In one week recently, I greeted our new graduates as they picked up their commencement regalia and also celebrated with our alumni during Spring Alumni Week events. The overlap highlighted how a Minnesota Law education provides a strong foundation for a future filled with impact and success. In this edition of Minnesota Law magazine, you will see the incredible accomplishments of both our current students and our alumni, and you will understand why I feel so proud and why I am so excited to serve as the Law School’s 12th dean.
Our students are working hard and achieving great things! Three of our teams won national moot court competitions — a first in Law School history — and the mock trial teams reached quarterfinals in their national competition. Law student Chad Nowlan ’24 received the University President’s Student Leadership & Service Award, all four journals elected women as editors-in-chief, and the Theater of the Relatively Talentless brought down the house with its annual show. As usual, there are too many accomplishments to list them all.
In this issue, we’re focusing on one of Minnesota Law’s historic strengths, labor and employment law. Our feature story includes six impressive alumni who discuss their work experience in labor and employment law for government agencies, unions, nonprofits, law firms, and corporations. You’ll also hear from our exceptional labor and employment law faculty, Professor Matthew Bodie and Professor Charlotte Garden, who are carrying on our long legacy of superb teaching and scholarship in this dynamic area of the law from Professor Emeritus Stephen Befort ’74 and Professor Emerita Laura Cooper. Once again, training today for excellence tomorrow!
This spring, we celebrated the retirement of two of our most distinguished faculty, Professor Carol Chomsky and Professor Robert A. Stein ’61, whose contributions to the Law School, the University, and the legal profession have been immense. We also announced three new faculty, James Coleman, Emmanuel Mauleón, and Ilan Wurman, who will all join us this fall — along with Professor Francis Shen, who returned to the faculty in January.
Unfortunately, we have also had some sad news this semester. As a community, we deeply mourn the loss of Professor Emerita Ann Burkhart, a fiercely dedicated teacher, scholar, and beloved colleague and friend, who passed away in March. She, too, leaves her mark on countless alumni whose lives she touched while they studied here.
These pages demonstrate our commitment to continuing in the tradition of legendary professors like Ann — as well as Steve and Laura, Carol and Bob — to educate our students for their lives as accomplished Minnesota Law alumni. Now we can welcome the extremely well-prepared class of 2024 to the profession. The faculty and staff join me in gratitude for your enduring support of the Law School in this mission. I look forward to working with all of you to carry Minnesota Law to new levels of accomplishment as dean!
Warmly,
William McGeveran
Interim Dean
Gray, Plant, Mooty, Mooty & Bennett Professor of Law
University of Minnesota Law School