Mitchell on Law Spring 2009

on law

SPRING 2009

WILLIAM MITCHELL COLLEGE OF LAW MAGAZINE

The Leadership Equation

What qualities make for an effective leader?

Mitchell alumni share their hardearned insights.

Networking Tips pg 7 Five questions for Sue Dosal ’79 pg 9 New 2008 independent clinic sets up shop pg 18 Neil Thompson ’99 takes on a corporate giant pg 20 Fall

William Mitchell College of Law

Alumni Association 36th Annual

Alumni Golf Tournament

Mitchell on Law Volume 27, No. 1 Published by the Office of Institutional Advancement William Mitchell College of Law 875 Summit Ave., St. Paul, MN 55105-3076 651-290-6370 fax: 651-290-7502 magazine@wmitchell.edu www.wmitchell.edu/alumni Executive Editor Mary Grant Editor Chris Mikko Custom Publishing Services The Coghlan Group Writing Sara Aase Kevin Featherly Suzy Frisch Karen K. Hanson Lisa Harden Meleah Maynard Mary Lahr Schier Jenny Sherman

Art Direction Pamela Belding Graphic Design and Illustration Pamela Belding John Diebel Photographers Raoul Benavides Jonathan Chapman Tim Rummelhoff Sarah Whiting Steve Woit

President and Dean Eric S. Janus Chair, Board of Trustees Mary Cullen Yeager ‘89 Board of Trustees Kathleen Flynn Peterson ‘81, vice chair; Judge Elizabeth H. Martin ‘80, secretary; James C. Melville ‘90, treasurer; Louis L. Ainsworth ‘77; Lynn M. Anderson ‘80; Lawrence T. Bell ‘79; Stephen R. Bergerson ‘74; Stephen B. Bonner ‘72; Patricia Ann Burke ‘78; Mary C. Cade ‘77; Jeffrey P. Cairns ‘81; Richard R. Crowl ‘76; Mary Lou Dasburg; Stephen R. Lewis Jr.; David M. Lilly Jr.; Martin R. Lueck ‘84; Mark A. Metz ’97; Ruth A. Mickelsen ‘81; Daniel P.

Minnesota Valley Country Club in Bloomington

O’Keefe ‘78; Ben I. Omorogbe ‘95; Peter M. Reyes Jr. ‘97; Lenor A. Scheffler ‘88; William R. Sieben ‘77; Marschall I. Smith; Gregory J. Stenmoe ‘81; Thomas W. Tinkham; Eric C. Tostrud ‘90; William A. Van Brunt; Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright; Donald F. Zibell ‘62

The Alumni Golf Tournament proceeds support the Student Award of Merit, given at each commencement to a graduating student who has demonstrated exemplary scholastic achievement and distinguished participation in college programs and activities.

For more information and registration: www.wmitchell.edu/alumni/golf

Alumni Association President Mark A. Metz ‘97 Alumni Association Board of Directors Jocelyn L. Knoll ‘92, vice president; Katherine A. Golden ‘99, secretary/treasurer; Thomas C. Baxter ‘94 ; Jennifer F. Beck-Brown ‘03; Timothy E. Bianchi ‘95; Mark V. Chapin ‘82; John M. Degnan ‘76; Dyan J. Ebert ‘93; Judge Jill Flaskamp Halbrooks ‘85; Mark A. Hallberg ‘79; Michelle A. Hatcher ‘98; Lee A. Hutton III ‘02; Imani S. Jaafar-Mohammad ‘04; Kathy S. Kimmel ‘96; Barbara J. Klas ‘91; William M. Orth ‘80; Judge George T. Stephenson ‘85; Robert G. Suk ‘70; Sylvia I. Zinn ‘84

Mitchell on Law

Table of Contents

10 The Leadership Equation

By Kevin Featherly What qualities make for a true leader? As these four alumni have discovered, there is no single trait or answer—other than a willingness to stand up to challenges and make tough decisions.

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15 From Boardroom to Classroom

By Jenny Sherman Professor Thuy-Nga Vo applies the lessons she learned in business and corporate law to her William Mitchell classes.

16 Professors of Practice A timeline highlighting Professors Roger Haydock’s and John Sonsteng’s pioneering contributions to practical legal education over the past 30 years.

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18 The Best Defense

By Mary Lahr Schier William Mitchell’s new clinic gives students exposure to criminal law and a chance to connect with the local community.

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Alumni Profile

20 The Good Fight

By Meleah Maynard Neil Thompson ’99 used his training as a pharmacist and lawyer to bring a major corporation’s questionable billing practices to light.

Departments

2 Mitchell in FOCUS: A close-up look at Professor Mark Edwards’ Property II class

Cover illustration

by Pamela Belding

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4 875 SUMMIT: News and updates from the William Mitchell campus and community 22 Gratitude: Paving the Way 24 Class Notes 32 To the Point—Message from Dean Janus

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Spring 2009

Read the magazine online @ www.wmitchell.edu/alumni

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MITCHELL IN FOCUS

Roll Call: Property II Enter William Mitchell’s Property II class on Tuesday evenings during spring semester, and you’ll meet a physicist, Minnesota state representative, bank examiner, private investigator, Latin dance champion, triathlete, wooden boat builder, and viticulturist (grape grower), just to name a few. Most of the students in this secondyear class attend law school part time while working full time.

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Debra Hilstrom: Fifth-term legislator, Minnesota House of Representatives Nina Herman: New York transplant, waitress

Vadim Savvateev: Ph.D. in physics who speaks Russian and Hebrew Charmaine Harris: Former mechanical engineer

Steven Cosgrove: Examiner for the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis

Hassan Sahouani: Physical chemist with 3M who holds 24 patents in the area of liquid crystal display (LCD); also a viticulturist (grape grower)

Bride Siefert: Former logistics coordinator, National Science Foundation, South Pole Station and Summit Camp, Greenland Ice Cap

Brian Wambach: Special education teacher

Read more news online @ www.wmitchell.edu/alumni

Mitchell on Law

Photo by Steve Woit

Cora Holland-Koller: Paralegal running Boston Marathon this spring and training for an Ironman-level triathalon

and Vietnam-era Navy vet currently clerking at the Public Defender’s Office Appellate Division Leah Stauber: School social worker

Miriam “Duchess” L. Harris: Associate professor of American Studies, Macalester College Alisa Kushnir: Intern for both Thomson-Reuters and William Mitchell Student Services, and Latin dance champion Michael Fahy: Former cop in Hell’s Kitchen, N.Y.; prison guard;

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Jeremy Duehr: Environmental consultant who builds mahogany sea kayaks Tony Lambrecht: Former University of Wisconsin–Madison police officer and Dane County (Wis.) deputy sheriff Nick Kulpa: Private investigator on mortgage fraud cases who also writes short stories

Mark Edwards: Former practicing attorney, now a Mitchell professor and 2007-08 Faculty of the Year Award winner; studies parameters of acceptable deviance around behaviors, such as speeding, that are illegal but publicly accepted Lecture topic: Edwards’ article comparing the U.S. government’s relationships with banking and housing finance industries to the relationships other governments have with industries in their countries

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News and updates from the William Mitchell campus and community

Meet Debra Hilstrom 2L

Dynamic state legislator, successful Mitchell student, time management whiz Best excuse for missing an exam: “The Speaker of the

House says I can’t leave the House floor during a Call of the House vote, or he’ll send the sheriff after me.”

Legitimate reasons for cutting class: Bill hearings and

press junket with Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson ’95 on a bill she introduced this session mandating mediation prior to foreclosure proceedings.

Favorite time-management device: New couch at her William Mitchell student Debra Hilstrom, a Minnesota state representative from Brooklyn Center, won reelection to her fifth legislative term in November 2008. The mother of two has a full plate—in addition to law school, she serves on six House committees, chairs the Public Safety Policy and Oversight Committee, has introduced 11 bills this session, and will complete a law school program in two and a half years.

Bringing her legislative experience to the classroom:

“During a discussion on child support legislation in my Family Law class, I explained why I voted against a recent law governing child support income shares.”

Using her classroom experience at the Legislature:

The longest day(s): At the end of the last session, she

attended a Tax Conference Committee meeting from 7 pm until 4 am, ran home to Brooklyn Center, came back to the Capitol at 7 am to sign a conference committee bill, and then rushed over to William Mitchell to take an 8 am exam.

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Helping other Mitchell students: Second-year William

Mitchell student Joel Moravchik, who interns for Hilstrom, has high praise for his classmate/field supervisor: “She’s selfless, which can be a rare thing to find in a law school setting,” he says. “She’d help any one of her classmates. She also brings great perspective to her classes: She’s accomplished, wellspoken, well-prepared, and provides great insights about the cases and from her professional experience.”

Kudos from the state’s top attorney: “Debra is a force

to be reckoned with in the Legislature,” says Swanson. “She is bright, tough, and extremely hard working. Whether it’s public safety, civil justice, or mortgage reform, she’s written many of the laws that students learn about in law school.”

In her own words: “This is a blast. I’m having fun because I

can see how things connect between the classroom and the real world.”

—Lisa Harden

Read more news online @ www.wmitchell.edu/alumni

Mitchell on Law

Photo by Sarah Whiting

“During a House floor debate on medical procedures, I shared a story a doctor told in my Torts class. Normally, I wouldn’t have spoken up on this issue, but after hearing from the doctor in class, I felt compelled to share her experience.”

legislative office for catching up on classwork or a rare nap.

Student Profile

Students win major awards for elder law, health law research

William Mitchell student Melissa Hunt is the first U.S. law student to receive the Gregory Steele Prize from the Canadian Centre for Elder Law. She won the international honor for a paper she presented at the Fourth Annual Canadian Conference on Elder Law. Two other Mitchell students and Professor Kimberley Dayton, director of the Center for Elder Justice & Policy, also presented papers at the conference.

William Mitchell had the largest number of presenters from one law school. Hunt, a 4L, is a clerk at Long, Reher & Hanson, Minneapolis, as well as for the Elder Law Section of the Minnesota State Bar Association. Her paper discussed the rights of grandparent custodians in Minnesota.

Third-year student Lauren Nuffort received the Seventh Annual Law Student Writing Competition Award from the American Bar Association Section of Health Law. Her paper discussed the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008, which prohibits discrimination in health insurance and employment based on a person’s genetic makeup. Nuffort

learned about the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act while working as a law clerk in HealthPartners’ legal department.

