law schools (U.S. News & World Report)

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Here are some more.











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MITCHELL ON LAW2





Here are some more.











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Here are some more.











1

MITCHELL IN FOCUS

3wmitchell.edu/numbers

National Native American Law Student Association Moot Court Competition

Seven teams from William Mitchell competed

in the 22nd Annual NNALSA moot court

competition, delivering impressive performances.

Ryan McCarthy, 3L, and Joshua Peterson, 2L,

won the competition. Third-year students

Brieanna Hoban and Anna Light took home

“Best Brief” honors. And third-year student

Kelly McGinty won third place for “Best Oralist.”

In all, three teams advanced to the top 16,

including McGinty and her teammate Nicholas

Leverson, 3L, and the team of second-year

students Rachel Mowry and Melissa Lorentz.

Hoban and Light made it to the quarterfinals.

The teams were coached by Professors

Sarah Deer and Colette Routel.

Human Rights and the Global Economy ritingw ompetitionc

Fourth-year student Rachel Vesely won the

Human Rights and Global Economy national

writing competition sponsored by the Program

on Human Rights and the Global Economy

at Northeastern University School of Law.

Vesely’s paper focused on how the Oneida

Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin has implemented

unique environmental codes and practices

that make it successful in the realm of food

sovereignty.

“I have always been fascinated by Native

American history and law,” Vesely says.

“With farmers markets and ‘buying local’

becoming more popular in our society, I

thought it would be interesting to explore

how Native Americans are contributing to

these practices.”

Papers were judged on originality, the

quality of writing and analysis, exhaustiveness

of research, and readiness for publication.

The Sarah Weddington Writing Prize for New Student Scholarship in Reproductive Rights Law

Third-year student Amy Krupinski’s paper,

“Most Urgent Need: Indian Health Service’s

Policies Toward Native Women’s Reproduc-

tive Health Care—Availability of Emergency

Contraception,” won second place in the

ninth annual national writing competition.

The competition, sponsored by the Law

Students for Reproductive Justice in Oakland,

Calif., and the Center for Reproductive Rights,

which is headquartered in New York City, solicits

papers on a range of issues that affect repro-

ductive health, rights, and justice in the U.S.

According to the judges, Krupinski’s paper

“stood out among an impressive showing

by other writers” and “was one of the

most remarkable.”

Entertainment Law Initiative writing competition

Mihajlo Babovic’s paper, “Last Call at the

Oasis: Modifying the Noninteractive Webcast

Royalty System to Support Sustainability,” was

runner up in the 16th Annual Entertainment

Law Initiative writing competition sponsored

by the GRAMMY Foundation and the

American Bar Association.

Law students from across the country

submitted 3,000-word papers on compelling

legal topics facing the music industry. Babovic’s

paper caught the eye of the Entertainment

Law Initiative’s executive committee, which

includes Mitchell graduate Ken Abdo ’82

of Lommen Abdo.

Baylea Kannmacher ‘14

STUDENT NEWS

Baylea Kannmacher ’14 honored with Student Award of MeritIt only took Baylea Kannmacher ’14 two-and-a-half-years to earn her

J.D. from William Mitchell—but the recipient of the January 2014

Student Award of Merit made a lasting impression on her law

school and community.

She helped women getting out of prison through her

work with the Reentry Clinic. She served children and

families as a student attorney with the Child Protection

Clinic. She had an externship with the Holistic Public

Defender Clinic. She volunteered with the Blue Earth

County Drug Court Family Clinic. She was active

with the Minnesota Justice Foundation, working

with the Minneapolis City Attorney’s Office and the

Ramsey County Public Defender’s Office. She also had

an externship with Judge Robert Awsumb ’86.

Now that she’s graduated, Kannmacher doesn’t plan

to slow down. She’s secured a clerkship with Judge

Joseph A. Bueltel ’87 in the Third Judicial District.

Mitchell students recently made their marks nationally, performing well in several moot court competitions and legal writing contests

MITCHELL ON LAW4

I grew up in Edina, Minn., and chose to

study the law at William Mitchell because of

its strong alumni network in the area.

I majored in political science and minored

in economics and business management

at the University of Minnesota. After I graduate

from Mitchell, I will practice a mix of business

and intellectual property law.

Studying intellectual property law has

equipped me with the knowledge to help

clients secure their rights, protect against

potential infringers, and add to their bottom

lines in nontraditional ways.

I applied to be a staff member of Cybaris®

after my first year of law school. I then worked

hard and volunteered for extra assignments.

I later applied to be the editor-in-chief and am

honored to have been selected to lead Volume 5.

In October 2013, William Mitchell hosted

a CLE entitled “Intellectual Property Asset

Management at the Speed of Business.”

The latest issue—which is available for free

at wmitchell.edu/Cybaris—features nine

articles from several of the CLE’s presenters,

including patent counsels for 3M and IBM,

and former patent counsel for Cargill. In each

article, the authoring practitioner shares incred-

ible insight as to the best way to manage a

company’s intellectual property and suggests

useful strategies to maximize returns.

The authors all had an impressive depth

of knowledge. That being said, each had a

unique perspective based on their personal

experience. For example, one practitioner

emphasized the importance of international

portfolio management whereas another

highlighted the need for accurate valuation.

It was evident that the practitioners—both

the authors and CLE attendees—respect

William Mitchell and its broad intellectual

property curriculum, and were impressed

by the caliber of William Mitchell’s intellectual

property law students.

After I graduate, I’ll join Droel as an associate

attorney and will practice business, intellectual

property, and renewable energy law.

Meet Courtney Hofflander, 3L, editor-in-chief of Cybaris®, an intellectual property law review

“Studying intellectual property

law has equipped me with the

knowledge to help clients secure

their rights, protect against

potential infringers, and

add to their bottom line in

nontraditional ways.”

STUDENT NEWS

5wmitchell.edu/newsPhoto by Brady Willette

LIVING IN RURAL AMERICA

If you know someone who wants to pursue a J.D. but can’t because

they live in a rural area of the country, invite them to look into the new

hybrid program.

The program is perfect for students living in areas where commuting

to the nearest law school is impractical.

To help increase access to law school, Mitchell is offering a $10,000

North Star Scholarship to students who live in small towns, on Indian

reservations, and in rural areas—as long as they are committed to

practicing law in their communities once they graduate.

Learn more at wmitchell.edu/hybrid.

CAMPUS NEWS

MEET THE HYBRID PROGRAM FACULTY

Professor and Academic Director

GREGORY M. DUHLWriting and Representation:

Advice and Persuasion (WRAP)

Professor

MARK EDWARDSJurisprudential and Comparative Analysis

Professor

NANCY VER STEEGHContracts

Professor

JOHN SONSTENGCriminal Law: Statutory Interpretation

Professor

MIKE STEENSONTorts: The Common Law Process

The first-of-its-kind program will feature two interrelated elements:

intensive, in-person, experiential learning and online coursework that

integrates foundational doctrine and skills.

The hybrid option will be offered along with Mitchell’s 114-year-old

part-time program and its 40-year-old full-time program.

Students who enroll in the new hybrid program will be on campus

for at least one week each semester participating in 56 intensive hours

of realistic simulations and other coursework. They’ll prepare for their

on-campus work through an e-learning curriculum designed by William

Mitchell faculty to integrate legal doctrine with practical legal skills.

In addition, students will have the opportunity to complete externships

in their communities under the supervision of practicing attorneys.

This innovative hybrid of on-campus and online learning will provide

access to those seeking a rigorous, experiential J.D. degree from an

ABA-accredited law school.

Read more about the hybrid enrollment option on page 10.

MITCHELL MAKES HISTORY with new hybrid program

Starting in 2015, William Mitchell

College of Law will offer the first hybrid

on-campus/online enrollment option

at an ABA-accredited law school

MITCHELL ON LAW6

Dean Janus announces plan to return to teaching

Eric S. Janus has announced that he will conclude his role as president

and dean of William Mitchell College of Law in June 2015 to return to the

Mitchell faculty. He will have served as president and dean for eight years

and as a member of the Mitchell faculty for more than 30 years.

Janus was named president and dean in 2007 after serving as a highly

respected teacher, scholar, and administrator at Mitchell. He holds the

Stephen B. and Lisa S. Bonner Distinguished Chair, created in 2011 to

support the leadership of the college’s president and dean. Under Janus’

leadership, the college has achieved historical high-water marks in alumni

engagement, fundraising, its endowment, experiential learning, and

innovative teaching methods.

“Eric’s contributions to Mitchell’s accelerating success are world class.

He has been at our helm as legal education has entered an exciting transformation, and he has

positioned Mitchell to be even stronger,” said Stephen B. Bonner ’72, chair of Mitchell’s Board

of Trustees. “We are indebted to Eric for his visionary leadership, his courage, and for his tireless

commitment to everything that we stand for. He has guided the college with integrity, compassion,

and innovation, and the great news is that he will continue to be a part of the Mitchell faculty.”

Over the next year, Mitchell’s board, in partnership with the faculty, will oversee a national search

for Janus’ replacement. Janus will continue to lead the college until his successor is named and

assumes the leadership role in 2015. After a one-year sabbatical, Janus will return to the classroom.

Read Dean Janus’s reflections on his time leading the school on page 8.

Meet Dr. Luiza Dreasher, assistant dean and director of multicultural and international inclusion

Dr. Luiza Dreasher

joined Mitchell’s effort

to welcome and support

students from around

the world and an array

of backgrounds.

She came to Mitchell from Iowa State

University, where she worked since 1992

as a multicultural liaison officer and

academic advisor.

Dreasher has worked in Ukraine, Spain,

and Brazil. She’s lectured widely on topics of

diversity, inclusion, and cultural competence.

