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- Officers
President
Hon. Arthur J. Boylan
President-Elect
Steven E. Rau
Vice President, Membership
Catherine A. McEnroe
Vice President, Special Events
Annie Huang
Vice President, Monthly Meetings
Rachna B. Sullivan
Vice President, Legal Education
Daniel Q. Poretti
Secretary
Anh Le Kremer
Treasurer
William J. Otteson/
Rachel K. Zimmerman
National Council Delegate
William D. Hittler
Appointments
Eighth Circuit Vice President
Jeanette M. Bazis/Anh Le Kramer
Grant Committee
James S. Simonson, Chair
Diversity Committee
Lora Esch Mitchell, Co-Chair
Magistrate Graham, Co-Chair
Law School Liaison
Alexandra B. Klass
Newer Lawyers Committee
Arthur G. Boylan, Chair
Annual Golf Tournament
Committee
Vincent D. Louwagie, Chair
Pro Se Coordinator
Jeffer Ali
Communications Committee
Tara C. Norgard, Chair
Long-Range Planning Committee
Hon. Donovan W. Frank, Co-Chair
Steven E. Rau, Co-Chair
Federal Transportation Program Committee
Steven E. Rau, Co-Chair
Patrick R. Martin, Co-Chair
Practice Groups
Kimberly G. Miller, Chair
Directors 2007-2008
Jeffer Ali
Jeanette M. Bazis
Barbara P. Berens
Kristine Boylan
Gregory G. Brooker
W. Joseph Bruckner
Hon. Susan N. Burke
Peter W. Carter
Hon. Joan N. Ericksen
Hon. Donovan W. Frank
Maureen Watz Gornik
Magistrate Judge Jeanne J. Graham
B. Todd Jones
Alexandra B. Klass
Scott G. Knudson
Jeannine L. Lee
Vincent D. Louwagie
Hon. Paul A. Magnuson
Patrick R. Martin
Hon. Janie S. Mayeron
Kimberly G. Miller
Tara C. Norgard
Shannon O'Toole
Hon. Patrick J. Schiltz
Hassan Saffouri
James S. Simonson
Hon. John R. Tunheim
Past Presidents
Hon. Miles W. Lord
Thomas A. Steele Jr.
Robert G. Lauck
Linn J. Firestone
Hon. Hartley Nordin
Eugene P. Daly
Richard N. Flint
Harry A. Sieben Sr.
Richard C. Johnson
Clayton B. Doughty
Vernon J. Rausch
Jay B. Kelly
Hon. Robert G. Renner
John A. Murray
Hon. Jacob Dim
Frederick W. Lambrecht Jr.
Lloyd O. Shervheim
John A. Halpern
Hon. Andrew W. Danielson
Dale E. Parker
Robert E. Barnhart
Robert F. Cunningham
Gary G. Carlson
Hon. Ann D. Montgomery
Francis X. Hermann
Vance K. Opperman
Mark Arth
Hon. Mary E. Carlson
Hon. Robert J. Kressel
Linda L. Holstein
Hon. James M. Rosenbaum
Paul M. Floyd
Christine L. Meuers
Keith J. Halleland
Hon. David S. Doty
Patrick S. Williams
Barbara Jean D’Aquila
Patricia A. Bloodgood
Hon. James B. Loken
Randall E. Kahnke
Daniel E. Gustafson
Mary L. Knoblauch
Hon. Michael J. Davis
Becky R. Thorson
Douglass Elsass
Contents
A Message from the Chapter
President
Membership
Information
Bar Talk, the Minnesota Chapter's monthly newsletter
Calendar of Events
Announcements
Chapter Initiatives
Judges’
Practice Pointers and Preferences
Recent Events
CLE Information
A
Message from the Chapter President
Welcome to the web site for the Minnesota Chapter of the Federal Bar Association.
Our chapter was chartered in 1940 and has been active since 1962. Today
we have nearly 800 members from private practice, government agencies,
military branches, local law schools and local courts.