Mitchell students receive competitive federal and state appellate clerkships

Federal and state appellate court judges chose 11 Mitchell students for 2009 clerkships—two students in U.S. District Court, four at the Minnesota Supreme Court, and five at the Minnesota Court of Appeals. “Receiving a judicial clerkship is a tremendous accomplishment,” says William Mitchell President and Dean Eric S. Janus. “These positions are highly competitive and involve an extremely rigorous selection process. The appointments reflect the hard work, dedication, and talent these students have brought to their Mitchell education.”

>> Read more about the Mitchell students who received clerkships at: www.wmitchell.edu/keyword=clerkships

Mitchell and the economy How’s Mitchell doing? That’s the question on everyone’s mind these days. The answer: quite well, thank you. Applications for fall are steady. Support from alumni is strong. And we’re still delivering a practical legal education.

Like all law schools, William Mitchell has been affected by the economy, but President and Dean Eric S. Janus says the

school is doing well. “We’ve been here for 109 years. We’ve seen economic upticks and downturns,” he says. “Right now we’re doing what we always do: adapting to the situation.

We’re tightening our belts, but not in any way that will compromise the quality of our academic program—now or in the future.”

Mitchell team publishes NITA training materials The National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA) is adding more William Mitchell teaching materials to its collection.

This spring, NITA began publishing Practicum Series Advocacy Exercises, based on learn-by-doing methods used in several William Mitchell courses, including Advanced Advocacy and Legal Practica. Gregory J. Smith, NITA’s director of publications, says the materials add a new dimension to the organization’s nationally recognized library of legal advocacy training materials. The Practicum Series Advocacy Exercises,

Spring 2009

created by Professor John Sonsteng and staff members Linda Thorstad and Jennifer Miller, allow students to demonstrate effective advocacy skills in many forums: negotiation, mediation, arbitration, motion practice, appellate argument, and jury trials.

>> Check out Professor Sonsteng’s

plan to reform legal education at: www.wmitchell.edu/LER

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News and updates from the William Mitchell campus and community

IP clinic students make history

Mitchell named a top public interest law school

Students in William Mitchell’s new Intellectual Property Law Clinic were among the first law students in the more than 200-year history of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to file trademark and patent applications before the federal agency last year.

The clinic, which William Mitchell’s Intellectual Property Institute launched this fall, is part of a pioneering USPTO pilot program at six U.S. law schools. The innovative partnership gives Mitchell’s IP clinic students valuable practice experience in trademark and patent law while helping inventors with legal needs.

William Mitchell is the 12th-best law school in the country for public interest law, according to The National Jurist. Mitchell was the only Minnesota school to rank in the top 35. The ranking is based in part on a law school’s curriculum, including clinical programs and pro bono requirements. The National Jurist report places William Mitchell ahead of the pack when it comes to combining public service and professional preparation.

>>Keep up with the Intellectual Property Institute at: www.wmitchell.edu/intellectual-property

Legal Research Tips from the Mitchell Reference Librarians

Delivering the Library to You Problem: You know that specific resources at the Warren E. Burger Library would be quite helpful in your legal research, but time or distance constraints make getting to the library difficult.

Solution: Skip the trip, and request the items through the library’s document delivery service.

Whether you need a law review article, a brief, or selections from a digest, reporter, or treatise, the library can—within the limits of copyright law fair use, of course—copy the materials and deliver them via email, fax, or traditional mail. Simply fill out the document delivery request form located on the library’s website (www. wmitchell.edu/library) for each item you would like to receive. Turnaround time is usually within 24 hours.

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Document delivery is a fee-based service. Costs are determined by the number of pages in the document and the format in which you wish to receive it. Because of licensing restrictions, requests for articles found only in electronic databases cannot be fulfilled. Document delivery is available only for materials that the library holds in physical form. However, with a collection of more than 300,000 volumes and more than 1,000 journal subscriptions, the library will most likely have what you need.

For more information on the library’s document delivery service, contact the circulation desk at circulation@wmitchell.edu or the reference department at reference@wmitchell.edu.

Read more news online @ www.wmitchell.edu/alumni

Mitchell on Law

Networking Networking is an essential skill in today’s economy—here are some tips on making smart connections Networking has three components: relationships, diligence, and follow-up.

That’s the consensus opinion of a handful of Mitchell alumni and a staff member who are very good at the practice: William Mitchell trustee Lynn Anderson ’80, executive vice president and general counsel for Holiday Companies; Mark Chapin ’82, deputy Hennepin County attorney; Bridgid Dowdal, William Mitchell’s assistant dean for career and professional development; and Barbara Klas ’91, former executive director of the International Institute for Women Entrepreneurs. All have had years to hone their networking skills, and all agree that it’s an essential skill in today’s economy.

What are the secrets to doing it correctly? Read on for their insights.

Step #1: Start close to home

The people closest to you—family, friends, business associates, and classmates—are the best first contacts.

“Every position I have gotten has been through my professional network, never by responding to an ad,” says Klas. “My network of law school colleagues has

always been my first resource.”

She adds that the college’s Alumni Relations Office is also an invaluable resource. “Mitchell does a good job of keeping alums connected through events, resources, communications, and LinkedIn,” she says.

Dowdal echoes those sentiments and recommends getting in touch with faculty members. “They never shy away from alums getting back in touch to brainstorm about opportunities or connections,” she says.

Step #2: Do your homework

Taking time for introspection, including personality profiling tests, helps you understand the kind of work and organization that will make you happy.

Klas uses a one-sentence statement to tell contacts what she’s looking for, and Anderson suggests having four or five key message points ready to go. To make the most of events that involve “working the room,” Klas makes a list of the people she wants to get to know and sets a goal to meet them.

Chapin advises always having business cards with you and asking for others’ cards, but he doesn’t

recommend diving right in. He defines networking as building and cultivating relationships. With so much information available online, you should know a lot about your contacts before you meet.

Learning about people shows you care, and discovering common interests strengthens personal bonds.

Step #3: Follow up

When people facilitate introductions, they trust you to follow through and let them know the results. And when a job opens, Chapin says he takes pains to remember the networkers who kept in touch.

By the same token, Anderson says she appreciated the email thank you a successful job seeker sent to dozens of people who helped her. It took a village, and her note connected them.

A final word of wisdom from Anderson: “Treat people the way you expect to be treated—not just in networking, but every day in practice.

You never know where your next job is going to come from. It could be from opposing counsel, a judge, or an older or younger associate.”

—Karen K. Hansen

Networking Dos and Don’ts Even during informal and social conversations, savvy networkers are careful about what they do and don’t say Do ask: • • • •

about your contact’s interests and backgrounds for specific assistance and referrals how you can help them for the job (if one appears to be there).

Don’t ask:

• for a lot of time (15 minutes is about right) • about work-life balance (doing so might send a wrong signal at an early stage).

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Do tell: • • • • • •

why you’re interested in your contact’s field or employer about skills, talents, or passions you have leveraged for success what makes you unique why you should be hired why someone would want to work with you what happened with the leads and referrals you received.

Don’t tell:

• tales of woe about previous employers or roles • about wild times when you were a student—or since!

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Scholarship Honor News and updates from the William Mitchell campus and community

Common Cause Over the past 20 years, William Mitchell Professor Eileen Roberts has helped hundreds of alumni become successful attorneys. Last year, one of them, Steve Mayeron ’98, an attorney and shareholder at Leonard, Street and Deinard, decided to offer his thanks by creating an endowed scholarship at William Mitchell in her honor.

“Professor Roberts pours her heart into the classroom and her teaching,” Mayeron says. “Her door is always open before and after class to talk about the subject matter, job search strategies, internship opportunities, or practice realities.

Through her connections, she has helped countless students, including me, find a job, even after they have graduated.”

Mayeron knew, however, that he couldn’t endow a scholarship on his own, so he called on a few of his fellow Mitchell alumni to help.

“Not everyone can make a million-dollar gift, but when people join together, they can make major gifts that significantly impact the college,” says Lisa Barton ’97, Mitchell’s development director.

With that in mind, Mayeron’s first calls were to Sally Scoggin ’80, a shareholder and attorney at Briggs and Morgan; Chuck Hoyum ’81, in-house counsel at Old Republic National Title Insurance (and Roberts’ husband); Sally Silk ’02, an associate at Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi; Jennifer Okerlund ’04, in-house counsel at Target; Signe Levine ’06, a real estate associate

Photo by Steve Woit

Alum launches successful scholarship drive to honor Professor Eileen Roberts ’80

at Leonard, Street and Deinard; and Marni (Lattimore) Nygaard ’03, an attorney at AEI Capital Funds.

Everyone volunteered to make a few more calls, and the initial scholarship funds were raised quickly.

Roberts is the Austin J. Baillon and Caroline M. Baillon Professor of Real Estate Law, specializing in the law of real property and real estate transactions. She serves as general editor of Minnesota Practice: Real Estate Law, and is a fellow of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers. She also represents the the Minnesota State Bar Association Section of Real Property Law on the Minnesota Electronic Real Estate Recording Commission.

Roberts, whose professorship was created by a major gift from Austin (John) and Caroline Baillon and the Baillon Family Foundation, knows the impact of giving. “By giving to William Mitchell, donors let those of us who teach here know that the legal education we provide is of value to our students and to the greater community,” she says.

“With their generous gifts, our alumni donors thank us, not only for what we did for them while they were students, but also for what we do for current students and the world outside our doors.”

—Lisa Harden

To contribute to the Friends of Professor Roberts Scholarship fund or to learn about scholarship giving, contact Lisa Barton at 651-290-6357 or visit www.wmitchell.edu/giving.

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Mitchell on Law

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Alumni Profile

Five Things About…

Sue Dosal ’79, state court administrator of the Minnesota Judicial Branch, on Doug Amdahl ’51, skiing, and serving as an ambassador to Norway 3. How do you unwind away

Sue Dosal makes things happen.

Over the course of her 27-year career as state court administrator of the Minnesota Judicial Branch, she took the vision of creating the Minnesota Court of Appeals and helped give it bricks and mortar—not to mention a staff, rules of procedure, and a computer system. She also played a key role in unifying the court system for the state’s 87 counties, and founded the National Court Interpreter Consortium to ensure proper training and certification for court interpreters. Last year she was recognized with the prestigious Warren E. Burger Award, given by the National Center for State Courts. We caught up with her to ask some tough questions, and she confessed—she really once was a ski bum. Read on for more of her favorite things.

from the office?