She’s also published articles and working

papers on everything from increasing

student-veterans on campus to the impact

of demographic changes on colleges and

universities.

Dreasher earned her master’s degree and

Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy

Studies from Iowa State University. She’s

a member of the Society for Intercultural

Education, Training and Research, and the

National Academic Advising Association.

Susan Prohofsky ’90 joins the Intellectual Property Institute

The Intellectual Property

Institute has a new

assistant director. Susan

Prohofsky joined the

institute in February.

She’s been a longtime

adjunct professor at

Mitchell, teaching and

developing curriculum for the Intellectual

Property Asset Management course. In addition,

she’s a practicing attorney who currently

works as U.S. counsel and director of business

development for IPfolio, an intellectual

property management software company.

Mitchell bids farewell to five who made a difference

This past December, five professors turned the page, left Mitchell, and began the next chapters

of their lives.

Professors A. Kimberley Dayton, Phebe Saunders Haugen, Daniel S. Kleinberger,

J. David Prince, and Christine D. Ver Ploeg retired after dedicating a combined 143 years

to Mitchell’s students.

From teaching and mentoring students to volunteering and working in the legal community,

each of these professors made important contributions to Mitchell, the justice system, and

people in need of legal services. They helped countless students successfully pursue their

dreams, shaped laws and policies that improved society, and led numerous efforts to ensure

that our courts work for everyone.

While the entire Mitchell community will miss these wonderful teachers, scholars, and

colleagues, the impact they’ve made on our law school will remain.

Professor Kim Dayton

Professor Phebe Haugen ‘72

Professor Dan Kleinberger

Professor David Prince

Professor Chris Ver Ploeg

President and DeanEric Janus

Dr. Luiza Dreasher

Susan Prohofsky ‘90

FACULTY NEWS

7wmitchell.edu/news

‘This takes GRIT, PERSEVERANCE, COURAGE, and it takes SKILL.’

Eric Janus grew up in Bethesda, Md., raised by parents employed by the New Deal,

surrounded by politically progressive neighbors. He was in fourth grade when the U.S.

Supreme Court decided Brown v. Board of Education. In high school, he joined others

in picketing an amusement park for its practice of segregation. When it was time to

choose a college, he eschewed the Ivy League for Carleton College, in Northfield, Minn.

After graduation, he earned his J.D. from Harvard Law School then returned to

Minnesota, interviewed with a large, prestigious Minneapolis law firm, but decided

to take a job with Minneapolis Legal Aid instead. He later joined Mitchell’s faculty.

In 2007 he was appointed interim president and dean.

President and Dean Eric S. Janus on his time as dean,

his first day in the classroom, and Mitchell’s mission.

Eric Janus at home with his wife Carolyn Chalmers

MITCHELL ON LAW8 Photo by Brady Willette

When I interviewed at Minneapolis Legal Aid, I met the three

lead lawyers—Luther Granquist, Bernie Becker, and Paul Marino.

I fell in love with the place based on my interactions that day with these

three. They were clearly passionate about their work, and they loved

the law and law practice. I liked their groundedness, their intellectual

curiosity, and their expressed dedication to the real clients of the office,

as opposed to some abstract principles. I loved my time at Legal Aid.

Bernie was a true mentor for me in my early years as a lawyer.

Ten years after I arrived at Legal Aid, he was teaching at Mitchell and

told me about an open position.

I remember my first day in the classroom. It was Civil Procedure. I was

surprised at how nervous I was. After all, I had been a lawyer for 11 years,

had appeared before the Minnesota Supreme Court, the Eighth Circuit,

the legislature. Yet, the prospect of being responsible for two hours of

class, standing in front of 80 law students, was daunting. I thought I did

OK. I worked hard, took careful notes about what worked and what

didn’t. At the end of the semester, a student in the class thanked me and

said that in his opinion, “some day” I would be a good teacher. From

the beginning, I have loved teaching our students. They have a desire

to learn and a keen sense for teachers who care about their learning.

On April 30, 2008, 300 people attended Dean Janus’ installation.

In his remarks, Janus read from the Letter from Birmingham Jail written

by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily

given by the oppressor,” Janus read. “It must be demanded by the

oppressed.

Janus told attendees what he learned from Dr. King’s letter. “It’s not

enough to think about the law,” he said. “It’s not enough to study it

or theorize about it. We must practice it. We must be engaged. We

have to roll up our sleeves, and we have to make the law work to

serve justice. This takes grit, perseverance, courage, and it takes skill.”

His goal as dean, he said, was to do anything in his power to pass the

law school along more vibrant, engaged, and diverse than he found it.

“Together, we will ensure that ambitious, smart, energetic people who

want to transform themselves into expert practitioners will have a

choice—a choice to pursue legal education grounded in practical wisdom.”

During his tenure, Mitchell has expanded clinical offerings and extern-

ships, made more endowed scholarships available to students, and

launched the first on-campus/online hybrid enrollment option at an

ABA-accredited law school—all while remaining true to its mission.

I’m proud of the fact that we are one of the few law schools that

has “justice” in its mission. We understand, though, that “justice” is

not just an idea, a theory, an ideal, a value—but a practice, requiring

skill in the real world.

Over the past seven years, I believe we have become progres-

sively clearer about our mission and our values, and these are

distinctive. Our understanding of our mission has coalesced around

the phrase “practical wisdom.” I like this idea because it shows the

necessary marriage between the practical and the intellectual. For some

time, we had a running debate about whether Mitchell should be more

“scholarly.” Some perceived that an academic orientation was somehow

inconsistent with our practical heritage. Through hard work, we have

all come to understand that the genius of Mitchell is that it marries

the two. We embrace the profession, we are proud to be training

practitioners. We understand that law is an “expert practice,” not

simply a complex field of cognitive knowledge.

It is important to understand that there would be no

accomplishments here were it not for our faculty and staff.

A key accomplishment for us has been to attract and retain a group of

talented people who care deeply about the institution and its mission.

We understand that great accomplishments are not possible unless we

all work to create a “culture” in the workplace that focuses on mission

and allows individuals to flourish.

I list the development of the hybrid option among the accomplish-

ments of which I am most proud. It will provide a third enrollment

option for our students—adding on-campus/online to our traditional

full- and part-time options. Mitchell is the first law school in the country

to seek—and obtain—ABA approval for a substantial innovation designed

to harness the considerable power and flexibility of e-learning tools to

improve student outcomes (and thus the value of the J.D. degree) while

simultaneously making a rigorous, practical legal education accessible

to many people whose geographic location, or professional and family

commitments, make a traditional approach impractical. There is no

other law school in the country that has the knowledge, the mission,

the agility, to make this happen. I feel we are carrying on our night law

school tradition into the 21st century.

If I were to offer advice to the new dean, I’d say believe in

the school’s mission and understand the incredible value

the school and our alumni have added to this community.

Maintain and improve the grounded, community values and culture

for people who study and work at the college. Understand and value

the wealth of knowledge, wisdom, and good will embodied in our

trustees and alumni. Nurture the student-centered, innovative spirit

of the faculty. n

In June 2015, eight years after assuming the role, Janus will step down and

return to teaching. Here are his reflections on his path to Mitchell and his

tenure leading the college.

Eric Janus at home with his wife Carolyn Chalmers

9wmitchell.edu/news

Photo by Tony NelsonPhoto by Tony Nelson

Jim Hoolihan ’79 President, Industrial

Lubricant and Can-Jer

Eric Janus President and Dean,

William Mitchell

College of Law

Ivan Fong Senior Vice President,

Legal Affairs and

General Counsel, 3M

Darryl Dykes, 3L M.D., Ph.D., Medical and

Surgical Spine Consultants

of Minnesota

Kathleen Blatz Attorney and Former Chief

Justice of the Minnesota

Supreme Court

MITCHELL ON LAW10

This is how the ABA Journal started a story about Mitchell’s new hybrid enrollment option, which was formally approved by the American Bar Association Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar in December 2013.

The four-year, part-time program is designed for students whose location or work commitments prevent them from pursuing a legal education full time. It will mix recorded lectures and quizzes with video conferences and online discussion forums when it launches early next year. Students will also be required to complete extern-ships, attend on-campus experiential learning classes at the end of each semester, and practice their legal skills.

Some feel innovation in legal education is long overdue. Others question whether or not the program can adequately train students for a career in law. Whether people support the new enrollment option or are skeptical about its efficacy, one thing is clear: The latest Mitchell innovation has gained the attention of some of the brightest legal minds in the country.

Here, in their own words, is why some of Minnesota’s

most respected leaders are so excited about Mitchell’s

new hybrid program.

“In September 2013, the American Bar Association Task Force on the Future of Legal Education called on law schools to innovate and embrace technology as a means for educating future attorneys.

William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, Minn., has answered the call.”

FIVE PERSPECTIVES ON WILLIAM MITCHELL’S NEW HYBRID ENROLLMENT OPTION

THE CASE

FOR

INNOVATION

11wmitchell.edu/thehybrid

The internet and “The Paper Chase”—the

iconic movie about life in law school—were

created just a year apart in the early 1970s.

Since then, the internet has transformed how

most people communicate and how most

institutions operate. One notable exception:

American law schools, where the education

model has more in common with the 20th

century than the 21st.

Like the fictional first-year student in “The

Paper Chase,” many people pursuing a J.D. de-

gree today must attend classes on a law school

campus, where professors generally deliver

their lessons from a lecturn in lecture halls.

To some degree, it’s not surprising that law

schools have remained bastions of traditional

teaching.

Consider: The law itself is based largely

on precedent. However, the practice of law

is increasingly driven by technology and the

efficiencies it affords, from electronic research

to client correspondence. The age of the long

opinion letter written on expensive letterhead

stationery is coming to a close and will be

permanently replaced by ever-advancing

online communications.