We hope that this site provides you with useful and timely information
about our organization and the events and opportunities we offer for our
members and our community. The Minnesota Chapter holds frequent events
such as monthly luncheons, CLE seminars, Federal Practice Seminars, and
social gatherings. Our members also are involved in the community through
various initiatives, including the Federal Pro Se Employment Law Panel
and the Page Education Foundation. In addition, we offer other opportunities
such as chapter grants and awards recognizing outstanding achievement
in our law students.
Our organization is strong, active, diverse and dedicated to the practice
of law in the District of Minnesota. If you have not already done so,
I invite you to join the Federal Bar Association and the Minnesota Chapter
by clicking on the link below.
Hon. Arthur J. Boylan
Minnesota Chapter President
Join the Federal Bar Association!
If you are already a member and your contact information has changed, please contact the Membership Department, records@fedbar.org, (703) 682-7000 to update your contact information to insure that you continue to receive valuable information about the FBA and the Minnesota Chapter.
Bar Talk, the Minnesota Chapter's Monthly Newsletter
Bar Talk, the newsletter of the Minnesota
Chapter of the FBA, is distributed in hard copy at our chapter’s
monthly luncheons. If you have a story idea for Bar Talk, or would like
to write an article, please contact Tara Norgard, at tnorgard@ccvl.com
or (612) 436-9620.
April 2008 Bar Talk
March 2008 Bar Talk
January
2008 Bar Talk
December 2007 Bar Talk
November 2007 Bar Talk
Calendar
of Events
May 17, 2008
Annual Federal Judges' Dinner Dance
The annual Federal Judges’ Dinner Dance will be held on May 17,
2008 at the Minikahda Golf Club. Please contact Annie Huang (ahuang@rkmc.com or 612.349.8783) with questions. Invitation and Reservation Card
May 21,
2008
Monthly Luncheon
Please join us for our May monthly luncheon.
Time: 12 p.m.
Place: The Minneapolis Club, Main Dining Room
729 Second Avenue South
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402
Cost: Member: $35
Non-Member: $40
Government Attorney: $20
Our speakers are Hon. J. Thomas Marten and songwriter Don Schiltz, who will deliver a presentation entitled "Concise, Colorful, Persuasive Writing— What Judges and Lawyers Can Learn From Songwriters." The attached invitation provides details and instructions on how to RSVP for this event. Pre-payment is required. Season Pass Holders: please register with your meal choice. Please contact Nilla Christiansen at (612) 492-
7666 or nchristiansen@fredlaw.com
for more information.
May 29, 2008
Ethics of Intellectual Property CLE Luncheon
The Minnesota Chapter of the Federal Bar Association and its Intellectual Property Group are pleased to invite you to a presentation by Ruth Okediji, Professor at University of Minnesota Law School on the Ethics of IP Practice. The presentation will be held over lunch on May 29, 2008 at Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P. Please see the attached invitation for details.
June 4, 2008 and June 18, 2008
In-Chambers Luncheon for Summer Associates and Law Clerks
Hosted by Chief Judge James M. Rosenbaum. Details to follow. Please contact
Art Boylan at (612) 335-1957 or arthur.boylan@leonard.com with questions.
June 26, 2008
Federal Practice Seminar
Please join us for the Minnesota Chapter’s 34th Annual Federal Practice Seminar. This year’s program includes the following presentations from the federal judiciary, litigators and educators on:
- Supreme Court Year in Review
- Nuts and Bolts of Multi District Litigation; Fight or Flight: Tips on How to Avoid Panic When Bankruptcy Hits Your Lawsuit
- The Mortgage Meltdown in Class Actions: How Did We Get Here and What’s Next?