I typically get home late, prepare dinner, and try to catch up on what’s happening in the world. I’ll watch the political talk shows and other news shows. In the summer, we go up to our lake cabin north of Brainerd every weekend and spend an additional couple weeks there with our friends and family. I have a bridge group that’s been together since college, and we play once a month. I love to downhill ski, and I golf a little, too. Someday when I retire, I’d like to learn Spanish and to play the piano. Right now, I’m busy helping my oldest daughter plan her wedding.

4. Favorite vacation spot?

Besides the cabin, we try to go to the east coast of Florida every winter. I also love Aspen. I was a ski bum for three months there during my junior year in college, and I’ve had the skiing bug ever since.

1. Most important mentor during

your career?

Photo by Tim Rummelhoff

It’s hard to pick one, but Chief Justice Douglas Amdahl ’51 made a tremendous impression on me.

He had a reputation for integrity and compassion. When he was appointed to the state Supreme Court, six weeks after he moved to the chambers here in the Capitol, he came back to Hennepin County carrying a box with a stapler, pads of paper, and other little items. They had mistakenly been transferred (they belonged in Hennepin County), so he brought them back! Another time he was late for a speech at a major event because he stopped on the freeway to help a woman change a tire.

Spring 2009

5. What is your dream job 2. What do you know now that you

wished you had known back when you were starting your career?

When we began we only had a small inkling about the interconnectedness of the justice system. Significant change involves the interplay of social services, prosecutors, defense, probation, corrections, public safety, etc. This understanding is changing our approach to some of the most difficult problems. Dealing systemwide is more difficult and takes longer upfront, but it has a more meaningful and lasting impact.

(apart from the one you have now)?

Ambassador to Norway. That is where my ancestors came from.

It’s a fabulous country. I did my undergraduate work in 20th century European history and always thought I would go into international affairs.

It would be wonderful to represent the United States—and to do so by living in a different culture and really understanding it.

—Sara Aase

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The Leadership Equation

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Mitchell on Law

SPECIAL FOCUS:

the leadership equation

What qualities make for a true leader? As these four alumni have discovered, there is no single trait or answer—other than a willingness to stand up to challenges and make tough decisions

By Kevin Featherly Greed. Corruption. Lawlessness. Open any newspaper these days and you might think these are the new traits of leadership—Wall Street’s full of thieves, our baseball heroes aren’t so heroic after all, and numerous politicians have been caught lying.

As a law school that has taught thousands of legal professionals about justice, William Mitchell doesn’t buy it. While defining the exact characteristics all leaders share may be impossible, they do have some things in common. We asked four alumni to share their thoughts on leadership with us. Here’s what we found out: Their backgrounds and styles are as different as their causes. They all demonstrate a willingness to make bold decisions. The list of their shared traits does not include gluttony, fraud, and a penchant for breaking the law.

These are their stories.

Doris Ohlsen Huspeni ’70 A Mother’s Touch

Retired Court of Appeals Judge Doris Ohlsen Huspeni remembers the day she kiddingly set Supreme Court Justice Paul Anderson straight. In 1992, Anderson asked Huspeni how she defined her role on the court. She told him she saw herself as a kind of mother figure. “He duly noted that and went on his way,” she recalls.

Ten years later, Anderson reminded her what she had told him. “He said, ‘You know, I think you sold yourself short. You’re really a darn good judge,’” she recalls. “I shook my head. I said, ‘Paul, it’s clear you’ve never been a mother.’”

Huspeni, who raised five children during her career, retired in 1998 but continues to serve on the appeals court four to six months each year as a senior judge.

She says she always brought a mediating, mentoring, and maternal approach to leadership, both as the boss in her judicial office and as a jurist on the bench.

In fact, Huspeni’s career genesis can be traced to a parental tragedy. In 1961, she and her husband, Joe, were expecting their fourth child. But the baby girl died at birth. At the time, Huspeni had put her own academic hopes on hold while her husband finished his electrical engineering degree. In the hospital, after the baby died, her husband urged her to finish her undergraduate sociology degree. “He said, ‘You have wanted to go back to school since I’ve known you, and I won’t let you go home and have this be a cloud on you,’” Huspeni says. “‘You’re going back to school.’”

She finished the degree at the University of Minnesota in 1964 (a fourth son was born that same year), and she entered William Mitchell in the fall of 1965. She and Joe had a daughter in 1968, and in 1970, Huspeni earned her law degree.

Her legal career began in the office of State Public Defender C. Paul Jones L.L.M. ’55 who hired three women. The others included Rosalie Wahl ’67, later Minnesota’s first female Supreme Court justice, and Roberta Levy, who would become a Hennepin County district court judge. They covered for each other when anyone had to take a child to the doctor or attend to other family matters. “It was a great experience as a mother with young children,” Huspeni says.

Several years later, Gov. Al Quie appointed her to the Hennepin County Municipal Court and then to the Hennepin County District Court. Gov. Rudy Perpich went one better, appointing Huspeni to the then-new Minnesota Court of Appeals in 1984.

Her experiences as a mother naturally informed her leadership style as a judge, she says. “I felt a very motherly attitude toward the law clerks, and I think that translates to mentoring,” she says, adding that her clerks often played essential roles in formulating her legal analysis. “I felt that we were working together rather than anybody working for me.” continued on next page

Spring 2009

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Leadership continued from page 11

While she is aware that some see the maternal approach as potentially detrimental in a leadership capacity, she says she never saw any alternative. It simply is not in her makeup to play the heavy. “I don’t think I would be capable of managing by intimidation,” she says. “I’d like to believe that my management by consensus worked.”

Jann Olsten ’74

brought him on board as chief operating officer at ProEx Photo and Portrait. After ProEx was sold, both men left in 1999 to found Archiver’s. Today, the company operates 44 “memory crafts” stores in 13 states.

Olsten says his law degree laid the groundwork for everything that followed. Without the degree, he never would have made the connections that led him to politics, and without politics, he may never have realized that his true passion was business. “I discovered that I liked running things in business better than I liked giving advice in politics,” he says.

Olsten’s education gave him something else that proved even more critical. Studying endless case law in school forced him to think critically, to pick out the case issues that matter most and set others aside. As Archiver’s continues to face economic challenges, that capacity has never been more dramatically put to the test. “When times are tough, you face problems on a daily basis,” he says. “I think what’s important for a leader is that you need to step back just a bit and ask, ‘What are the critical issues here for our company?’ And then help the staff to focus on those critical issues.”

The Proper Perspective

In today’s uncertain economy, Jann Olsten’s leadership skills are being sternly tested. The president and CEO of Archiver’s, a Minnetonka, Minn.-based scrapbooking business, has had to order some painful cuts since the markets froze up last year. Archiver’s has also had to delay some expansion plans.

He and company co-founder and board chair Bruce Thomson are betting that the economy won’t turn around until the spring of 2011, and are making decisions based on that assumption. “It’s really cutting back where you need to, to make sure that you survive for tomorrow,” Olsten says.

Olsten didn’t take the usual MBA route to the business world. He started as a lawyer in the mid1970s in the Little Falls, Minn., law office of attorneys Gordon Rosenmeier and John Simonett. Later he was a partner with Minneapolis law firm Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi. For four years, he served as chief of staff to U.S. Sen. Rudy Boschwitz and followed Boschwitz to the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which oversees Republican Senate candidates’ election efforts.

Olsten worked there as executive director.

In 1989, Thomson, a former Olsten law client,

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Paula Jossart ’99

The Compassionate Attack Lawyer

Paula Jossart doesn’t know who put the “Beware of Attack Lawyer” sign on her office door. But she knows why it’s there.

“I believe in my clients, and I believe in their causes,” says Jossart, a partner at the Minneapolis law firm Yaeger, Jungbauer & Barczak. “I’m really aggressive about my representation, and thus I have the attack lawyer sign on my door—that’s just who I am.”

Read more news online @ www.wmitchell.edu/alumni

Mitchell on Law

SPECIAL FOCUS:

the leadership equation

A former North Dakota newspaper reporter and long fight, the courts finally sided with Jossart and her editor, Jossart acknowledges that it bothers her when client. “I would never let up,” she says. “You really had the other side in a legal dispute plays it cute or tries to to stick to your guns.” act sly in answering questions. “I get very aggressive In her other big case, Jossart represented a group of with that,” she says. families who lived near the site of the worst anhydrous Her leadership skills ammonia spill in the history “You have to be able to tell were honed during her of North Dakota. The toxic newspaper days. At age 22 cloud injured all 100 [clients] the good and the bad. gas she was promoted to an clients, she says. In that And you have to feel for them. I case, her discovery work editing position in which she oversaw eight community documentation really do lead with compassion.” unearthed newspapers. During that that indicated potential time, she says, she learned destruction of evidence just how important the small things in life are to people. by the defendants. While never proven in court, her “You learn very quickly that an obituary or a story about findings led to favorable settlements for her clients. who came to visit their grandma over a weekend is “It was a fight,” she says. “There were very, very good important to people,” she defense attorneys on says. “That made me a the other side who better communicator and threw everything better able to understand at us. It was a wild people. I think that helps game of dodgeball you with juries.” many times, and The news background sometimes it seemed also taught her how to we didn’t have a stand her ground against lot of balls to throw powerful people and back. But in the end, interests, another handy the plaintiffs we courtroom skill. “There represented did very might be a judge who well.” doesn’t like the way you’re Jossart, who doing things or doesn’t admits that some agree with you, and he or of her clients’ cases she will scrutinize you and are so dramatic put you under pressure,” that they cause she says. “But you really her to lose sleep, have to stand up and take sees her leadership it—and know that you’re role in the context doing what is right.” of compassionate Jossart, a personal counseling. “You injury attorney, specializes have to be able to in the Federal Employers tell [clients] the good Liability Act. Most of her work involves representation of and the bad,” she says. “And you have to feel for them. railroad workers injured on the job without the benefit I really do lead with compassion.” of workers compensation coverage. However, neither of Jossart says that it’s important to put herself in the her two biggest cases has involved railroad workers. position of her clients and understand the personal In one of those cases, she secured a $12.5 million impact of the issues they face. “That helps you make verdict for a heating and cooling company worker who better decisions which not only help them, but also help was horribly scalded while servicing a faulty boiler at a the case along,” she says. “That’s the only way I know school. The school district balked at a settlement, saying how to lead.” the technician was at fault for his own injuries. After a continued on next page

Spring 2009

13

Leadership

continued from page 13

on carrying alcohol. The program was scrubbed when passengers overwhelmingly rejected the religious accommodation.