Clearly, the traditional approach has proven

effective for training generations of attorneys.

Still, it excludes those who prefer new digital-

learning methodologies. It also limits access for

those who live in rural areas and want a legal

education but can’t live on campus or affordably

travel to attend classes, as well as those with

heavy work schedules or family demands.

The internet holds the power to help

overcome these learning-style and geographic

constraints. That’s why William Mitchell College

of Law is to be commended for launching the

first-of-its-kind hybrid option to earn a J.D.

from an ABA-accredited school.

William Mitchell’s innovative approach

promises to provide new opportunities for

those seeking a rigorous, experiential legal

education.

Equally important, it takes advantage of

the transformational change in how people

interact and learn in the digital age. The

internet has revolutionized communications,

providing an electronic platform where people

can collaborate and access knowledge via

computer—anywhere, anytime.

Some may remain resistant to this digital

shift in law school and look askance at this

new type of degree option.

I remember 30 years ago, when that same

attitude prevailed about a J.D. earned at night

school. Today, no one questions a lawyer’s

degree just because they earned it in the

evening. The same will hold true for law

degrees with a strong digital element. In fact,

I believe, digital learning will become a firm

fixture in all types of education in the future.

Other law schools will no doubt be watching

William Mitchell’s progress and adopting their

own hybrid programs tailored to technology

in the 21st century. For now, I applaud William

Mitchell as it leads the way.

‘New opportunities for those seeking a rigorous, experiential legal education’

By Kathleen Blatz, attorney and former chief justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court

“Other law schools will no doubt be watching William Mitchell’s progress and

adopting their own hybrid programs tailored to technology in the 21st century.”

MITCHELL ON LAW12 Photos by Brady Willette

Timber, iron ore, and Judy Garland: all are exports of my hometown,

Grand Rapids, Minn., population 10,000. Our rural and vital community

has also produced a number of graduates—a county attorney, several

district court judges, me—from William Mitchell College of Law.

Like many other outstate communities, Grand Rapids is hours away

from any professional school or law school—a significant barrier to

hopefuls like me. To prepare myself for eventually taking responsibility

for my family’s business, I attended Notre Dame. Then, at some cost

to the business, I went on to realize my aspiration of earning a law

degree before intentionally returning to the community.

I was glad I did. Two years later, due to unforeseen circumstances,

I was required to take the reins of our business. If I hadn’t managed

to get my J.D. degree when I did, I’m sure it wouldn’t have happened.

Many others who live in greater Minnesota and aspire to a legal

education don’t have the same opportunity I did. The obstacle of

distance, the realities of time, and the demands of family and jobs

become insurmountable barriers.

With our burgeoning collection of digital learning tools, distance

shouldn’t stand in the way of a legal or any education. It’s time that

higher education and our law schools adopt 21st century learning

practices. An American Bar Association task force said as much,

recommending new academic programs that improve student

affordability and access.

As an alum and now a member of Mitchell’s board of trustees,

I’m proud that William Mitchell has taken that advice to heart.

When it begins to offer the hybrid program next year (in addition to

its full-time and part-time options), students throughout Minnesota

and beyond will experience the same rigorous coursework as their

on-campus peers, plus a concentrated period of on-campus instruction,

that will help overcome the commuting barrier faced by so many

aspiring attorneys.

I attended law school in St. Paul intent on returning to Grand Rapids,

where I hoped to make lasting contributions. I had that opportunity,

serving as the city’s mayor, and more recently, on the board of a

community foundation.

Hybrid programs like the one William Mitchell is creating can help

eliminate the geographic barrier and help prevent a potential “brain

drain.” It will give future community leaders an option to participate

in their community during and after pursuing their J.D.—which may

lead to even greater contributions in our outstate communities.

Bridging the last mile in legal education

By Jim Hoolihan ’79, president, Industrial Lubricant and Can-Jer

“Hybrid programs like the one William Mitchell is

creating can help eliminate the geographic barrier

and help prevent a potential ‘brain drain’.”

13wmitchell.edu/thehybridPhoto by John Connelly

“If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse.” So goes a

famous quote attributed to Henry Ford, even though there is scant evidence he actually said it.

Regardless of who said it or who said it first, the point is clear: To build lasting success, leaders

and organizations must continually innovate in ways that are disruptive to the status quo. They

need, in other words, to offer customers something they would want if they had thought of it.

That is exactly what William Mitchell and its leaders have done with its new hybrid enrollment

option. The new program is a pioneering and potentially disruptive step toward re-inventing the

future of legal education.

As general counsel of 3M, I can appreciate the value of innovation and invention, for 3M is

a company that never stops innovating and inventing. As the world changes ever more rapidly,

3M is there, on the forefront, to meet our society’s changing needs and desires. From sandpaper

in the 1920s, to Post-it Notes in the 1980s, to orthodontics, high-speed fiber optics, and glass

microspheres today, 3M is not afraid to invest in R&D and customer insights, to try new things,

and to take calculated risks.

The same can be said of William Mitchell. The hybrid enrollment option has the potential to

change the way we think about and provide legal education. It will provide flexibility for students

who are unable, for distance or other personal reasons, to be regularly physically present in an

on-campus classroom. And it is based on a new, proven model of learning, in which students

learn from lectures outside the classroom and then do “homework” inside the classroom. One is

not an optional addition to the other; they are both core pedagogical experiences that comple-

ment each other. I see this inversion of the traditional educational model in my own college-age

children, who now watch lectures online on their own schedules (usually late at night!) and then

go to class during the day to work with others on their homework assignments.

This is the start of something exciting. Executing the program successfully and measuring

its outcomes will be critical to whether the program lives up to its transformative promise.

I wish it every success and look forward to toasting the graduates of the new program in the

years to come!

‘This is the start of something exciting’

By Ivan Fong, senior vice president, Legal Affairs and

General Counsel, 3M

“William Mitchell, with the

development of its new

hybrid on-campus/online

enrollment option, has

embraced innovation—and

the business community will

be better served as a result.”

MITCHELL ON LAW14

A simple way to think about this dreadful-

looking equation is to consider familiar

concepts in nature. For instance, the force of

gravity that pulls objects toward the ground,

the forces that bend steel when cars crash,

and the forces that draw magnets closer

together or further apart. As you can imag-

ine, scientists can measure and predict all of

these forces. Similarly, for any given shape of

a macromolecule, its internal forces interact

in ways that are measurable and predictable

using equations like the one above. Well, here

is the key: although every macromolecule has

an infinite number of possible shapes, nature

always strives to find the best one possible.

(This is a law!)

But what does this have to do with legal

education? Like cars, magnets, and macro-

molecules, educational programs come in

many different forms. Unlike nature, however,

legal educators have done relatively little

over the centuries to discover or promote the

best possible forms of teaching and training

students. Clearly, every form of education has

strengths and weaknesses that we will never

understand with scientific or mathematical

precision. However, a key strength of online

education is its convenience. As a practicing

orthopedic surgeon, any opportunity to reduce

the burdens of commuting and the inflexibility

of year-round campus-based classes would

have greatly improved both my educational

experience and my ability to be able to care for

patients. While I have had a great experience at

William Mitchell, I certainly would have pursued

the hybrid program if it had been available

three years ago when I applied to law school.

A key concern with online education is a

perception that it is less rigorous than class-

room teaching. However, in my experience

teaching medicine online at the graduate and

post-graduate levels, I have tended to demand

more from trainees, and they have responded

with even greater creativity, enthusiasm, and

productivity than trainees in many other envi-

ronments. Furthermore, where academic rigor

relates to concepts like “high standards and

expectations,” “critical thinking,” and “cogni-

tive development,”2 research shows that online

students and instructors often find their experi-

ences more rigorous than in-class experiences.3

Ultimately, it is important to understand

that William Mitchell’s new hybrid J.D. option

is neither a traditional “bricks-and-mortar”

approach nor a traditional “online” approach. I

think of it as a “bricks-and-modems” program.

It delivers our time-tested, comprehensive, and

rigorous curriculum in a package that is more

accessible and responsive to 21st century living

and working. These forces belong together.

I predict that this is a “natural” move toward

the best possible shape of legal education!

A doctor’s diagnosis of the hybrid program by Dr. Darryl Dykes, 3L, M.D., Ph.D.

1. Macromolecules are large chemicals, like proteins. They are important building blocks of all materials, including living organisms. Understanding the shapes of macromolecules helps us understand how they work together in nature—like how a key of a certain shape works in a lock. This has many important applications in medicine, such as how viruses attach to cells or how drugs and hormones interact with their targets in the body. 2. See work by Charles Graham & Christopher Essex for a synopsis of instructors’ definitions of “academic rigor.” Available at: http://eric.ed.gov/?q=ED470163&id=ED470163. 3. See e.g., Linda Harasim, Shift happens: online education as a new paradigm in learning., Internet and Higher Education 41–61 (2000) (An overview of the history of online education and the use of network technologies for collaborative learning in post-secondary education); and D. Randy Garrison and Heather Kanuka, Blended learning: Uncovering its transformative potential in higher education. Internet and Higher Education 7, 95-105 (2004)(Concluding that blended learning is consistent with the values of traditional higher education institutions and has the proven potential to enhance both the effectiveness and efficiency of meaningful learning experiences.)

In my doctoral and post-doctoral work, I developed and used “conformational energy” analysis

to study macromolecular geometry.1 Mathematically, these analyses are expressed as:

15wmitchell.edu/thehybridPhoto by Brady Willette

Closing arguments by Eric Janus, president and dean, William Mitchell College of Law

While welcomed as an opportunity by many,

this innovative idea was viewed by others

with skepticism. The dean of Yale Law School

called night law schools a “rank weed” and

urged their closure. John Henry Wigmore of

Northwestern University Law School recom-

mended that law schools exclude outside

work of any kind because students who must

work could not dedicate the necessary time

to law school, and therefore should not

aspire to a legal education.