- 8th Circuit Update Year in Review
- Third-Party Subpoenas in Federal Criminal Prosecutions
- Intellectual Property – “Survey Says . . . the Markman Process in Minnesota”
- Journey to Safety: The Battered Immigrant Woman’s Experience
- View from the Bench: Perspectives of the Senior Judges
In addition, this year’s Mason Memorial Lunch will feature
Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Alan C. Page
& the “Passing of the Bow Tie” from
outgoing Chief Judge James M. Rosenbaum to
incoming Chief Judge Michael J. Davis
Details and Registration at: www.halleland.com/fbaevent
Questions? Contact Dan Poretti, at 612-204-4173 or dporetti@halleland.com
August 11-15, 2008
2008 Eighth Circuit Judicial Conference in Chicago
The Eighth Circuit Judicial Conference will be held August 11-15, 2008
at the Marriott Downtown on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile. This will
be a full conference for all judges and members of the Bar. A number of
distinguished speakers have already been confirmed for the conference,
including Associate Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr. of the United States
Supreme Court. To reserve your spot, or if you have any questions, contact
judconf@ca8.uscourts.gov or
call Michelle Braun, Assistant Circuit Executive, at 314-244-2622.|
More information
August 25, 2008
Annual Golf Tournament
Save the date for the Minnesota Chapter’s Annual Golf Tournament at the Midland Hills Country Club. Please join us for lunch over the noon hour and a 1 p.m. shotgun start. Invitation to follow. Contact Vincent D. Louwagie, VLouwagie@aoblr.com or 612-349-6969, with questions.
St. Paul Interim Courthouse Map
The U.S. District Court has vacated the federal courthouse located at
316 North Robert Street in St. Paul as that building undergoes renovation.
During the renovations, the District Court is operating in a temporary
space located at180 East Fifth Street, on the 7th Floor, in downtown St.
Paul. The space includes chambers, courtrooms, a clerk's office, and hearing
rooms. We have provided a map of the space for your convenience in maneuvering
this new space. Download map.
District Court of Minnesota Web site
The official court Web site for
the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota provides helpful
information for the federal practitioner, including the full text of the
Local Rules, ECF information, courtroom technology and general contact
information, among other features.
Federal Pro Se Employment Law
Panel
The Minnesota Chapter of the Federal Bar Association and Volunteer Lawyers
Network (“VLN”) operate the Federal Pro Se Employment Law
Panel. The panel provides all of the judges of the U.S. District Court
with a method of introducing volunteer attorneys who are willing to provide
pro bono legal services to pro se parties in federal civil cases. While
this program originally emphasized cases involving employment law claims,
the court has regularly referred other types of civil matters, such as
civil rights claims.
While the program focuses on providing volunteer legal services to pro
se parties who qualify to proceed in forma pauperis, eligibility is not
limited strictly to financial need. The judges may also consider other
factors, such as the issues and claims raised in the pro se complaint,
the complexity of the defenses asserted by the defendant, or the overall
benefit the volunteer legal services may provide to the court.
The Minnesota Chapter is responsible for supplying VLN with a list of
attorneys who are willing to provide volunteer legal services in cases
referred to the program by the court. If the court makes a referral, the
referral is made directly to VLN, who may then refer the case to a volunteer
attorney. Upon receiving a referral to the program, VLN will usually contact
individual attorneys identified by the chapter who have agreed to provide
volunteer legal services under the program. Attorneys who agree to provide
volunteer legal services in the program will be responsible for promptly
responding to any VLN inquiry.
If you are interested and willing to serve as a volunteer on this panel,
please contact Jeffer Ali at (612) 332-5300 or jali@merchant-gould.com.
Minnesota Chapter Grants
Each year, the Grant Review Subcommittee of the chapter solicits and reviews
applications for grants from organizations whose activities are consistent
with the mission statement of the FBA and, in particular, have a focus
on issues that are federal in nature. The subcommittee recommends to the
board of directors the respective grants to be awarded to the applicants.
The money to fund these programs comes from member support of Minnesota
Chapter events like the monthly luncheon series, the judges’ dinner-dance
and the annual seminar. In 2006, the following groups were collectively
awarded $21,500 in grants:
— Eighth Circuit Historical Society (toward the funding of
the publication of Professor Morris' full length history of the Eighth
Circuit).