Still, Mohamud says that it was not a mistake to issue the fatwa because, under Islamic law, it is not possible to separate personal from religious conduct. The collapse of the pilot program was simply a matter of politics, he says. “There were negotiations between the cab drivers, and I was one of the mediators. I was trying to bridge them because I know [American] law, and I know the Hassan Ali Mohamud Islamic law,” he says, adding that Muslim taxi drivers— who comprise 70 percent of all airport cabbies—had the ’02 right to resist under the First Amendment. “This is my role of leadership, to bridge between two cultures.”

Mohamud has continued to work on building bridges, particularly in his attempts to ease restrictions Building Bridges faced by Somali immigrants. For instance, he says, new As a leader, Hassan Mohamud wears many hats. He is citizens need to wait only one year to bring their spouses an imam, or Muslim cleric, at the Minnesota Dawah to America, while those on work visas carrying green Institute of St. Paul. He works as an advocate at the cards must wait up to five years. “We are trying to Legal Aid Society of Minneapolis’ Immigration Law eliminate this gap,” he says.

Project, and serves on the board of the Twin Cities’ Mohamud, who speaks four languages and has American Red Cross. In addition to that, he holds traveled to more than 30 countries, notes that his seminars to help attorneys understand the issues that William Mitchell education was an essential ingredient in their Muslim clients face. forging his personal leadership style. “William Mitchell Mohamud, the first Somali immigrant to have gave me a lot,” he says.

“Whatever leadership style I graduated from a Minnesota law school, was once had before I came to the United States was enriched by involved in a public controversy. In 2006, he was among the advanced, modern American legal system. That has the signers of a fatwa, or Muslim religious statement, helped me in many ways to issued during a problems.” standoff between “Whatever leadership style I had before resolve Mohamud says that he will the Metropolitan I came to the United States was enriched continue to forge connections Airports Commission between Muslim immigrants (MAC) and a group by the advanced, modern American legal and native Minnesotans and of Muslim taxi drivers system. That has helped me in many ways notes that many conflicts who, for religious could be resolved if both sides reasons, refused to to resolve problems.” simply understood the other’s transport alcohol-toting point of view. But he knows passengers. The fatwa, issued on the letterhead of the that the process will require immense patience. “I have Muslim American Society of Minnesota, informed cab no problem living in the United States as a good Muslim, drivers that “alcohol is the mother of all evils” and “it practicing Islam,” he says.

“I enjoy more freedom here is not permissible for you to carry on working this job, than any other place.

Because I do understand both because it involves cooperating in sin, according to systems, I understand how they work together. But few Islam.” people understand this. This is the unfortunate part.”

When the fatwa surfaced in the press, the resulting controversy helped put a stop to a MAC pilot program that would require Muslim drivers to place special top lights on their cabs to discreetly indicate their position

14

Kevin Featherly is a Bloomington, Minn.-based freelance writer.

Read more news online @ www.wmitchell.edu/alumni

Mitchell on Law

SPECIAL FOCUS:

the leadership equation

From Boardroom to Classroom

Professor Thuy-Nga Vo applies the leadership lessons she learned in business and corporate law to her William Mitchell classes

By Jenny Sherman For professors of any discipline—business, economics, sociology, politics—the current economic maelstrom has an upside: It’s providing a wealth of material for classroom discussion. The Madoff scandal, the furor over AIG executive bonuses, and, closer to home in the Twin Cities area, the allegations that Petters Group Worldwide CEO Tom Petters defrauded investors out of billions have offered rich talking points and ripe illustrative examples of leadership (or the lack thereof).

Such is the case in the classes taught by Professor Thuy-Nga Vo, who has been a faculty member at William Mitchell since 2006. Students in her business classes— which include Corporations; Corporate Finance; and Agency, Partnerships, and LLCs—enjoy delving into current events while discussing topics such as corporate mismanagement and shareholder loss.

They also benefit from the vast personal experience Vo brings to the classroom. “Having been out in the corporate world for more than 18 years, I have advised clients on the legal and business issues that we hear in the news today,” she says. “So there’s a lot of real-life experience that I try to pull in.”

In teaching her business law classes, Vo reviews cases that

Spring 2009

are well-publicized or shares examples from her professional experiences—mindful of protecting the confidentiality of past clients, of course. She believes that “people learn best when they can apply theoretical concepts to concrete situations.” That’s why she goes beyond statutes and textbooks to incorporate real situations into her teaching to enhance students’ learning.

In the real world

Vo gained her professional experience from a four-year stint as a corporate and securities attorney with Minneapolis-based Dorsey & Whitney, and from 14 years as

senior counsel and director of finance at Land O’Lakes.

While at Land O’Lakes, she took a self-assessment test as part of her executive leadership training. The results were enlightening and highly accurate. “The assessment results said the job sets I would excel at and enjoy most would include being a lawyer, a business leader, and a teacher,” she says, adding that until that time, “it never occurred to me to go into teaching.”

Although she relished her years in the corporate world, Vo started thinking more about exploring the teaching role. William Mitchell’s goal of providing students with practical wisdom resonated with her teaching philosophy and interests. She saw teaching as an opportunity to share with others and also deepen her own knowledge and experience in law and business. “I wanted to teach at an institution that values practical experience,” she says.

“I wanted to do something that would combine my legal training and practice with my business experience.”

Vo has already found success as a lawyer and business leader; teaching at William Mitchell offers the ideal opportunity to merge the skills from both those roles—and learn some new skills in the process.

Jenny Sherman is a New York Citybased freelance writer.

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Professors of Practice

Professor Roger Haydock and Professor John Sonsteng at William Mitchell College of Law 1972

1973

1974

1975

1976

1977

1978

1979

1979

1973 Under the direction of Roger Haydock and Rosalie Wahl ’67 (L), William Mitchell offers its first full year of clinical legal education, in a house at 2093 Grand Avenue.

In the first three years, they bring forward an amazing 19 clinical offerings, catapulting the law school into the national spotlight.

Professors Roger Haydock and John Sonsteng have spent more than 30 years at William Mitchell, revolutionizing the way law students are taught. They have contributed greatly to defining William Mitchell’s distinct brand of practical legal education and have influenced how law schools across the nation teach legal practice skills. Every Mitchell student since 1972 and thousands of practicing lawyers have been affected by their work. Here are just some of the highlights of their years at Mitchell thus far.

1990

1991

1992

Dakota County Attorney John Sonsteng joins the William Mitchell faculty and partners with Haydock in developing Mitchell’s legal skills program.

1972 Roger Haydock joins the William Mitchell faculty as an assistant professor charged with creating and implementing a clinical legal education program.

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

1991 Haydock and Sonsteng write Trial: Theories, Tactics, Techniques, a textbook that wins national praise. Later, they publish a five-volume advocacy series for practitioners and students.

1996 Haydock, Adjunct Professor David Herr ’78, and clinic codirectors Peter Knapp and Ann Juergens produce a textbook, Lawyering, and accompanying videotapes used at William Mitchell and many other law schools.

1990 Haydock and Sonsteng help to found the Warren E. Burger Inn of Court.

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1994 Haydock plays a pivotal role in the development of the National Arbitration Forum, one of the largest ADR providers in the world, and becomes one of Minnesota’s premier mediators.

Read more news online @ www.wmitchell.edu/alumni

Mitchell on Law

Haydock & Sonsteng Timeline

A more complete timeline was unveiled at a reception honoring Professors Haydock and Sonsteng on March 27.

It is now displayed on the second floor at William Mitchell.

1980

1981

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1981 William Mitchell’s Trial Advocacy course wins a major national award. Additionally, between 1982 and 1988, Mitchell’s trial advocacy team, coached in part by Sonsteng, goes to national competitions six times, winning first, second (pictured), and third in the nation.

2001

2002

1989

1988 Sonsteng wins a Fulbright Scholarship to work in Aberdeen, Scotland.

1984 Haydock and Sonsteng create the Legal Practicum, an intensive course where students act as managing partners of a hypothetical, three- to five-person law firm.

1980 Haydock and Sonsteng begin producing dozens of videotapes and manuals for NITA and William Mitchell skills courses.

2000

1988

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2008

2002 Haydock is named federal court special master in one of the largest litigation cases in American legal history. Two years later he founds and is first president of the Academy of Court Appointed Masters.

Sonsteng writes A Legal Education Renaissance, a radical discussion of perspectives and recommendations to encourage discussion about the future of modern legal education.

2008 The National Institute for Trial Advocacy recognizes Sonsteng with the Hon. Prentice H. Marshall Faculty Award for introducing countless educational innovations to NITA programs over the past 34 years, facilitating more than 100 training sessions, and serving as regional director since 1989.

For a more comprehensive timeline on Professors Haydock and Sonsteng, visit www.wmitchell.edu

Spring 2009

17

The Best Defense A new William Mitchell clinic gives students exposure to criminal law and a chance to connect with the local community

Photo by Raoul Benavides

18

Independent Clinic

By Mary Lahr Schier George T. Stephenson ’85 understands Martin on a variety of felony cases, experiential focus in a new and muchthe demography and geography including a domestic assault case and needed area. The college already offers of criminal justice in St. Paul. As a third-degree sale of cocaine charge. many opportunities to work with a former prosecutor and criminal Both cases—which Martin considers prosecutors, and many students work defense and family lawyer, and now typical for what a private practice in the Legal Assistance to Minnesota a Ramsey County judge, many of criminal defense lawyer would handle— Prisoners clinic. But no offerings address the defendants he sees are young will likely go to trial, with the students the needs of criminal defense clients. people of color who often don’t live and Martin handling them as a team.

“This clinic has a different perspective far from William Mitchell’s campus.

The students have done most of the for students, a different flavor of how Some are represented by lawyers from pretrial preparation on their own, with criminal defense is handled,” Dees says. the Neighborhood Justice Center, a “a little bit of guidance” from Martin.

“It’s all criminal law, and to understand nonprofit legal aid organization located For the students, this pretrial process both sides is important.” four blocks from campus. offers an opportunity to develop The clinic is similar to other William He also knows that many graduates practice skills and confidence, says Mitchell programs because studentwant to stay connected to the lawyers work with faculty advisors school and give back to the “It doesn’t matter how many cases and a field supervisor. They receive community. So, he thought, credit for working at the clinic you’ve read in class. It’s not real until based on how many hours they why not involve alumni in pro bono work for the community? put into their cases. “You’d be you do it.”