Undeterred, the founders of William

Mitchell understood that quality was not

tied to a particular instructional format.

As a result, thousands of “if not for Mitchell”

lawyers—from Warren Burger ’31 to Rosalie

Wahl ’67—have been able to put their

talents and energy to work for the benefit

of themselves and our community and

our nation.

Today, we are once again challenging the

routine assumptions about legal education,

with our new hybrid enrollment option.

The way students want and need to learn

is changing. Traditional classroom instruction,

while still the choice for many students, is

no longer the only effective way to educate

aspiring lawyers. We can now choose from

a greatly expanded palette of e-learning

pedagogy, increasing access to serve people

living in rural parts of the country, those with

full-time jobs and families, and those who

have grown up in the digital age and are

accustomed to learning through technology.

I’m proud to be part of the hybrid option’s

development. I’m glad that the ABA has

approved it, and so many of our friends and

alumni have embraced it. We are creating a

“night law school for the 21st century”—one

that truly takes us back to our roots, by taking

us into the future of higher education.

The response from prospective students has

been positive. We’ve received applications from

mothers and fathers, bankers and baggage

handlers, people with Ph.D.s and M.D.s, and

an array of others who, if not for Mitchell’s

hybrid enrollment option, would not have

the opportunity to pursue their dreams.

The hybrid enrollment option puts Mitchell

in the forefront of innovation in American

legal education, and it doubles down on

our traditional mission of access to rigorous,

practical legal education. n

Mitchell began as an innovative law school, expanding

access by providing night classes and a part-time

schedule for adults whose work and family obligations

precluded traditional, full-time education.


“A night law school for the

21stcentury”

Dean Eric Janus

17wmitchell.edu/thehybrid

When it comes to patent law, it’s tough to find

a better advisor than Jay Erstling. The William

Mitchell professor had a seat at the table when

much of today’s international patent law was

formulated, and recently, he had a seat at the

White House during a national assembly on

patent law policy.

The White House event marked the one-year

anniversary of President Barack Obama’s call to

strengthen the U.S. patent system and foster

innovation by combating abusive patent litiga-

tion and “patent trolls.”

During the event, Secretary of Commerce

Penny Pritzker, National Economic Council

Director Gene Sperling, and Head of the U.S.

Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Michelle

Lee highlighted progress on the patent initiative.

They announced three new executive actions

to level the playing field for all innovators and

increase patent quality.

One of those actions—to provide systematic

pro bono assistance to independent inventors

and small businesses—has been at the heart

of Erstling’s work for years.

The lack of resources for inventors and the

need to provide greater access to the patent

system prompted administration officials to

come the aid of American inventors.

PATENT LAW PRO BONO

Making pro bono programs available to

financially under-resourced inventors and small

businesses is now enshrined in U.S. patent law.

Erstling and his colleagues on the America

Invents Act Pro Bono Advisory Council Steering

Committee—including former Patent and

Trademark Office Director David Kappos,

Patterson Thuente IP Founder James Patterson,

and now-retired Lindquist & Vennum Pro Bono

Director Candee Goodman—have been at the

helm of patent pro bono policy, helping good

inventions get patented and inventors afford

patent attorneys.

Erstling helped shape the Minnesota Inven-

tors Assistance Program through LegalCORPS,

a Minnesota nonprofit providing assistance

to entrepreneurs. The pilot program was

the first in the country to provide free legal

representation to low-income inventors seeking

to patent their innovations with the USPTO.

The Intellectual Property Law Clinic at William

Mitchell has partnered with the LegalCORPS

pilot since its inception, allowing law students

to further this work.

Students at Mitchell do preliminary work

to prepare clients for the Inventors Assistance

Program, or they provide legal help to clients

who don’t meet the program requirements.

The partnership also pairs law students with

LegalCORPS volunteers, creating opportunities

for students to see patent law in action.

A NATIONAL MODEL

Due to its ground-breaking involvement

in patent clinical legal education and pro

bono services, including publishing

“Patent Law Pro Bono: A Best

Practices Handbook” by Amy

Salmela and Mark Privratsky,

William Mitchell is recognized

as a national model for

IP clinical programs.

“Our law school clinic has

emerged from the pack,” said

Erstling, who is also of counsel

at Patterson Thuente IP and

formerly served as the director of

the Office of the Patent Coopera-

tion Treaty at the World Intellectual

Property Organization.

Coming to the aid of inventors How Professor Jay Erstling and the Intellectual Property Law Clinic are paving the way for better patents by Melissa Priebe

action.

involvement

and pro

publishing

Intellectual


The Intellectual Property Law Clinic at

William Mitchell was one of the original

participants in the USPTO Law School Clinic

Certification Pilot program, which allows law

students to practice intellectual property law

before the Patent and Trademark Office. Under

the strict guidance of faculty clinic supervisors,

students draft and file patent and trademark

applications for clients. They also gain valuable

experience answering Office Actions and

communicating with either patent examiners

or trademark examining attorneys on the

applications they have filed.

“We are one of a very small number of law

schools to be certified by the USPTO, which

allows our students to experience IP practice

with real clients and in a real-world setting,”

Erstling says. “Because of the success of the

program, it’s being expanded.”

Combined with the work Mitchell students

are doing with LegalCORPS, the certification

program sets the Intellectual Property Institute

(and the Intellectual Property Law Clinic) apart.

“We’ve been a catalyst—a model for creating

other intellectual property law clinics in other

schools,” Erstling says.

It’s this work—and the work attorneys

are doing through the Inventors Assistance

Program—that has caught the attention of

policy-makers in Washington, D.C. Leaders

in patent law policy want to see more law

schools get involved in creating access to

patents for independent inventors.

To that end, Erstling has set out to coor-

dinate pro bono programs with other law

schools, and to continue to develop a broad

outreach model for patent law. He takes many

of his experiences back to the classroom,

letting decades of having a seat at the table

inform his students.

“I’ve had such a long, privileged career.

This is now the important part, to impart

this knowledge, to share my experience with

students,”says Erstling.

“If you look at patent laws worldwide, the

texts are very complicated. Students have to

understand not only what the patent laws

mean, they also need to understand how they

got that way. Once you start to understand

the political context, the historical context,

and the change context, the law all comes

together.” n

“We’ve been a catalyst–a model for creating other intellectual property law clinics in other schools.”

19wmitchell.edu/ip

Some of the most important roots of Mitchell’s

Center for Law and Business can be traced to

a John Deere foundry in Illinois where then

17-year-old Louis Ainsworth spent the summer

sweating it out as a janitor.

“That pretty well taught me that I was going

to have to live by my brains, not brawn. So I

went into the brokerage business,” laughs

Ainsworth, director of Mitchell’s Center for

Law and Business and former general counsel

at Pentair, a $2.7 billion, NYSE-listed diversified

manufacturing company. “I left John Deere,

went to college, got married, and ended up

in Minneapolis. I decided I didn’t want to be

the treasurer of a brokerage company; life’s

too short for that.

“So I went to law school, and that’s where

I found the blend that I like best: working with

the figures and the words to essentially get

my start in the securities area. I took all the

courses on corporations, on corporate tax, on

securities, and after William Mitchell I started

out as a tax lawyer and ended up as more

of a general commercial lawyer.”

At Mitchell, Ainsworth made a concerted ef-

fort to study law and business, as opposed to

business law, though no center or formal cur-

riculum existed. Today, the Center for Law and

Business offers a first-of-its-kind certification

program that lets potential employers know

that they’re hiring attorneys who are well

versed in both business and the law. Currently,

more than 30 students are working toward

achieving the certificate.

“When I went to school, it was more by

accident than by design if you learned anything

about business,” Ainsworth says. “But that was

in the dark ages. Mitchell, at the time, was a

night school. So I went part time for four years.

Luckily, I had a business background, so when

I took the business law classes I could see how

it all fit.”

It paid off. Ainsworth has secured his repu-

tation as one of the most respected attorneys

in Minnesota. After graduating from Mitchell,

he went on to a distinguished career that

included working in private practice as a part-

ner at Henson & Efron, and serving as senior

vice president and general counsel for Pentair,

where he represented the company in all its

acquisitions and divestitures from 1985 until

he “retired” in 2010. Two days after media

outlets reported that he was leaving Pentair,

he joined Faegre Baker Daniels as of counsel.

In June of last year, he signed on as the director

of the Center for Law and Business.

“I believe in Mitchell, its focus on practical

wisdom, and its focus on the practice of law as

opposed to the theory of law,” he says. “I owe

a lot to Mitchell because I went here, and I got

a lot out of it. Mitchell allowed me to do a lot

with my career. It has a tremendous reputation

on the advocacy side of the law, and that repu-

tation has not really translated to the business

side—although I can count a dozen or more

local public companies’ chief legal officers

and general counsels who are Mitchell alumni.

So it just seemed to me that if there were a

program at Mitchell for the business-oriented

law student, I would want to support that.”

Ainsworth has given generously to support

Mitchell. He recently made a leadership gift in

support of the Center for Law and Business,

which was launched in the fall of 2011 and

currently offers courses covering business

enterprise, income tax or business entity

taxation, transactions and settlements,

bankruptcy, construction law, and more.

“Three or four years ago, the school did

a focus group at the behest of a couple of

alumni who weren’t practicing law; they were

in business. They wanted to see if they could

get interest at the school and among alumni

for a center focused on law, business, and how

to run a business,” Ainsworth says. “They felt

that their law degrees were as good an entrée

to the business world as an MBA, in many

cases better, and I wanted to participate in

that. We developed a couple of courses for the

students. I ended up teaching a course, and

it got to the point where we had a complete

program for law and business students that

focused on both the business side of commerce

and the law side of commerce.”