— William Mitchell Bernie Becker Fund (toward the funding of a scholarship
program in place at William Mitchell Law School to support American Indian
law students).
— Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota (toward the funding of
legal representation for low-income immigrants as they work to achieve
their citizenship status).
— Minnesota Justice Foundation Immigrant Law Clerkship (toward the
funding of a summer clerkship with a focus on immigration issues).
— Volunteer Lawyers Network (toward the funding of a program relating
to pro se litigants in federal court cases).
— Volunteers of America Minnesota (toward the funding of the
Federal Visitation Program, which maintains familial ties between
federally incarcerated mothers and their children who are living in Minnesota).
— Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights (toward the funding of legal
services for asylum seekers petitioning for review in the federal courts
of appeal).
— The Innocence Project of Minnesota (toward the funding of legal
and investigative assistance to inmates who claim actual innocence).
The Federal Transportation Program:
Reuniting Female Inmates With Their Dependant Children
In the spring of 2004, the local federal district court asked the Minnesota
Chapter of the FBA to assist it in finding an agency that would help facilitate
the transport of dependent family members to visit Minnesota inmates that
are serving time in out-of-state federal penitentiaries. The FBA examined
the feasibility of a pilot project for female inmates with dependents
that are serving time at the federal penitentiary located in Pekin, Illinois.
The funds for such a program were available to the district court as a
result of certain fines levied in federal criminal cases, and the court
discretion to administer those funds. In September 2004, the federal court
accepted the FBA subcommittee’s recommendation that the Minnesota
Chapter of Volunteers of America administer the program.
The first FBA/VOA Federal Transport trip to the women’s federal
correctional facility in Pekin, Illinois occurred on the weekend of May
20-22, 2005, and the second trip occurred on Aug. 19-21. Caretakers and
dependents participated. VOA rented a motor coach bus for the trip. The
use of a motor coach as a means of transporting caretakers and dependents
to Pekin is an outstanding solution to the transportation problem. The
bus is equipped with television monitors and DVD and VHS capability and
a restroom. The trips were successful and VOA is the ideal organization
to implement this program. Trips are now scheduled for the third weekend
every third month.
The Minnesota Chapter was awarded the Ilene and Michael Shaw Public Service
Award for the year 2005 as a result of it work in the Federal Transportation
Program in partnership with the Minnesota VOA. The Minnesota Chapter was
also awarded a $2,500 grant to help fund trips that would determine the
feasibility of expanding this program and making it available for
Minnesota inmates housed at institutions other than the Federal Correctional
facility in Pekin, Illinois. In addition, there is a real possibility
that this type of program can be initiated on a nationwide basis for female
inmates that are serving time in penitentiaries far away from their families.
This is particularly true given the national nature of the VOA.
Law Student Award Program
The Minnesota Chapter of the Federal Bar Association has recognized
outstanding achievement by law students from the local law schools for
over 20 years. The program furthers our mission of encouraging and maintaining
high standards of learning and competence in the legal profession.
Every year, at each of the four law schools in the Twin Cities, a student
is selected to receive an award from the Minnesota Chapter of the Federal
Bar Association for excellence in the study of federal law and practice.
Each award is named in honor of a person who has contributed significantly
to the federal legal system in Minnesota. The Judge Edward J. Devitt Award
is given to a student at the University of Minnesota Law School; the Harry
A. Sieben Award is awarded to a student at William Mitchell College of
Law; the Judge Jacob Dim Award is given to a student at Hamline University
School of Law; and the Judge Earl R. Larson Award is presented to a student
at the University of St. Thomas School of Law. The students are selected
with the help of a faculty committee at each law school. Award recipients
receive $2,000 and an engraved wooden plaque.
The recipients of the 2007 awards are Brian Pousson, William Mitchell
College of Law; Sarah J. Vokes, University of Minnesota Law
School; Sonny Zhan, Hamline University School of Law; and Brian Connelly Jr.,
University of St. Thomas Law School.