“William Mitchell is in a surprised how much research goes community with a disproportionate Martin. “You won’t know how to do into these cases and how quickly 100 representation of its residents in juvenile this work until you do it,” he explains. hours is used up,” Dees says. and criminal courts,” he says. “The “You won’t know how to handle the community is right there, so why not?” initial interview until you meet a client Community connections Stephenson’s comments at an or how to negotiate until you go back The clinic also allows students and alumni board meeting and a subsequent and forth with a prosecutor. It doesn’t the college to connect with the local lunch with Andriel Dees ’95, the matter how many cases you’ve read in community, says Dees. One important school’s associate dean of multicultural class. It’s not real until you do it.” aspect of that connection is the affairs, led to the start of a new clinic The experience is especially vital for collaborative relationship between the that is introducing students to criminal students who become sole practitioners clinic and the Neighborhood Justice defense work under the supervision of after graduation, he adds. “In these Center. The center handles referrals to Jeffrey Martin ’03, a part-time public tough economic times, you need to the clinic and provides administrative defender and full-time solo practitioner have the confidence to walk away from support for it. in St. Paul. The clinic began in January, school knowing you can handle a case.”

Beyond putting the idea in motion, and Dees, Stephenson, and Martin hope Stephenson is unable to take an active it will become a fixture. “The clinic is Quality time role in the clinic due to the potential really geared toward connecting William The clinic benefits defendants, too, for conflict of interest, but both he Mitchell to the surrounding community who often get more attention and time and Dees hope that the program will and to getting students and alumni from a student than they would from continue and expand as more alumni involved in that community,” Dees says. an overworked public defender. “The get involved as supervisors and more student is more likely to be willing to students pursue criminal defense clinical Building skills listen to the defendant’s story 10 times experience. “I have high hopes that this Martin, who has an office in the same to get all the details,” Martin says. “In will become a continuing part of our building as the Neighborhood Justice contrast, a public defender with dozens curriculum,” says Dees. “Many students Center, views the clinic as an effective of cases is more likely to say, ‘OK, let’s come here for the clinic experience. It’s skill-building experience for students cut to the chase. Did you do it?’ With part of our tradition.” and a way to improve representation the students, you have the ability to put for many low-income people from the quality time into a case.”

Mary Lahr Schier is a Northfield, Minn.neighborhood. Since the clinic opened, The clinic’s focus on criminal defense based freelance writer. two students have been working with expands Mitchell’s highly regarded From left: Judge George T. Stephenson ’85; attorney Jeffrey Martin ‘03; Carolina A. Lamas, executive director of the Neighborhood Justice Center; Andriel Dees ‘95, associate dean of multicultural affairs; and Mitchell student Christopher Pham, 3L

Spring 2009

19

The

& Good Photo by Raoul Benavides

Fight

Neil Thompson ’99 used his training as a pharmacist and lawyer to bring a major corporation’s questionable billing practices to light

By Meleah Maynard When he was growing up, Neil Thompson wanted to be a pharmacist like his dad. He followed that path and eventually took over the family business, enjoying his job immensely, particularly the closeness he shared with longtime customers.

But he also harbored an ambition of becoming a lawyer.

Not long after he fulfilled that ambition, he found himself at the center of an investigation of one of the country’s top drugstore chains.

For those who have not yet heard about Thompson, he and a fellow pharmacist, Dan Bieurance, were involved in a suit against Walgreens in 2005, alleging that the company

2 20

had been using a billing system that overbilled Medicaid on some prescription drugs since 1999. After a long investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice, a settlement was finally announced last September. Walgreens agreed to pay Minnesota and three other states a total of $9.9 million.

Admitting no wrongdoing, the company did say it would change its procedures to stop the overbilling. The 2008 settlement was the third time Walgreens has negotiated a multimillion-dollar deal to settle Medicaid-related problems in recent years.

Read more news online @ www.wmitchell.edu/alumni

Mitchell on Law

Alumni Profile From pharmacist to lawyer Thompson was 12 when he started sweeping floors at Nile Pharmacy, which his dad opened in south Minneapolis in the early 1950s. When he was a little older, he began waiting on customers, slowly learning typical pharmacy technician tasks such as typing labels and counting medications. He also delivered prescriptions on his bike and, later, by car. “I had learned the business before I even went to college,” says Thompson, who earned his pharmacy degree from the University of Minnesota in 1977.

After graduation, Thompson considered going to law school. But with his young wife, Liz, pregnant with their first child, he decided it was best to join the family business and get to work. Seventeen years later, with his four kids nearly grown, he began his studies at William Mitchell. He worked during the day at the pharmacy and attended classes at night.

Building a case In 1999, the same year he graduated from William Mitchell, he sold his family’s pharmacy to the Snyders Drug Stores chain. Though he was busy starting his law practice, he wanted to keep his pharmacy skills sharp, so he also worked part time at local pharmacies. In May 2000, he took a job working a few days a week for Walgreens. For the first few years, he was a floater pharmacist, working at 97 different stores, as needed. Then, he settled in part time at the store located just a few blocks from his family’s old pharmacy.

Thompson hadn’t worked for Walgreens long when he noticed billing problems with certain customers, particularly those with what is called “dual eligibility.” People with AIDS, for example, often have both Medicaid and private health insurance. When billing for these dual-eligible customers, pharmacies are only allowed to bill the government for the copay or deductible

remaining after the private insurer has paid, no more. But Walgreens, which had net sales of $53 billion in 2007, was using a software program that incorrectly billed dual-eligible claims, receiving more than the allowed copay or deductible.

Managers and supervisors were aware of the problem and had taught Thompson and Bieurance how to bypass the software and bill correctly.

But the pair routinely saw other employees using the old system that overcharged Medicaid. So they went to supervisors to talk about the issue. They got nowhere. “I reported the problem to five different supervisors,” Thompson recalls, adding that he even discussed it with an internal auditor. “What we got in response was a scathing email telling us to do things the wrong way.”

That’s when Thompson and Bieurance realized that if the overbilling was going to be stopped, they were going to have to do something about it themselves. Armed with years of evidence, Thompson called on local attorneys with experience in handling cases based on the False Claims Act.

Justice at last In February 2005, Thompson and Bieurance’s lawyers brought the case to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minneapolis, convincing them there was reason to open an investigation into Walgreens’ billing practices. FBI agents soon visited the homes of Walgreens’ managers and executives. And that’s when the real waiting began, says Thompson.

Over the next three and a half years, as the Justice Department quietly built its case (under the False Claims Act, all investigations are kept secret until the investigation ends), the stress was nearly unbearable. Thompson and Bieurance continued to work together for

Walgreens until 2006, when Bieurance left to take a position elsewhere. “I think the pressure got to him, and he didn’t want to stay,” says Thompson, who remains friends with his former colleague.

While Thompson considered leaving, too, he decided it was best to stay on and gather evidence. “For years, I stood right next to people at work knowing what was going on—and that they didn’t know,” says Thompson. “That was the most stressful thing I’ve ever gone through in my life, including the fact that when I owned my own pharmacy, I was held up at gunpoint eight times over the years.”

When the investigation and subsequent settlement became public in the fall, Thompson got an unexpected surprise. “Customers came in every day. Some were my old customers from my family’s pharmacy,” he says. “A lot of them didn’t even come in to buy anything. They just wanted to congratulate me for doing what I did. It was the most gratifying experience I’ve ever had in my life.”

Today, Thompson is on leave from Walgreens and is building his law practice, which is housed in the same building where his family’s pharmacy used to be. About 80 percent of the cases he works on involve the False Claims Act. But he also does wills, trusts, bankruptcies, and more. After investigating seven of the top pharmacy chains over the last several years, Thompson feels certain that about half are doing things the right way. As for the other half, he says: “Well, let me just say that they’re not off the hook.”

Meleah Maynard is a Minneapolisbased freelance writer.

>> Read a longer version of Neil Thompson's story in the magazine online at www.wmitchell.edu Spring 2009

21

Gratitude

Paving the Way Thanks to the Donald and Donna Barbeau Scholarship and her own hard work, Laura Wanger is on the verge of fulfilling a long-held dream

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Read more news online @ www.wmitchell.edu/alumni

Mitchell on Law

Photo by Jonathan Chapman Photography

As a young district court clerk with three County District Court. He presided there human resources. She left the workforce small children, Donald Barbeau ‘43 put for 20 years, including two as chief judge. to raise her three children, now 12, 8, and himself through night law school on his He died in 1983, and Donna, his wife, 6, always intending to pursue her dream way to becoming a well-respected judge. passed away the following year. of becoming a lawyer. With hard work and So he always had an affinity for law Barbeau, who had a reputation as a determination, she earned the number-two students who were working parents with a feisty judge with a zest for work, also spot in her class and worked on the law lot on their plates. maintained a close connection to William review. But the success hasn’t come easily.

His kids say he would have related Mitchell throughout his career. He hired She has had to juggle her own schoolwork to Laura Wanger’s struggles to earn her all of his law clerks from the college and with her kids’ academic commitments and degree while balancing life with three served as an adjunct professor for many activities, as well as running the household young children. And he would have been years. He also was grateful to Mitchell with her husband. pleased to ease her burden When she started the William through a scholarship directed “It’s exciting to see people who can take Mitchell evening program in 2006, to students with dependent advantage of what Mitchell can present Wanger would spend the day with children. her kids and then attend evening as an opportunity and build a meaningful classes five nights a week. She Barbeau’s six children created the Donald and commonly stayed up until the wee career out of it.”

Donna Barbeau Scholarship at hours to complete her coursework William Mitchell more than 20 years ago to for providing opportunities to working and spent weekends writing papers. Her help other working parents enter Barbeau’s students, and he appreciated the school’s scholarship helped relieve some of the much-loved profession. Two of those hands-on approach, especially for the trial pressure. “The scholarship made a huge children, Patty Walsh and Joe Barbeau, lawyers he saw in his courtroom, says his impact on my ability to go to school. If I recently replenished the fund with an son Joe, an international business attorney would have had to add a job on top of infusion of capital. “William Mitchell at Gibson Dunn & Crutcher in Palo Alto, it, it wouldn’t have worked at all,” says meant so much to my dad, and he always Calif.

