The New York State Association of Criminal Defense Laywers (NYSACDL) has just released its report on the "Trial Penalty," a phenomenon described as prosecutors using their charging power to drive harsh plea bargains or punish the exercise of the right to trial. The report profiles several individuals, including Provard Jones, a 2017 client of the University of Minnesota Law School Project, directed by Professor JaneAnne Murray.
Why the Innocent Plead Guilty and the Guilty Go Free: And Other Paradoxes of Our Broken Legal System
April 12, 2021, 4:00 to 5:30 pm, online
Glass Ceilings, Glass Walls: Intersections in Legal Gender Equality and Voting Rights 100 Years After the 19th Amendment
April 1, 2021, 1:00 pm - April 2, 2021, 1:00 pm, online
Professor Jon Lee is quoted in a Star Tribune article that examines race and bias in courtrooms. Of the dismissal of a Black potential juror in the Derek Chauvin trial, Professor Lee said, "It is nearly impossible to try to disentangle race and one's experiences as a person of color with this case. That said…we need to impanel a jury that would be able to bring their experiences to bear in hearing this case."
CaringBridge CEO Liwanag Ojala ’98 Will Deliver 2021 Commencement Address
CaringBridge Chief Executive Officer Liwanag Ojala ’98 will be the Law School’s 2021 commencement speaker.
CaringBridge is a nonprofit organization that has more than 43 million unique users across all 50 states and 236 countries and territories around the world. Ojala joined CaringBridge in 2014, first as chief operating officer, and then becoming CEO in 2016, with a goal to reinvigorate all aspects of the pioneering organization, leveraging her previous legal and ecommerce experience.
Lee Bearmon '56, Former General Counsel of Carlson Companies, Dies at 88
Lee Bearmon '56 passed away on March 14. He received his bachelor’s degree with from the University of Minnesota, and received his law degree with honors. In 1999, he was recognized as a Distinguished Alumnus of the Law School.
Q&A: Mirella Ceja-Orozco, Co-Executive Director, Minnesota Freedom Fund
Mirella Ceja-Orozco, along with Elizer Darris, was recently appointed co-executive director of the Minnesota Freedom Fund. MFF’s mission is to end cash bail in the State of Minnesota and provide bail relief in the interim. The group, once operating on a shoestring, made national headlines last summer when it received more than $30 million in donations in the wake of the civil unrest following the brutal killing of George Floyd.
TORT Presents: Super Smash Gophers!
May 7, 2021, 7:30 pm - May 9, 2021, 4:30 pm, online
Greer Edwin Lockhart ’53, Trial Lawyer, Adjunct Professor, Benefactor, Dies at 91
Greer Edwin Lockhart ’53 passed away peacefully earlier this year at the age of 91.
Lockhart the first in his family to obtain a college degree, graduating from the University of Minnesota in 1951. He then went on to get his law degree from the Minnesota Law in 1953. He later was an adjunct professor of trial practice at the Law School and was active in fundraising and other rolls as an alumnus.
Minnesota Law Students Get Hands-On Experience with Presidential Policymaking
Four Minnesota Law students recently coordinated and participated in high-level policy discussions with members of the Biden transition team and incoming administration as part of the 2021 Summit for Civil Rights.
Read about the students' experience, which included connecting with a cabinet nominee and Biden transition team leaders, in a special online extra in the digital edition of Minnesota Law magazine.