Improving The Diversity of the
FBA
The Diversity Committee is committed to encouraging more active participation
by women and people of color at all levels of the FBA, from membership
to participation in leadership, in an effort to benefit not only the FBA,
but the Twin Cities legal community at large. In 2007, the committee created
a new initiative to help address the diversity pipeline crisis of the
declining number of diverse students pursuing a legal education. This
initiative is a collaborative effort with the Page Education Foundation,
whose mission is to increase participation of Minnesota’s youth
of color in post-secondary education through the use of role models and
financial aid. Every Page Scholar “gives back” by agreeing
to mentor younger children of color while receiving financial aid from
the Foundation. The committee is encouraging FBA members to serve as senior
mentors to Page Scholars and believes that serving as mentors will have
a positive impact and may persuade some Page Scholars to ultimately pursue
a legal career. Further, because these Page Scholars also mentor K-8th
grade students, a positive perspective on the legal profession will trickle
down to younger students, which the committee hopes will strengthen the
pipeline of diverse students pursuing a legal education. In addition to
serving as senior mentors to Page Scholars, the Chapter will also be providing
two $2,000 scholarships to the Page Education Foundation this year. For
more information on the Page Education Foundation, please visit www.page-ed.org.
To sign up to be a senior mentor, please visit www.page-ed.org/mentor_application_form.html.
If you have any suggestions for the Diversity Committee on how it can
make all levels of the FBA more diverse, please feel free to contact one
of the committee co-chairs, Hon. Donovan W. Frank dwfrank@mnd.uscourts.gov
or Annie Huang, ahuang@rkmc.com.
Judges’
Practice Pointers and Preferences
The Minnesota Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, with the generous
assistance of the district's judges, has compiled a set of "Practice
Pointers and Preferences" for federal court practitioners.
Judges participating in this project have submitted a list of practice
pointers and preferences regarding, for instance, motion practice, written
submissions to chambers, scheduling hearings, trial practice, and the
like. This information is not intended to constitute a new "local
rule" or "standing order" for each judge, but merely a
helpful resource for members of the bar. Below are links to the Practice
Pointers and Preferences provided by each participating judge.
Chief Judge James M. Rosenbaum
Judge Michael J. Davis
Judge John R. Tunheim
Judge Ann D. Montgomery
Judge Donovan W. Frank
Judge Joan N. Ericksen
Judge Paul A. Magnuson
Judge Patrick J. Schiltz
Judge Gregory K. Kishel
Chief Magistrate Judge Raymond L. Erickson
Magistrate Judge Arthur J. Boylan
Magistrate Judge Franklin Noel
Magistrate Judge Janie S. Mayeron
Magistrate Judge Jeanne J. Graham
Recent
Events
Federal Court Practice
Seminar
June 6, 2007
The 33rd Annual Federal Court Practice Seminar was held on June 6, 2007
at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Minneapolis. Various judges, government
attorneys, in-house counsel and private practitioners presented a wide
range of compelling presentations on the state of the District Court,
new developments at the Supreme Court, government investigations of corporations
and individuals, recent developments in Federal Civil Procedure, settlement
from the judicial and in-house counsel perspective, the e-discovery amendments,
patent litigation, recent developments in employment law, making the law
of e-discovery, and increasing diversity in the legal profession. In addition,
former Vice-President Walter Mondale delivered the Mason Memorial Luncheon
speech on the law and public trust, and a reception was given to honor
Senior U.S. Circuit Judge Gerald W. Heaney and the late Senior U.S. Circuit
Judge Donald P. Lay. Nearly 200 attorneys attended the event and had a
unique opportunity to question several of the judges during the panel
presentations.
CLE
Information
2007-2008 CLE
2006-2007 CLE
2005-2006
CLE
2004-2005 CLE
2003-2004 CLE
2002-2003
CLE