News

James Meinert (’17) and Kyle Kroll (’16) snared top honors in the 2016 Bloomberg Law Write-On Competition, winning $2,500 each in the nationwide contest. The competition puts a premium on clear and concise writing, as entries must run between 1,000 and 1,600 words.

A team of three students from the Law School has won the 2016 Clara Barton International Humanitarian Law Competition, which is conducted by the American Red Cross. Team members Anne Dutton, Griffin Ferry, and Dane Rockow, all 3Ls, traveled to Seattle for the competition, defeating the team from Harvard Law School in the final round. Rockow and Dutton placed first and second, respectively, in the Best Oralist category.

Mock trial and moot court teams from the Law School were extremely busy in late February, traveling near and far for national competitions.

• Two mock trial teams from the Law School spent three days participating at the regional level of the annual Texas Young Lawyers Association National Trial Competition. Both performed well, finishing 5th and 10th overall out of 24 teams.

The National Jurist has named Rajin S. Olson (’16) to its inaugural “Law Students of the Year” feature. The magazine asked more than 200 law schools for “stories of their most devoted students with unparalleled attitudes” and selected 25 individuals from among the nominees, based on such factors as leadership, focus, and commitment to justice.

Robina Executive Director Kelly Mitchell offered proposals to the Minnesota Prison Population Task Force, chaired by Senator Ron Latz, aimed at reducing or controlling prison population growth in Minnesota. Mitchell was asked to sit on the task force that began convening last September. Their final meeting was this week. 

The Hennepin County Bar Association (HCBA) has selected two Law School alumni, Jim Long (’84) and Tom Walsh (’04), as recipients of the organization’s 2016 Pro Bono Publico awards, which recognize significant contributions to pro bono service in Minnesota’s most populous county.

Ann Burkhart, the Curtis Bradbury Kellar Professor of Law, has been chosen to receive a 2016 University of Minnesota Award for Outstanding Contributions to Postbaccalaureate, Graduate, and Professional Education. This honor, also known as the Graduate-Professional Award, is given to no more than eight University professors each year. Recipients are chosen for excellence in instruction; involvement in students’ research, scholarship, and professional development; development of instructional programs; and advising and mentoring of students.

Minnesota Lawyer writer Mike Mosedale recounts the experience of law students, faculty and legal partners of the Center for New Americans who visited Dilley, Texas over winter break to help detainees facing deportation. The legal team from Minnesota were scheduled for pro bono work when their visit coincided with the controversial raids of legal immigrants over New Years. The team was able to divert deportation proceedings for a large proportion of those arrested.

The U.S. Senate has confirmed the nomination of Samuel D. Heins (’72) as the United States ambassador to the Kingdom of Norway. Heins was nominated to the ambassadorship by President Obama in May 2015. In a statement, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar praised the Senate’s action, saying, “Minnesota is home to more people of Norwegian heritage than anywhere except Norway itself, so it is only fitting that the new ambassador hails from our state.”

Governor Mark Dayton has announced the appointment of Keiko L. Sugisaka (’96) to a three-year term as an at-large member of the state’s Commission on Judicial Selection. The commission solicits judicial candidates, evaluates applicants, and recommends nominees to the governor.