The center’s vision for the future, according

to assistant director Leanne Fuith ’10, is to

offer students “a strong foundation of knowl-

edge, skills, and experience in business and

business law that will enable them to become

successful business advisors, business

managers, and business owners.” n

His “If Not for Mitchell” Campaign gift supports practical wisdom

By Jim WalshBusiness of LawLouis Ainsworth ’77

and the

MITCHELL ON LAW20

“I believe in Mitchell, its focus on PRACTICAL WISDOM, and its focus on the PRACTICE OF LAW as opposed to the theory of law.”

21wmitchell.edu/clbPhotos by Brady Willette

John H. Faricy Jr. ’82Martin Lueck ’84

Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi and two of its partners.

This $1.125 million gift is the largest from a law firm and its partners in

the college’s history, and is given in honor of the firm’s 75th anniversary.

The gifts establish two endowed faculty positions and expand Mitchell’s

scholarships for women. In addition to the firm’s gift, leadership gifts

were made by the chair of its board, Martin Lueck ’84, and by Kathleen

Flynn Peterson ’81, a partner at the firm. Both are or have been

members of Mitchell’s board of trustees.

“The practical education that I received at Mitchell changed the course

of my life and career,” Lueck says. “This investment in the college by

the firm and its partners truly underscores the value we place on legal

education that doesn’t just teach students theory, but also how to be

outstanding, compassionate, and practice-ready lawyers.”

John H. Faricy Jr. ’82. The founder of Minneapolis-based

Faricy Law created the first-ever professorship that will provide the

college with resources for conducting empirical research in the law.

The John H. Faricy Jr. Professorship will be rotated among Mitchell

faculty based on a professor’s leadership, past scholarship, and research

plans that will help build objective clarity and understanding of

particular legal issues as well as sound public policy.

“We often proceed in the practice of law and in life with biases until

research shows us otherwise,” Faricy says. “Empirical scholarship can

help us test our biases and better understand what our laws and the

practice of law should be.”

The ‘If Not for Mitchell’ Campaign is already 94 percent to its $25 million goal

Alumni, friends of the college, faculty, students, and staff have come together in an unprecedented

effort to support scholarships, faculty, and innovation—and already their generosity is paying off.

In fewer than four years, the “If Not for Mitchell” Campaign has raised more than $23.4 million.

This progress would not have been possible without those who stepped up to support the

campaign. William Mitchell is especially grateful to those who have made leadership gifts, including

recent gifts received from the following:

MITCHELL ON LAW22

Louis L. Ainsworth ’77John H. Faricy Jr. ’82

Louis L. Ainsworth ’77. The former senior vice president

and general counsel of Pentair has donated more than $1 million to

the law school. The gift will create an endowed professorship in law

and business, the first in this field at the college, and also includes an

estate gift to support the law school’s Center for Law and Business.

“Legal education is changing dramatically, and Mitchell is helping

lead the change,” Ainsworth says. “I’m in a position to help in that

transformation of law because of my Mitchell education and business

experience, and this professorship, in a field that is growing in

importance, will strengthen Mitchell’s law and business program.

I owe Mitchell a lot because it allowed me to do what I love.”

$6,355,314

$10,648,370

$3,043,925

Innovation

CAMPAIGN GOAL $25 million

Faculty

Students

Annual Fund

94% TOWARD GOAL $23,408,650 TO DATE

$3,361,041

Campaign successesWe’ve created 52 new scholarship endowments.

These scholarships help a range of students, from those

going into intellectual property law, public service, and

business to students with top credentials to those who

enrich the diversity of Mitchell.

We’ve established seven new endowed faculty

positions, giving Mitchell a total of 12:

Austin J. and Caroline M. Baillon Chair in Real

Estate Law

Stephen B. and Lisa S. Bonner Distinguished Chair

Larry and Christine Bell Distinguished Professorship

Briggs and Morgan / Xcel Energy Chair in Energy

and Environmental Law

James E. Kelley Chair in Tort Law

Martin R. Lueck and Mallory K Mullins Professorship

in Advocacy

Rolf and Nancy Engh Distinguished Professorship

Judge Edward J. Devitt Professorship

Louis L. Ainsworth Distinguished Professorship

John H. Faricy Jr. Professorship

Robins Kaplan Miller & Ciresi Directorship

Robins Kaplan Miller & Ciresi Distinguished

Professorship in Intellectual Property

We’ve launched and expanded innovative programs:

Center for Law & Business

Child Protection Program, Clinic & Partnerships

Energy & Environmental Law Program

Externship Program for hundreds of students

Law Review Endowment

Public Service Programming

We’ve launched an innovative new hybrid enrollment

option, thanks to investors in innovation, including:

Louis L. ’77 and Susan H. Ainsworth

Peter Berge `83

Stephen B. ’72 and Lisa S. Bonner

Christine J. Chalstrom `91

Rolf ’82 and Nancy Engh

Prof. Roger S. and Elaine Haydock

Ruth Mickelsen `81

Kathleen Ridder

Christine D. Zonneveld ’89

23wmitchell.edu/giving

1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993

1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 20142008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

MITCHELL ON LAW24

Nearly 1,200 miles north, up the Mississippi River in St. Paul, Minn.,

criminal defense lawyer Deborah Ellis sat quietly in her office and cried.

Nearly three decades of hard, pro bono work had finally paid off.

Ellis was a big part of a St. Paul-based team of volunteer attorneys

who worked to make sure justice was done.

“I can get choked up just thinking about it,” says Ellis, who credits

the trial advocacy program and the Legal Assistance To Minnesota

Prisoners Clinic at Mitchell as foundations for her work that set Ford

free. “Just seeing him on the video outside that prison, I really was just

overwrought with a combination of joy, relief, catharsis. It was something

that we always imagined and believed would happen, but until he actually

walked out of prison, it didn’t really hit me—how monumental it is.

“I’ve had convictions overturned, but this was a death sentence. I

mean, he was condemned to death. He had no chance of life in prison

or parole, but he was exonerated. He steadfastly maintained his inno-

cence. He just kept saying, ‘I wasn’t there.’”

Ford, 65, was convicted of first-degree murder in the November 1983

killing of Isadore Roseman in Shreveport, La. Ford did odd jobs for Rose-

man, but repeatedly told police, judges, and lawyers he wasn’t guilty.

Finally, thanks in large part to Ellis and her late mentor, famed criminal

defense attorney Doug Thomson ’60, a Louisiana judge ruled on new

evidence that set Ford free.

“Doug and I went down there early on in 1989 or 1990,” says Ellis.

“A lot of it was filing papers, and I spent a lot of time with the late New

Orleans attorney Neal Walker of the Louisiana Capital Assistance Center

in Shreveport. We spent a full week re-interviewing everyone we could

find: the prosecutors, the defense lawyers, the retired police officers.

We went and looked at the old evidence at the courthouse.

“We did a lot of that gumshoeing, because when the lawyers handled

his case they didn’t get police reports back then. We got reports that

the defense lawyers never saw because we were able to get them under

the equivalent of Minnesota’s Data Practices Act, or the FOIA. We had

access to a lot more information; we learned that the police were

looking at a lot of different avenues and they weren’t even looking

at Glenn immediately after the murder was discovered.

“There was a lot of investigative work that went into it, and then we

filed a petition for post-conviction release, which is over 160 pages and

it’s on that long paper that people only in Louisiana probably still use.

We raised 65 issues.”

Ford has been part of Ellis’s life for nearly 30 years, his life literally

in her hands. Her family and friends have supported her in her fight for

his freedom, and now that he’s out, the lawyer’s thoughts are never far

from the Louisiana man—or the fact that he spent 27 years behind bars

as an innocent man.

“Since 1986, he has been part of my practice,” Ellis says, softly.

“I have volumes of correspondence with him, back and forth. My kids

and paralegals have some of his pencil drawings. I’m so glad he’s out.

We stuck in there for the fight and never gave up. As a result, he

was alive at the time when some new evidence came forward and

he was allowed to walk out the door.” n

On March 11, 2014, after almost 30 years of being incarcerated in Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola for a murder he didn’t commit, Glenn Ford walked out a free man and smiled as he conducted interviews with the throng of reporters from CNN, Fox News, and other national media outlets.

Deborah Ellis ’83,

FREEDOM FIGHTER

By Jim Walsh

25wmitchell.edu/alumniPhotos by Brady Willette

MITCHELL ON LAW26

graduated from William Mitchell College of

Law in 1975, Minnesota’s legal community

was homogenous.

Women judges were few and far between,

the state was just one year removed from rati-

fying the federal Equal Rights Amendment, and

there weren’t many women civil trial lawyers

in the state. It was a challenging period for

women with law degrees.

In other words, it was the perfect time for

someone like Neville to enter the profession.

Neville wasn’t going to let her gender

drown her career aspirations. In fact, by the

time she graduated from Mitchell, she’d

already broken through some glass ceilings.

One of only 11 female students in her class,

she was elected the first woman president

of Mitchell’s Student Bar Association.

“I didn’t feel like the fact that I was a

woman should stop me from doing anything,”

she says.

Neville passed the bar exam, took a job as

an assistant Hennepin County felony prosecutor,

and quickly began working to improve the

climate for women in the profession.

She hasn’t stopped since.

Her impressive career is marked by many

firsts. In 1979, she became the first woman

supervisor of the Hennepin County Public

Defender’s Office. Four years later Minnesota

Gov. Rudy Perpich appointed her to the

municipal bench. Then in 1986 she was

named a Hennepin County District Court

judge, making her one of Minnesota’s first

female state judges.