Wanger. “I’ve been fortunate to end up pushed education in his own life,” says Joe and his siblings enjoy carrying where I have. Every scholarship dollar that Walsh. “I thought it was important to help on their parents’ legacy through the someone gives you is time you can spend people who are working hard and have scholarship. “It’s very moving to see on school and family and getting it all dependent children; they have to persevere people in that situation. They are so right.” and handle it all like my dad did.” incredibly motivated and determined to Wanger will work as a summer After Barbeau graduated from make a difference for themselves and associate at Oppenheimer Wolff & Minneapolis College of Law (later William their families,” he says. “It’s exciting to see Donnelly in Minneapolis this summer in Mitchell) in 1943, he worked for 16 years people who can take advantage of what hopes of ultimately becoming a corporate as a trial lawyer, specializing in personal Mitchell can present as an opportunity and lawyer. She is enormously appreciative of injury cases. At age 39, he became build a meaningful career out of it.” the scholarships she received and how the youngest member of the exclusive easy William Mitchell made it to return as International Academy of Trial Lawyers.

Realizing a dream a second-career student and mother. “This Gov. Orville Freeman named him to the That’s what Laura Wanger hopes to scholarship paid for a whole year’s worth Minneapolis Municipal Court in 1959, do after graduating in May 2010. This of books,” she says. “When an alum launching a storied judicial career. Barbeau Barbeau Scholarship recipient returned to leaves something behind, it paves the way served as chief judge of that court until law school after spending the first part of for someone to go to law school.”

1963, when he moved up to Hennepin her career in commercial real estate and —Suzy Frisch

“I’ve been fortunate to end up where I have.

Every scholarship dollar that someone gives you is time you can spend on school and family and getting it all right.”

Laura and Gordon Wanger with their children, Rachel, 8 (left), Zachary, 12 (right background), and Mathew, 6 (right foreground)

To learn more about giving to William Mitchell, visit www.wmitchell.edu/giving or call Lisa Barton, director of development, at 651-290-6357 or email lisa.barton@wmitchell.edu.

Spring 2009

23

Class Notes 1968

Hugh P. Markley received the Second Judicial District Pro Bono Award for 2008 from the Ramsey County Bar Association. He is an attorney at Markley Patient & Wald, St. Paul, and has been an attorney for the Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services/Ramsey County Volunteer Program since 1976.

1969

Gary J. Palm married Donald Ridone on July 25, 2008, in a civil ceremony in San Rafael, Calif.

1974

received the 2008 Trial Lawyer of the Year award from the Public Justice Foundation.

1977

Stephen J. Burton was elected to the board of directors as treasurer at Felhaber, Larson, Fenlon & Vogt, Minneapolis.

David M. Sparby was named president and CEO of Northern States Power Co., Minneapolis, an Xcel Energy company.

1978

1981

David F. Herr, partner at Maslon Edelman Borman & Brand, Minneapolis, was appointed to the Minnesota Supreme Court Advisory Committee on the Rules of Civil Appellate Procedure.

Stephen R. Bergerson will be inducted into the South Dakota Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in May. Bergerson played drums in a 1960s band, The Mystics, as it traveled with such legends as the Everly Brothers, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Dion on Midwest tours. Today, he chairs the Advertising, Marketing and Trademark Law Group at Fredrikson & Byron, Minneapolis.

Donald E. Horton has been licensed by the Minnesota Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy as a licensed professional counselor.

1975

Jeffrey R. Anderson received the Steven J. Sharp Award for Public Service from the American Association for Justice for his work representing survivors of sex abuse by clergy in California. He also 24

Patrick G. Ryan, president of Ryan Companies, Minneapolis, was appointed to the board of Children’s Hospital and Clinics of Minnesota.

Matthew J. Brandes is an attorney with Simmons, Perrine, Moyer & Bergman, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Paul C. Engh has been added to the Felhaber, Larson, Fenlon & Vogt, Minneapolis, defense team for the Thomas J. Petters case.

Kathleen M. Picotte Newman opened Kathleen Newman & Associates, Minneapolis.

1982

John G. Patterson joined Fredrikson & Byron, Minneapolis, as an officer in the firm’s real estate and litigation groups.

1983 Thomas D. Jensen, partner at Lind Jensen Sullivan, Minneapolis, was named vice chair for the Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee of DRI.

1979

Mark A. Hallberg, partner at Hallberg & McClain, St. Paul, was named president of the board of directors of the American Board of Trial Advocates Minnesota Chapter.

1980

Jack L. Anderson was appointed as an immigration judge in the Omaha (Neb.) Immigration Court.

Peggy J. Birk was named executive director of the George Family Foundation, Minneapolis.

Joseph W. Lawver was elected to the board of directors at Messerli & Kramer, Minneapolis.

David D. Alsop, partner at Gislason & Hunter, Minneapolis, is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.

Mitchell on Law

Class Notes 1984

Charles “Charley” W. Bates is the public records officer/risk management coordinator for the Administrative Office of the Courts in Olympia, Wash.

Judge Kenneth L. Jorgensen joined the trial group at Dorsey & Whitney, Minneapolis.

Timothy J. Keane joined Malkerson Gilliland Martin, Minneapolis, as a partner. He practices in the areas of real estate, land use, development, and eminent domain.

Paul J. Zech was elected secretary of the board of directors at Felhaber, Larson, Fenlon & Vogt, Minneapolis.

1985

Judge Jill Flaskamp Halbrooks, of the Minnesota Court of Appeals, was appointed to the Board on Judicial Standards

by Gov. Tim Pawlenty.

Brett W. Olander was elected chair of the Minnesota State Bar Association Civil Trial Certification Board.

Kathryn S. Richtman, assistant Ramsey County attorney in charge of the juvenile delinquency section of the prosecution division, was reappointed to the Minnesota Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee

by Gov. Tim Pawlenty.

George R. Wood joined Littler Mendelson, Minneapolis, as an office managing shareholder.

Spring 2009

1986

Peder A. Larson joined Larkin Hoffman Daly & Lindgren, Minneapolis, as a shareholder. He is a member of the government relations department and works with the land use and real estate practice group.

1987

Patricia A. Crumley has been named a policy fellow at the University of Minnesota’s Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs.

Sharon L. Van Dyck was elected president of the Minnesota Association for Justice.

1988

Susan J. Mundahl was awarded the 10th Judicial District Pro Bono Award for 2008.

1989

Susan G. Heegaard joined the Bush Foundation, St. Paul, as vice president and team leader for educational achievement.

Penelope J. Phillips rejoined Felhaber, Larson, Fenlon & Vogt, Minneapolis, as a member of the firm’s labor and employment litigation practice groups.

1990

Timothy C. Baxter was reelected district attorney for Crawford County, Wis., in November 2008.

Barbara A. Zurek was inducted into the International Academy of Trial Lawyers.

Alumni Recognized by Minnesota Lawyer Six alumni were named 2008 Attorneys of the Year by Minnesota Lawyer in recognition of their professional accomplishments: Allan F. Shapiro ’76, Finn Shapiro; William O. Bongard ’81, Sieben, Grose, Von Holtum & Carey; Sharon L. Van Dyck ’87, Van Dyck Law Firm; Michael J. Ford ’79, Quinlivan & Hughes; Michelle R. Jester ’94, Messerli & Kramer; and William R. Sieben ’77, Schwebel, Goetz & Sieben. The publication also recognized Susan M. Holden ’88 of Sieben, Grose, Von Holtum & Carey with a 2008 Outstanding Service to the Profession Award.

1992

David D. Ransom joined McDermott Will & Emery, Washington, D.C., as legislative counsel.

1994

Paul A. Lindstrom is of counsel at Grannis & Hauge, Eagan, Minn.

Jessica L. Roe has been named managing partner at Bernick, Lifson, Greenstein, Greene & Liszt, Minneapolis.

1995

James M. Clay joined Morrison Fenske & Sund, Minnetonka, Minn., as head of the firm’s trusts and estates practice group.

Lisa R. Youngers is vice president for federal affairs at XO Communications, Chicago, directing policy strategies presented before the FCC, Congress, and the Obama administration.

Read the magazine online @ www.wmitchell.edu/alumni

25

Class Notes 1997

Daniel S. Le has opened a new firm, Dan Le & Associates. Le is a solo practitioner in business/ corporate, real estate, personal/ business immigration, municipalities, discrimination, and white collar criminal defense. He shares an office suite in Minneapolis with Jonathan Geffen and Mark E. Arneson, who opened Geffen & Arneson, which focuses on criminal defense, employment, licensing, charities, and discrimination.

1998

Christopher Ferreira joined Messerli & Kramer, Minneapolis, in the banking and finance and real estate groups.

1999

Kathryn S. Hahne was appointed chair of the 2nd District Bar Association’s Ethics Committee.

Gary L. Hansen was elected to the Eagan (Minn.) City Council in November 2008.

Christopher P. Malone was elected shareholder at Cousineau McGuire, Minneapolis.

Bruce Hanley Memorial Golf Tournament Raises Funds for Student Scholarships The Fifth Annual Bruce Hanley Memorial Golf Tournament will be held Thursday, June 25, at the Prestwick Golf Course in Woodbury, Minn. This tournament was established in 2005 following the death of Mitchell alum, adjunct faculty member, and former alumni board president Bruce Hanley ’76 to support the Bruce Hanley Criminal Justice Scholarship.

Over the past four years, the tournament has generated approximately $60,000 for the fund, which provides scholarship money each year to outstanding students who have demonstrated an interest in becoming a criminal defense attorney. For more information about the tournament or supporting the scholarship fund, please contact Piper Kenney Webb ’97 at 612-340-9108.

Aaron W. Davis was named partner at Patterson, Thuente, Skaar & Christensen, Minneapolis. He is a member of the firm’s litigation department and also leads its arts and entertainment practice.

Kevin M. Decker has been elected shareholder of Briggs and Morgan, Minneapolis. He is a member of the business litigation section.

2000

David B. Galle has been elected partner at Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly, Minneapolis.

2001

Jamie L. Habeck was named a partner at Foley & Mansfield, Minneapolis. She focuses her practice on toxic torts, product liability, commercial litigation, and class actions.

K. Jon Breyer became partner at Fruth, Jamison & Elsass, Minneapolis.

His practice focuses on business litigation.