“Judge Neville has had a huge influence on

the Hennepin County and Minnesota state bar

associations,” says Susan Holden ’88, a partner

with Sieben Grose Von Holtum & Carey who

served as president of both the Minnesota

State Bar Association and the Hennepin County

Bar Association. “She’s helped so many Min-

nesota lawyers—female and male—advance

through the ranks of the ABA. She’s a true

leader and role model, and someone who truly

believes that you stand on the shoulders of

those who come before you.”

That belief is something Neville learned from

the late Rosalie Wahl ’67, who knew a thing or

two about breaking down barriers for women.

Justice Wahl was the first woman appointed

to the Minnesota Supreme Court. She was also

Neville’s mentor and friend.

“Rosalie taught me that it was very important

for us to get our foot in the door, but you can’t

be the only one there,” says Neville. “You have

to reach out and bring others with you. I’ve

tried hard to do that.”

Neville mentors Mitchell students and has

taught as an adjunct professor at the college.

She also travels through the world, teaching

the rule of law in China, Rwanda, Tanzania,

Cambodia, Poland, and beyond.

Although she retired from the bench two

years ago, she remains active in the profession.

She serves as a senior judge with the Hennepin

County District Court. And she opened Bench-

mark National ADR, which specializes in

mediation and arbitration.

She is one of the top five officers of the

400,000-member American Bar Association

and will be president-elect of the fellows of the

American Bar Association next year. Only one

percent of all lawyers in the country is invited

to be fellows.

Today, the walls of her corner office on

the 49th floor of Minneapolis’ IDS Tower are

covered with awards and plaques, each a tes-

tament to her contributions to the profession.

But perhaps most telling is the fact that when

she looks out her window, the region’s legal

community is now much more diverse. n

a career of

firstsWhen Cara Lee Neville

Kicking open the doors of opportunity for women: FIRST woman president of the Minnesota

Trial Lawyers Association

FIRST woman to chair the Minnesota State

Bar Association’s criminal justice committee

FIRST woman elected as Minnesota state

delegate to the American Bar Association

FIRST woman president of the Douglas K.

Amdahl Inn of Court

One of the Founding Mothers of Minnesota

Women Lawyers

LEGAL LEGEND

By Nancy Crotti

27wmitchell.edu/alumniPhotos by Brady Willette

Every kid daydreams about running the school— usually while waiting outside the principal’s office.

Why public education?

I’m a big advocate of public education. In fact, I was a teacher when

I decided to enroll at Mitchell. I planned on becoming a lawyer, but

during my third year of law school, I took a job as dean of students at

the school where I was teaching. That’s when I decided to get my princi-

pal’s license. There are a lot of ways to make a positive difference in the

community with a law degree. My path is through public education.

How did Mitchell help prepare you to run a school district?

I am constantly problem-solving issues that involve contracts, policy, or

law. My experience at William Mitchell gave me confidence to analyze

these sources and make decisions.

What are your fondest memories of Mitchell?

When I was at Mitchell, I was the Student Bar Association representative

each year and the president my final year. I fondly remember the

Black acre and Greenacre social events. I enjoyed many professors

during my time. In particular I thought Eric Janus was a great teacher,

and Paul Marino was incredibly entertaining.

Entertaining?

One of my favorite stories was when I was a 3L in Marino’s class, and

there were about eight required textbooks. I hadn’t bought a single

book, knowing Marino rarely referenced a text in class. On the first

day, he leaned over the front row, looked at the stack of books sitting

in front of a student and said “What’s all this?” pointing to the books.

The student said “These are the required texts.” Marino picked one up,

looked at it briefly, and said “Of course they are.” I didn’t buy a single

book for his class.

What can lawyers learn from elementary school students?

Good question. Elementary school students look for obvious, simple

answers, and assume that everyone has good intentions. I think we lose

that lens as we grow up, yet many great solutions are simple and don’t

come from the win/lose frame of reference.

With so many young minds relying on your guidance and

leadership, how do you relax?

I am married and the father of three busy boys who are fairly active in

both music and athletics, so I don’t have much down time. But that’s

okay because I really enjoy my non-work time with family.

DAVID LAW ’00

THINGSabout

6David Law is living the dream and going one step further. This June, he’ll take over as superintendent of Anoka-Hennepin School District 11. With 39,000 students at 35 schools, Anoka-Hennepin is Minnesota’s largest school district. It’s also where Law spent his formative learning years. Although he won’t admit to ever being called to the principal’s office, Law did take some time out of his busy schedule to answer six questions.


29wmitchell.edu/alumni

1969

JOHN W. CAREY, an attorney at Sieben, Grose, Von Holtum & Carey, was selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2014.

1974JUDGE FRED W. WELLMANN retired in April. He served in Minnesota’s Third Judicial District. He will serve as senior judge.

JUDGE PHILIP T. KANNING retired in 2012 after serving in Minnesota’s First Judicial District. He currently works as a Eulex International Judge in Mitrovica, Kosovo trying war crimes from the 1999-2000 conflict.

1975DONALD E. SCHMID JR. announced that his law firm, Hauser and Schmid, has joined The Legal Professionals to form the law firm of The Legal Professionals Hauser Schmid Franta & Associates.

JUDGE JOHN P. SMITH was appointed by Gov. Mark Dayton to an at-large seat on the Minnesota Court of Appeals.

1976

PAUL F. SCHWEIGER, who manages the Duluth office of Sieben, Grose, Von Holtum & Carey, was selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2014.

ERIC J. MAGNUSON joined Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi as partner.

THOMAS H. FROST was appointed by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker to district attorney of Washburn County.

1977

MICHAEL L. EVANS, managing director of the Northern California practice for Newport Board Group, was invited to join the All Business Experts Team by Forbes Magazine.

1978

PATRICIA A. BURKE retired from full-time work. She is now concentrating on project consulting in human resources and labor relations.

1980

DAVID M. SPARBY was named president and CEO of Northern States Power Company in Minnesota for Xcel Energy.

EILEEN M. ROBERTS joined Dorsey & Whitney as of counsel in the real estate and land use group.

ROBERT J. KING JR. has become a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. He is a shareholder Briggs and Morgan.

Judge Gearin hangs up her gavelJUDGE KATHLEEN GEARIN ’75 hung up her gavel last July, quietly retiring from a career that saw her preside over some of the most controversial cases in Minnesota history. Only months later, she returned to the courtroom to serve as a senior judge. As a Ramsey County District Court chief judge from 2008 to 2012, she heard some of the most contentious, high profile cases in state history, including cases involving the 2008 Republican National Convention, the Coleman-Franken U.S. Senate election recount, and the 2011 state government shutdown. Her unwavering commitment to justice was evident throughout her career—regardless of whether the cases made headlines. She handled every case with tenacity and compassion. After working as a high school social studies teacher, Judge Gearin decided she wanted to participate in the judicial process. She obtained her juris doctor from William Mitchell in 1975, then spent 10 years as a prosecuting attorney for the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office. After being recruited to run for judge by Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Rosalie Wahl ’67, she was elected to a judgeship in 1986. She was one of few women on the county bench at that time and served as a mentor to those who followed. Judge Gearin went on to become the assistant chief judge in 2004, then chief judge in 2008. She has been honored with many awards for her service, including awards from the Minnesota District Judges Foundation, the YWCA, the Minnesota Education Association, and the Minnesota State Bar Association, which presented her with the Rosalie E. Wahl Judicial Award of Excellence. Last year, she also received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the MSBA and the Honorable Warren E. Burger Distinguished Alumni Award from William Mitchell. Although she has already made a measurable impact on the legal profession, Judge Gearin continues to be active in the legal community. Her appointment as senior judge runs through June 2015, and on top of that, she teaches on the faculty of the Expert Witness Training Academy at William Mitchell. She is also planning a seminar for judges regarding complex cases.

CLASS NOTES

MITCHELL ON LAW30

1981

MICHAEL D. MADIGAN, managing shareholder of Madigan, Dahl & Harlan, was selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2014.

MANSCO PERRY III was named executive director of the Minnesota State Board of Investment, where he will direct Minnesota’s $68 billion portfolio.

1983

GARY L. HUUSKO was elected to the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan School Board.

THOMAS E. HOFFMAN joined Lindquist & Vennum as partner with the financial restructuring & bankruptcy practice group.

JUDGE DENISE D. REILLY was appointed by Gov. Mark Dayton to an at-large seat on the Minnesota Court of Appeals.

1984BARRY M. ZELICKSON launched Big Thrill Factory, an indoor-outdoor family entertainment center in Minnetonka, Minn.

1985EDWARD J. DRENTTEL, a shareholder at Winthrop & Weinstine was selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2014.

JUDGE RODNEY C. HANSON was appointed by Gov. Mark Dayton to a seat in Minnesota’s Eighth Judicial District. He was a partner with Anderson, Larson, Saunders & Klaassen.

JAMES P. CAREY, president and managing partner of Sieben, Grose, Von Holtum & Carey, was selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2014.

ROLF A. LINDBERG was named senior underwriter at Stewart Title Guaranty Company.

1988

SUSAN M. HOLDEN, an attorney at Sieben, Grose, Von Holtum & Carey, was selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2014.

JOELLEN J. AMBROSE, a high school teacher in Champlin Park, Minn., received the 2013 American Bar Association Isidore Starr Award for Excellence in Law-Related Education. The award recognizes individuals for outstanding achievements in teaching about the law in the elementary and secondary grades.

Olson appointed to the bench in Fargo, North Dakota JUDGE THOMAS R. OLSON ’81 has spent his entire legal career of 32 years in the area of Fargo, N.D. In February, he was appointed by Gov. Jack Dalrymple to the East Central Judicial District Court bench, serving Cass, Steele, and Traill counties.

“Thomas is a dedicated and highly qualified attorney who is well respected by his peers,” said Dalrymple. “His many years of experience in civil litigation and mediation services will serve the people of the East Central Judicial District very well.”

Olson has been in private practice since 1985, specializing in litigation and mediation services. He recently practiced law at Johnson, Ramstad & Mottinger. His experience also includes two years working as an assistant attorney for Clay County, a Minnesota county that borders North Dakota. In addition to his professional work, Judge Olson is active in his community. He currently serves as secretary for the North Dakota Foster and Adoptive Parent Association. In the past, he served as president of the Red River Soccer Association and as a council member of the First Lutheran Church of Fargo. He and his wife, Sandra Leyland, have six children.

CLASS NOTES

WILLIAM J. TIPPING joined Larson King as a partner.

1986DAVID H. GOLDSTEIN’S play “Skiing on Broken Glass” recently appeared at the Guthrie Theater.

CLARK D. OPDAHL was re-elected managing partner of the Minneapolis law firm Henson & Efron.

1987


Shelton Walczak pioneers role as MSBA director of diversity and inclusionAnswering the call from its members, the Minnesota State Bar Association created a new position in 2013 to foster diversity in the legal profession. The MSBA named Danielle Shelton Walczak ’98 the first director of diversity and inclusion for the state bar. She is charged with making the association a more diverse and inclusive place, chartering new territory, by helping to prepare the organization’s Diversity Strategic Plan for state bar leadership, and identifying new ways for the MSBA to promote inclusion. Her work will also include expanding MSBA partnerships with minority bar associations, with the goal of creating collaboration and resource sharing among groups like the Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers, the Minnesota Lavender Bar Association, the Minnesota American Indian Bar Association, and the Minnesota Hispanic Bar Association. As a woman and an attorney of color, Shelton Walczak already encounters issues of diversity and inclusion in her professional and personal life. Now, she aims to expand the definition of diversity in the legal profession to include sexual orientation, religion, disability, and other areas. Prior to working for the MSBA, she operated her own law firm concentrated on family law. In 2011, she was appointed by then Mayor R.T. Rybak to the Minneapolis Commission on Civil Rights, where she still serves as chair of the Standards and Procedures Committee. She closed her law office in 2013 to devote more time and energy to her values of diversity and inclusion.

KURT R. MATTSON, director of library services at Lionel Sawyer & Collins in Las Vegas, Nev., published an article

“Why do I need books? Isn’t everything online?” in Nevada Lawyer.

1990PATRICK H. O’NEILL JR. joined Larson King as partner.

PHILIP K. MILLER was named Benton County Attorney.

1991

BARBARA J. KLAS was named director of eDiscovery Client Services with @Legal Discovery.

1992

PAUL K. DOWNES, an attorney at Sieben, Grose, Von Holtum & Carey, was selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2014.

STEVEN M. KOEHLER was named shareholder at Westman, Champlin & Koehler.

KATHRYN N. SMITH, with her husband, received the Award in Philanthropy from the Willmar Area Community Foundation.

CHAD A. JOHNSON was named managing partner of Hellmuth & Johnson.

1993

JUDGE JENNIFER K. FISCHER was appointed by Gov. Mark Dayton to a seat in Minnesota’s Eighth Judicial District. She was previously Kandiyohi County Attorney, where she prosecuted crimes and served as the legal advisor to the County Board of Commissioners.

JAMES R. FREY, president and CEO of the Frey Foundation of Minnesota, was named to the National Catholic Reporter Board of Directors.

1994JON L. PETERSON, an attorney at Winthrop & Weinstine, was selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2014.

DANIEL J. RYAN joined the Apple Valley, Minn., law firm of Dougherty, Molenda, Solfest, Hills & Bauer as associate.

JOHN K. ROSSMAN, an attorney at Moss & Barnett, was named to the executive steering committee of the Consumer Relations Consortium, based out of Washington, D.C.

1995

ANDRIEL M. DEES, director of multicultural affairs at Capella University, received the 2013 Outstanding Women of Color in Higher Education Award from the University of Wisconsin system.

1996

CHRISTIAN M. SANDE was appointed by Gov. Mark Dayton to the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board.

KATHERINE M. WALLACE, was appointed by Gov. Mark Dayton to a seat in Minnesota’s Third Judicial District. Previously, she was a team lead attorney with the Criminal Division of the Olmsted County Attorney’s Office. MARY M. MCMAHON was signed by Brighton Publishing for her novel

“Seeing Red: Tribal Tribulation.”

1997DAVID M. AAFEDT, an attorney at Winthrop & Weinstine, was selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2014.

THEODORE J. SCHMELZLE was promoted to assistant general counsel and chief privacy officer at Securian Financial Group.

THOMAS K. RIPPBERGER was named vice president of AdvisorNet Wealth Management. Previously, he was senior director at McGladrey Wealth Management.

JOSEPH M. FISCHER was elected to the board of the Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center, where he will serve as secretary.

CLASS NOTES

MITCHELL ON LAW32

1998

CORY P. WHALEN, a partner and shareholder at Sieben, Grose, Von Holtum & Carey, was selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2014.

JUDGE ANDREW R. PEARSON was appointed by Gov. Mark Dayton to a seat in Minnesota’s Seventh Judicial District. Previously he was a criminal defense attorney at Bradshaw & Bryant and a public defender for Stearns and Benton Counties.

ALYSSA M. SCHLANDER joined Securian Financial Group as senior counsel and director of public affairs.

TIMOTHY L. GUSTIN, an attorney at Moss & Barnett, was selected to serve on the Freddie Mac Multifamily Legal Advisory Council.

KRISTIN M. NIMSGER joined MicroEdge as CEO.

1999

JUDGE AMY R. BROSNAHAN was appointed by Gov. Mark Dayton to a seat in Minnesota’s Tenth Judicial District. She served as a Sherburne County assistant attorney.

2000

CINDY J. ACKERMAN, an attorney at Moss & Barnett, was snamed a 2014 Five Star Estate Planning Attorney.

2001ANDREW C. SLOSS, who was recently promoted to senior manager at Ernst & Young, co-authored an article “New York State’s Excelsior Jobs Program - Growing and Changing to Provide Expanded Opportunities for New York State Businesses,” which was published in the Journal of Multistate Taxation and Incentives.

JOEL D. LEVITON joined Stinson Leonard Street as partner with the firm’s intellectual property and technology division.

2002JAYNE J. JONES was signed by Kelsey McBride PR as a co-author with Alicia Long of the novel

“Capitol Hell.”

LEE A. HUTTON III joined Zelle Hofmann Voelbel & Mason as trial litigator and entertainment attorney.

AIMÉE D. DAYHOFF, a shareholder at Winthrop & Weinstine, was named one of the “50 Women in Business” by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. This list recognizes women who have demonstrated exemplary professional achievements, leadership qualities, and contributions to the community. She was also elected to the board of directors of the National Association of Women Business Owners Minnesota chapter.

2003

TAMMERA R. DIEHM, an attorney at Winthrop & Weinstine, was selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2014.

DAN J. HOEHN received the Waseca Area Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year Award for Schmidt Hoehn Law.

MATTHEW S. FRANTZEN joined Gislason & Hunter as litigation attorney.

2004CHRISTY L. SNOW-KASTER, managing attorney of Central Minnesota Legal Services, was honored by the Minnesota Justice Foundation with the Direct Legal Service Award.

MARA GARCIA KAPLAN was chosen as a 2013 Target Corporation Fellow, participating in a program created by the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity to identify, train, and advance the next generation of leaders in the legal profession.

BRENDAN R. TUPA joined the Law Offices of Thomas P. Stilp, the in-house law office of record for Liberty Mutual Insurance Group.

2005

RYAN D. KAPLAN accepted a new leadership role with Virtus Law as originating attorney.

AMY L. DE KOK was named shareholder at Fredrikson & Byron.

2006ROBB G. HUNTER joined Monnat & Spurrier as criminal defense trial attorney.

CONNIE I. ARMSTRONG was elected to shareholder at Lind, Jensen, Sullivan & Peterson.

MATTHEW R. KUHN joined Faegre Baker Daniels as partner.

D. SCOTT ABERSON was elected to partner at Maslon Edelman Borman & Brand. He practices with Maslon’s litigation group.

ELIZABETH M. SORENSON BROTTEN was elected partner at Foley & Mansfield.

ALEXANDER J. KIM received the 2013 Leadership Award at the 25th Anniversary Gala of the Minnesota Asian Pacific American Bar Association. He was also named regional governor for the International Association of Korean Lawyers.

ANDREW J. STEIL was elected shareholder at Gray Plant Mooty.

DR. LORI P. SARAGENO joined the patent group as of counsel at Dorsey & Whitney.

JOSEPH L. CURRIER was elected shareholder at Briggs and Morgan. He is a member of the firm’s business law section.

CLASS NOTES


ELLEN A. BRINKMAN was elected shareholder at Briggs and Morgan. She is a member of the firm’s employment, benefits, and labor section.

2007

CHUE VUE was elected to the St. Paul Board of Education.

ANDREA N. NODOLF was appointed by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker to district attorney in Rusk County.

2008

HEATHER J. DIERSEN joined Fafinski Mark & Johnson as associate in the human resources & employment and litigation practice groups.

KIMBERLY E. BRZEZINSKI joined the real estate team of Hanft Fride.

SARAH M. HOFFMAN joined Bassford Remele as associate.

JILL S. IDE joined Bolt & Hoffer Law Firm as family law attorney.

2009ADINE S. MOMOH was named to the Midwest Region of Lawyers of Color “Hot List,” which recognizes early to middle career attorneys who excel in the legal profession. She is a trial attorney in the business and commercial litigation group at Stinson Leonard Street.

2010STEPHEN C. BARGHUSEN was elected to the Judicial Council of the American Veterinary Medical Association as an at-large member.