Joseph M. Barnett was named a partner at Foley & Mansfield, Minneapolis. He focuses on construction law and personal injury defense.

26

Chad J. Hintz has opened the Law Firm of Chad J. Hintz in St. Louis

Park, Minn., focusing on personal injury, legal and medical malpractice, insurance law, and appeals.

Jennifer A. Lammers joined the estate planning and administration section of Briggs and Morgan, Minneapolis, as a shareholder.

James D. Linnett was named partner at Dorsey & Whitney, Minneapolis. He practices in tax, trusts, and estates.

Katherine M. Wilhoit has been elected partner at Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly, Minneapolis.

2002

Willow J. (Najjar) Anderson has opened Anderson Law Firm, in Edina, Minn., focusing on personal injury, criminal defense, and family law.

Mitchell on Law

Class Notes Corey R. Elmer was named shareholder in the Vogel Law Firm. He practices in the firm’s Moorhead, Minn., office and concentrates on business and real estate transactions.

Erin E. Mathern joined Messerli & Kramer, Minneapolis.

Patrick W. Ostergren joined Lind, Jensen, Sullivan & Peterson, Minneapolis.

Heather H. Neubauer has been named a partner at Foley & Mansfield, Minneapolis. She focuses on product liability, mass toxic torts, and personal injury.

Erica L. (Thompson) Roettger and her husband, Phillip, welcomed their third child, Samuel Barry, on Sept. 30, 2008. Sam joins big brother Luke, 3, and big sister Amelia, 18 months.

Amy M. (Gelhar) Sieben has been named a partner at Foley & Mansfield, Minneapolis. She focuses her practice on construction law.

2004

Elizabeth Walker Anderson was named system director for HealthEast Care System, St. Paul, overseeing organizational diversity and culturally responsive care.

Larry McDonough ’83 Receives Minnesota Justice Foundation Distinguished Service Award Larry McDonough received the 2008 Distinguished Service Award from the Minnesota Justice Foundation (MJF) for his outstanding contributions to the community. A practicing attorney at the Legal Aid Society of Minneapolis since 1986, McDonough is the managing attorney of the organization’s housing unit and represents low-income clients in housing and consumer law. He also has taught as an adjunct professor at area law schools, including William Mitchell.

The MJF awards committee cited McDonough’s passion for representing individuals and families in need and his commitment to sharing that passion through teaching law students.

Jennifer C. Toohey joined Hellmuth & Johnson, Eden Prairie, Minn.

2005

Erik M. Drange joined Leonard, Street and Deinard, Minneapolis, as an associate focusing on intellectual property litigation.

Kevin S. Sandstrom joined Eckberg, Lammers, Briggs, Wolff & Vierling, Stillwater, Minn., as an associate practicing in civil litigation and municipal law.

2006

Connie I. Armstrong joined Lind, Jensen, Sullivan & Peterson, Minneapolis, as an associate.

Ethan O. Beattie has opened the Law Office of Ethan O. Beattie in Durham, N.C., practicing in immigration and naturalization law.

Anthony D. Johnson has joined Blaney & Ledin, Lake Elmo, Minn., focusing on commercial litigation, construction, employment, and probate.

Mathew R. Korte joined Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi, Minneapolis, as a litigation staff attorney.

Jacqueline J. Williams joined Parsinen Kaplan Rosberg & Gotlieb, Minneapolis.

2007

2003

Nancy J. Berry is a partner at Moore, Costello & Hart, St. Paul.

Julie L. La Fleur joined Hansen, Dordell, Bradt, Odlaug & Bradt, St. Paul, as an associate.

Spring 2009

Jacqueline B. Kohns was named senior vice president of insurance administration at BCS Financial, Oakbrook Terrace, Ill. She is responsible for third-party and policyholder administration, including claims, audit and compliance coordination, and oversight of information systems.

Brock P. Alton joined Gislason & Hunter, Minneapolis, practicing in commercial litigation and transaction matters.

Read the magazine online @ www.wmitchell.edu/alumni

27

Class Notes Christina K. Brusven, associate at Fredrikson & Byron, Minneapolis, received the firm’s Inspiring Efficiency Leadership Award.

Andrew J. Budish joined Kretsch & Gust, Edina, Minn., as an associate practicing in business transactions and litigation.

Monica A. Kelley joined Moore, Costello & Hart, St. Paul, as an associate practicing in the employee benefits group.

Anne K. Lindberg joined Kretsch & Gust, Edina, Minn., as an associate.

She will focus on business and civil litigation.

Doering S. Meyer joined the U.S. Department of State as a foreign service officer and will be a vice consul at the U.S. Consulate General in Calgary, Alberta.

Katherine L. Reed joined Charlotte Allen, Midland, Mich., as an associate.

Erin Sindberg Porter joined the litigation practice at Greene Espel, Minneapolis.

Rachel M. Engebretson joined Fishman, Binsfeld & Bachmeier, Bloomington, Minn., as an associate practicing in family law.

2008

William R. Asp joined Best & Flanagan, Minneapolis, as an associate practicing in commercial litigation, business law, and private wealth planning.

Patrick M. Fenlon joined Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly, Minneapolis, as an associate in the business litigation group.

Joshua B. Axzen joined Reyelts & Bateman, Duluth, Minn., as an associate.

Lori L. Frank joined Hamre, Schumann, Mueller & Larson, Minneapolis, as an associate focusing on patents.

Megan E. Bjerke joined Nilles Law Firm, Fargo, N.D., as an associate practicing in civil litigation and insurance defense.

Joshua A. Bobich joined Halleland Lewis Nilan & Johnson, Minneapolis, as an associate.

Naomi M. Morgan and Ann M. Waldon opened Morgan and Waldon, West St. Paul, Minn., practicing in criminal defense, family law, and estate planning.

Nina L. Carranco joined Winthrop & Weinstine, Minneapolis, as an associate in legislative and regulatory law.

Jeffrey A. Muszynski joined Lind, Jensen, Sullivan & Peterson, Minneapolis, specializing in general litigation and appeals.

Sandi L. De Boom joined Gray Plant Mooty, Minneapolis, as an associate in the firm’s corporate and business groups.

Mitchell Alumni Serving in Iraq

William Mitchell wishes a safe return to alumni deployed to Iraq as part of the Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAG) with the Minnesota Army National Guard’s 34th Infantry Division. They are Jennifer F. Beck-Brown ’03, assistant Hennepin County attorney; Thomas K. Hagen ’96, assistant commissioner, Minnesota Department

Christine L. Eid joined Parsinen Kaplan Rosberg & Gotlieb, Minneapolis, as an associate in personal legal planning.

Theresa M. Gerlach opened the Law Offices of Theresa Gerlach in Hastings, Minn. Her practice focuses on family law, wills, and trusts.

Mary H. Harens is of counsel at Larson King, Minneapolis.

Karolina M. Konczyk joined Johnson & Turner, Forest Lake, Minn., as an associate practicing family law, civil litigation, and criminal defense.

David J. Krco joined Beisel & Dunlevy, Minneapolis, as an associate.

of Commerce; Judge Fred Karasov ’83, Hennepin County District Court; Mark P. Richardson ’04, Elk River High School (Minn.) teacher; Devin P. Smith ’05, Oakdale, Minn., attorney; and Gregory S. Uhl ’00, St. Paul attorney. Brainerd, Minn., attorney Jerry B. Steinke ’97 is not with JAG, but is deployed in the Middle East.

Pictured: Jennifer F. Beck-Brown ’03, assistant Hennepin County attorney

28

Mitchell on Law

Class Notes Courtney A. Lawrence joined Schwebel, Goetz & Sieben, Minneapolis, as an associate practicing in plaintiff’s personal injury litigation.

Joseph S. Miller joined Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly, Minneapolis, as an associate in the business litigation group.

Jessica M. Nault joined Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services, St. Paul.

Michael E. O’Brien joined Regan Tax Law, Minneapolis, as an associate.

Martin R. Paavola has joined Otten & Seymour, Burnsville, Minn., practicing in personal injury and criminal defense.

Jacob R. Phillips joined the Energy & Environmental Research Center at the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, as project manager in intellectual property management.

Mitchell Celebrates Outstanding Alumni at DeParcq Leadership Dinner Linda Miller ’76 and Professor Douglas R. Heidenreich ’61 received alumni awards for their outstanding achievements at the Annual Leadership Dinner in honor of William H. DeParcq ‘30 on Oct. 23, 2008. Named for the prominent Minnesota personal injury lawyer who died in 1988, the dinner honors Mitchell alumni and friends who are leaders in serving the college or the community.

Miller, founder and executive director of Civil Society, received the Honorable Warren E. Burger Distinguished Alumni Award, which recognizes graduates who demonstrate the highest values and ethical standards in serving the community.

Heidenreich, a current Mitchell professor and former dean, received the Honorable Ronald E. Hachey ’43 Outstanding Alumni Award, which recognizes exemplary professional accomplishment and commitment to the school.

Elizabeth J. Roff joined Arthur, Chapman, Kettering, Smetak & Pikala, Minneapolis, as an associate specializing in insurance defense litigation.

The 2008 William H. DeParcq Leadership Dinner was held at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul.

Keep Us Posted: Send your Class Notes updates to magazine@wmitchell.edu or fill out the online form at www.wmitchell.edu/alumni. You can also fax 651-290-7502, call 651-290-6370, or mail your updates to Mitchell on Law, 875 Summit Ave., St. Paul, MN 55105. We (and your classmates) look forward to hearing from you!

Spring 2009

Read the magazine online @ www.wmitchell.edu/alumni

29

Class Notes Rhonda A. Seefeld joined South Country Health Alliance, Owatonna, Minn., as corporate healthcare compliance coordinator.

Chris M. Tymchuck joined Zelle Hofmann, Minneapolis, as an associate focusing on business and insurance coverage litigation.

Letty M. Van Ert joined the law firm of Tuft & Arnold, Maplewood, Minn., as an associate practicing in family law, estate planning/elder law, and criminal law.

Benjamin A. Wagner joined Regan Tax Law, Minneapolis, as an associate.

Alumni Appointments and Elections William Mitchell congratulates the following alumni elected in 2008 to the Minnesota House of Representatives: Torrey N. Westrom ’03, seventh term, District 11A; Thomas E. Emmer ’88, third term, District 19B; Joseph E. Atkins ’91, fourth term, District 39B; Bobby Joe Champion ’95, first term, District 58B; and Jean C. Wagenius ’83, 12th term, District 62B. Congratulations to the following alumni elected as judges in Minnesota district courts in 2008: Gail M. Chang Bohr ’91, first term, 2nd District; Lawrence E. Agerter ’68, sixth term, 3rd District; Nancy J. Logering ’85, second term, 10th District; and Robert B. Varco ’74, second term, 10th District.

Congratulations to three alumni appointed as Minnesota district court judges by Gov. Tim Pawlenty last fall: M. Michael Baxter ’91, 1st District; Michele A. Davis ’98, 10th District; and Caroline H. Lennon ’89, 1st District.

Andrea B. Wing joined Iverson Reuvers, Bloomington, Minn., as an associate practicing in civil litigation, municipal law, estate planning, and probate.

Cynthia S. Wingert joined Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly, Minneapolis, as an associate in the business litigation group.

Sene M. Zupke joined Kraft Walser Hettig Honsey & Kleiman, Olivia, Minn., as an associate in real estate, probate, estate planning, and litigation.

James Johnson ’61 Publishes Book on Deaf Baseball Pitcher “Dummy” Hanson A childhood love of baseball and his grandfather’s stories inspired James H. Johnson to write his first book, “Dummy” Hanson, about a deaf baseball pitcher who played in Minnesota during the early 1900s. Johnson’s grandfather played amateur baseball with Esten “Dummy” Hanson and used to regale his grandson with stories from the baseball field.

Johnson, a Kerkhoven, Minn., native, taught high school history and coached athletics in Elbow Lake, Minn., before enrolling at William Mitchell. Now retired, he practiced law in St. Cloud and Benson, Minn., and served as the Swift County attorney. ©2008 Marilynn Johnson

30

Mitchell on Law

Obituaries 1930

Gretchen M. Pracht (Minnesota College of Law), 99, Edina, Minn., died Dec. 6, 2008. Attorney specializing in adoptions and welfare issues for 40 years; former vice president of public relations and advertising, Lutheran Brotherhood (Thrivent Financial for Lutherans).

Survived by daughter, Patricia.

1952

Roger C. Miller (St. Paul College of Law), 84 South St. Paul, Minn., died Jan. 6, 2009. Attorney at LeVander, Gillen & Miller for more than 55 years.

Appointed South St. Paul city attorney and served until retirement in 2007.

World War II U.S. Navy veteran.

Survived by wife, Betty; children, Missy and Roger.

1957

Vernon E. Bergstrom, 82, Minneapolis, died Sept. 24, 2008.

Director of Lutheran Immigration Services, New York City; director of Hennepin County League of Municipalities; and head of Appellate Department of Hennepin County Attorney’s Office. Survived by wife, Marie; children, Jim, Dick, Ted, Kristin, Cindy, and Laurie.

1959

Edward Wieland Simonet Jr., 87, Stillwater, Minn., died Nov. 2, 2008. Attorney and owner of Washington County Abstract Co., served on Stillwater City Council and as a municipal judge. Survived by children, Edward, Mary Ellen, Denise, Katherine, James, and Margaret.

Spring 2009

1960

Quentin E. Tenney, 89, Wayzata, Minn., died Feb. 1, 2009. Accountant for 30 years; World War II U.S. Coast Guard veteran. Survived by children, Michael and Barbara.

1971

Judge Doug Swenson, 63, Forest Lake, Minn., died Feb. 1, 2009. 10th District Court judge and six-term Minnesota state representative.

Survived by wife, Sandie, and son, Kirk.

1976

Michael T. Milligan, 63, St. Cloud, Minn., died Nov. 23, 2008. Former Cass County attorney, partner at Quinlivan & Hughes, and president of the Cass/Hubbard County Bar Association and 15th District Bar Association. Survived by wife, Kathleen; children, Maureen, Kelley, and Nicholas.

1977

William J. Collins died Nov. 25, 2008.

Former CEO of AgriBank, St. Paul, Minn. Survived by wife, Michele, and son, Rory.

1979

1986

J. Scott Harr, 55, Edina, died in September 2008. Associate professor and chairman of Criminal Justice Department at Concordia University, St. Paul; attorney; private investigator; author; former Chanhassen, Minn., police officer; social worker; and firefighter. Survived by wife, Diane; children, Kelsey and Ricky.

1988

George E. Rapaich, 56, St. Paul, died Jan, 14, 2009. Federal and Ramsey County public defender, helping juveniles and those in need. Survived by companion, Jean Lundescher.

1991

Andrew Seitel, 44, died Jan. 26.

Lawyer and civil liberties advocate.

Survived by daughter, Alex.

2001

Kristen M. Schroeder, 35, died Dec. 24, 2008. Advocate for the vulnerable, served on numerous boards, and worked in education law. Survived by partner, Megan Gluth. Donations may be made to the Kristen Schroeder Memorial Scholarship fund at William Mitchell College of Law.

Jeffrey O. Knutsen, 57, Duluth, died Sept. 6, 2008. Coach, mentor, and friend of Lake Park Little League, East End Football, and NJROTC at Duluth Central High School. Survived by wife, Heidi; children, Kristian, Erik, and Carsten.

Judge Steven A. Pihlaja, 56, Minneapolis, died Sept.17, 2008.

4th Judicial District judge since 2002.

Previously practiced in criminal law and did pro bono legal work for community groups. Survived by wife, Lorrie Stromme ’81.

Read the magazine online @ www.wmitchell.edu/alumni

31

To the Point Message from the Dean

Commitment to Leadership

Very truly yours, Eric S. Janus President and Dean

32

Mitchell on Law

Photo by Raoul Benavides

It’s been 109 years since five lawyers started what would later become William Mitchell. A lot has changed since then. But what hasn’t changed is our commitment to practical legal education.

We’re still founded on legal theory and practical learning. Our professors are still scholars and practitioners.

Our students are still career professionals, parents with young kids, and recent college graduates. And our brand of education still gives alumni an enduring professional advantage.

A practical legal education is what gave alumni from the past the ability to thrive—and lead—during challenging times. It’s what helped Lena Smith ’21, Minnesota’s first female African-American lawyer, fight discrimination during a time of segregation. It’s what helped Warren Burger ’31 lead the U.S. Supreme Court during a tumultuous period. And it remains the core of what we do.

So it’s no surprise that this magazine is full of stories about our graduates leading through uncertain times. And these are uncertain times. In past columns I’ve closed by asking for your support. This time, I also want to offer you our support.

We have resources available to help alumni—relevant and affordable CLEs, an alumni base that’s great for networking, and an outstanding Career Development Office. Use these tools, and let us know what more we can do.

William Mitchell is thriving because of your support.

Thank you for the work you do professionally, civically, and in support of our current students. Every time a William Mitchell graduate succeeds—or helps others succeed—it shows the value of what we do here every day. And these days, the work you do and the leadership you provide are as valuable as ever.

To Our 2008-09 Alumni Mentor Advisor Program Volunteers

Thank you

for your commitment to William Mitchell and our first-year law students. Your mentorship has played a vital role in helping students succeed in their first year of law school. Your advice and insight will guide them as they develop into accomplished attorneys.

Alumni ’08

Alumni ’06

Jacqueline Wilson

Nate Albrecht Elise Anderson Patrick Arenz Timothy Baland Elizabeth Sorenson Brotten Eric Brotten Anna Cortez Reese Frederickson Eric Hockman Shannon Keil Alexander Kim Melissa Manderschied Ram Menon Francine Mocchi Anne Moelk Alison Olson Tim Selander Heidi Swisher Autumn Tompkins Terri Port Wright

Alumni ’07 Joy Anderson William Anderson Connie Armstrong Sara Boeshans Maxwell Bremer Patricia Butler Erin Carey Bryan Chant Sarah Craven Brendan Dolan Michael Everson Sandra Feist Doug Frazey Loren Hansen Melissa Jacobsen Lyndee Kamrath Betsy Kragness Jodee McCallum Sarah McEllistrem Andrew Michaelson Jeffrey Muszynski Rebecca Sluss Cullin Smith Evan Tsai Laurie Young

Alumni ’05 Mike Berger Sara Bushen Bridget Delaney Erik Drange Jeff Ehrich

Craig Empey John Hemming Paul J. Hemming Ryan Kaplan Sherri Krueger Karen Lundquist M. Ryan Madison Allison Marshall Dan Moak Chuck Naughton Kelly Olmstead Julie Perrus Andy Rorvig Noreen Shepard Beth Snyder Brent Snyder Christine Schmidt Ray Sobocinski James Song Dan Weatherly Christy Weflen

Erin Johnson Jade Johnson Nicholas Kaster Peggy Keenan Nicholas O’Connell Kristin Olson Shanda Pearson Michael Salchert Tammy Schemmel Rachhana Srey Samantha Sutton

Alumni ’04

Alumni ’02

Steve Aggergaard Creig Andreasen Kate Bischoff Bruce Brillhart Amy Goltz Ani Hartzheim

Alison Archer John Foley Darryl Henchen Kristen Larson Evan Melick Peter Nikolai

Alumni Mentor Advisor Program (A-MAP)

The Alumni Mentor Advisor Program is designed to help students transition into their first year of law school. The mentors provide tips and strategies for preparing for class, studying for exams, and maintaining a healthy life balance while in law school. A pair of alumni mentors is assigned to a group of three to four students.

Throughout the year, students can contact their alumni mentors and participate in organized student/alumni group events on and off campus.

Alumni ’03 Dan Berglund Jen Eichten Sara Glynn James Larson Robin Radke Ruth Rivard Molly Ryan Kelly Vincent

Become a Mentor

Roger Poehls Scott Xi

Alumni ’01 Lenae Pederson Jennifer Rivas

Alumni ’00 DeAnne Hilgers Thank you, too, to Thomas Conlin ’58, of counsel at Murnane Brandt, who spoke at our mid-year January Thaw event.

Visit the web for a full listing of mentors and their employers.

Go to www.wmitchell.edu/ keyword=mentor

If you are a recent William Mitchell graduate, please consider joining A-MAP. Recent alumni will be contacted in July about recruiting new mentors for the 2009-2010 program, which will begin with a kickoff event in September. Have questions? You can contact either Sharon Goodyear, assistant director for career development: sharon.goodyear@wmitchell.edu, 651-2907508 or Alison Morris, alumni relations officer, 651-290-6452, alison.morris@wmitchell.edu.

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