JENNIFER L. JOHNSON joined Stoel Rives as associate.

SEAN E. FROELICH was named district attorney for Pierce County, Minn.

COURTNEY R. SEBO joined Meagher & Geer as associate in the anti-fraud counseling and litigation practice group.

LEANNE R. FUITH is the new assistant director for William Mitchell’s Center for Law and Business. She will split her time between administrative duties and teaching.

2011

ADAM J. PABARCUS joined Faegre Baker Daniels as associate with the firm’s litigation group.

KARLEN PADAYACHEE announced the foundation of Encompass Law.

2013

ADINA R. FLOREA joined Arthur, Chapman, Kettering, Smetak & Pikala as associate attorney. She was also awarded the Volunteer Law Student Award from the Minnesota Justice Foundation. Her primary activities with MJF have been to support a self-help clinic for small businesses preparing the construction of the Central Corridor Light Rail Transit.

HOLLY E. LABOONE-HALLER joined Hanft Fride in Duluth, Minn., as associate.

LAUREN A. D’CRUZ joined Lind, Jensen, Sullivan & Peterson as associate in the firm’s litigation group.

GREGORY B. LAWRENCE joined Arthur, Chapman, Kettering, Smetak & Pikala as associate attorney.

KARLI B. PETERSON joined Gray Plant Mooty as associate with the franchise and distribution practice group.

MARY E. JOHNSON joined the business litigation team at Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly as associate.

SARA J. WENZEL joined Faegre Baker Daniels as associate.

LARIE ANN PAMPUCH was promoted to associate attorney at Anastasi Jellum.

MARGARET R. HENEHAN was named the first Judge Nancy C. Dreher Fellow at Volunteer Lawyers Network.

NATASHA C. PHELPS joined Aafedt, Forde, Gray, Monson & Hager as associate attorney.

NATHAN M. MAUS joined TSR Injury Law as associate attorney.

CHRISTOPHER R. SALL joined Thibodeau, Johnson & Feriancek, as associate attorney.

CHRISTINE M. BRIGHT MARWEDE joined Haberkorn Law Offices as associate attorney.

BRIAN WALLENFELT joined Merchant & Gould, an intellectual property law firm.

DEBORAH J. PROKOPF joined Cummins & Cummins.

TARYN R. PURCELL joined Blair & Fitzsimmons as associate attorney.

CLASS NOTES

MITCHELL ON LAW34

1942WILLIAM B. KORSTAD97, Nov. 10, 2013. Survived by daughter Beverly (Jonathan) Tomhave; son Stephen (Rachel) Korstad; grandchildren; and great granddaughter.

1959LLOYD O. BERGMAN86, Jan. 28, 2014. Survived by wife Bonnie Bergman; children Kathy (John) Bergman-Baer, Mark (Debbie) Bergman, Steven Bergman; and grandchildren.

1960PHYLLIS G. JONES90, Sept. 8, 2013. Survived by children Stephanie (Phillip) Martineau, Jacqueline (Harry) Ridge, Kent Carroll Jones; grandchildren; step-children Will

(Julie) Norman, John (Rhonda) Norman, Katherine Norman; step-grandchildren; sisters Beverly (Bohn) Engell, Josephine Teare, Anita (Wesley) Miller, Sherry Osborne; nieces and nephews.

1963EUGENE P. BRADT 76, Aug. 29, 2013. Survived by wife Dona Macaulay-Bradt; children, Kellie Bradt, Kevin (Marsha) Bradt, Eric (Kathleen) Bradt; grandchildren; great grandchildren; step-children Robert (Karen) Macaulay, Cathy (Michael) Burlager, Jim (Susan) Macaulay, George (Cheryl) Macaulay, Carolyn (Michael) Liebe; step-grandchildren; brothers Guy (Darlene) Bradt, William (Darlene) Bradt; sisters Audrey

(Ken) Kochendorfer and Mary (Al) Kieffer.

1966MICHAEL F. FETSCH73, Sept. 12, 2013. Survived by wife Marilyn; children Anne (Jim Horner), John (Nancy), Tim (Louise Muth); and grandchildren.

1970

ROGER A. CHRISTIANSON70, Dec. 6, 2013. Survived by mother Bonnie; children Vicki, Tim (Helena), Tonya (Marcel), Anna; grandchildren; niece; nephews; and special friend Jane Henderson.

1971R. M. REGAN69, Oct.11, 2013. Survived by companion Judith Pomerleau; children Erin (Damian) Drummer, Matthew (Colleen) Regan, Seamus (Angela) Regan; grandchildren; siblings John (Carol) Regan, Fay Regan, Patrick Regan, Marilyn Regan (Conrad Osborne), and Thomas (Deb) Regan.

1974 RICHARD P. KNAUER68, March 24, 2013.

1981JEANNE A. SAYERS62, Sept. 21, 2013. Survived by husband Randall; step-son Justin Sayers; sisters Lori Tenney, Sam Olson, Susan Austin; nieces; nephews; and

lifelong friend Kathy Callies.

1987STEPHEN A. PALMER62, Nov. 30, 2013. Survived by wife Cory; parents Arnold and Patsy Palmer; brother Scott (Pam) Palmer; and sister Cynthia (Russell) Iverson.

1988ALFRED M. STANBURYDec. 8, 2013. Survived by sister Arline (Frank) Spino; niece Susan Calabrese (Richard); and nephew Thomas J. (Mary) Spino.

1991

ROBERT L. MENNELL79, Dec. 12, 2013. Survived by wife Antoinette Yarrow (Toni) Mennell; children Ann Mennell (Mrs. Kirk ) Clowser, Rev. John (Rev. Sonia Waters) Mennell, James (Elizabeth) Mennell, Betsy Mennell; and grandchildren.

Rex Turner, 88, was a fixture at William Mitchell. A security officer for 21 years, he sat at the front desk, monitoring the comings and goings of campus visitors. He was heralded as one of the law school’s “Unsung Heroes” in the student newspaper. Rex was a great storyteller, and his friendly demeanor was a boon to students in the height of their stress. One student reported losing her car keys during her first week of law school. When she had given up hope of finding them, Rex comforted her and told her everything would work out fine. And it did. “He loved working here,” said David Hellermann, assistant director of facilities and security.

Little did many people know, though, that Rex was not just a hero when it came to lost keys. He was also a hero in the U.S. Armed Forces. Before moving to Minnesota, Rex served in World War II. He was stationed in England, and he served as a gunner on a B-17 bomber, flying in 26 missions before the war’s end. With the help of the GI Bill, he studied government at New York University. Then he went on to attend the University of Oklahoma Law School. Rex moved to Minnesota in 1959, taking jobs in life insurance and facilities management. He took the position at William Mitchell after he moved into a house on Portland Avenue – just across the street.

The war veteran passed away in January. He is survived by his wife, Catheryne; daughters Cassandra Murphy and Roxanna Turner; grandchildren; and nephews.

IN MEMORIAM

‘Unsung hero’ watched over campus

Stephen Bonner

to thePOINTCHAIR AND BOARD MEMBER

Innovation is in the DNA at Mitchell, and we are driving positive

change across the college. That spirit of innovation will support us as

we now launch a national search for the 30th dean of William Mitchell

and its predecessor schools to succeed Eric Janus when he returns to

the faculty in June 2015.

I know I speak for the entire board of trustees, and for all of you,

when I say that Dean Janus has set the standard for leadership at

Mitchell, and we are challenged to find a successor who will build

on his record of progress over the last 30 years, including eight as

president and dean. He leads with integrity, compassion, innovation,

collaboration, and an eye to the future, which is why our next leader

will be well-positioned to build on our recent success and continue to

move our mission forward.

The new search committee, led by the Hon. Helen Meyer ’83, will

include faculty, alumni, students, and staff representation. We will

want the full voice of our community to be heard as we conduct the

search. To assure a wide reach for our search, the committee will

employ an outside search firm, as well. Once the top candidates are

identified, they will be brought to campus for interviews. We expect

to introduce the successor shortly after Jan. 1, 2015.

Your input will be valuable in finding the right leader for our law

school. You know our culture, values, and mission. You also know the

difference Mitchell can make in the lives of students, alumni, and our

community. And we want to hear from you.

We will tell you more about the search process in the coming weeks

and months. In the meantime, I encourage you to keep up with all

the great things that are happening at William Mitchell by visiting

wmitchell.edu, reading the monthly eNewsletter, and coming to

campus for events and CLEs.

Thank you for your engagement with Mitchell. You are one

of the reasons we are the law school for the real world!

Sincerely,

Stephen Bonner ’72

Chair, William Mitchell Board of Trustees

35wmitchell.edu/newsPhotos by Tim Rummelhoff

WILLIAM MITCHELL

That’s William Mitchell College of Law.

That’s practical wisdom.

ONE OF THE TOP-RANKED CLINICAL PROGRAMS IN THE COUNTRY.

A leader in teaching theory and practical, real-world skills. Robust

externship and mentoring programs. Faculty who teach, study, and

practice. A large, engaged, supportive alumni base. A commitment

to community service. Innovative enrollment options.

52 WORDSin

WILLIAM MITCHELL BY THE NUMBERS

in Minnesota for part-time law(U.S. News & World Report)

in Minnesota for clinical training

(U.S. News & World Report)

in Minnesota for “preparedness of graduates”

(Recent survey of 1,750 practicing attorneys in Minnesota)

among Minnesota’s private law schools for employment outcomes

American Bar Association

Join them, and help William Mitchell maintain its position as Minnesota’s law school for the real world.

Make a gift to the Annual Fund at wmitchell.edu/give.

The number of William Mitchell alumni who have helped

their law school achieve these milestones by making a gift

to the 2014 Annual Fund so far this year.1,300

43

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