News

The University of Minnesota Law School mourns the passing of Elliot Kaplan ’61, who died on January 14 at age 89. He was a resident of Naples, Florida, and Edina, Minnesota. He was an accomplished attorney and named partner at Robins Kaplan where he practiced law for more than six decades. He served as chairman of the firm for many years, and appeared before the Federal Trade Commission, the U.S. Senate, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Honorable Spencer J. Sokolowski ’62 passed away on January 10 at age 94. Sokolowski was born and raised in northeast Minneapolis, attending Holy Cross grade school, Edison High School, and the University of Minnesota. While in college, he enlisted in the U.S Navy and served his country around the world for four years. He returned to the University to finish his studies and graduated in 1957 with a business degree.

Last November, the National Moot Court team excelled at the regional competition in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Both teams advanced past the preliminary rounds. The Respondent team won best overall brief and the Petitioner team finished in first place and advanced to the national rounds, to be held in New York City later this month.

The Honorable William A. Knox ’68 passed away on December 16 at age 80. Knox was raised in Fargo, N.D., and was a 1968 graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School where both his father and grandfather attended. At the Law School, he was a member of the Minnesota Law Review and earned membership in the Order of the Coif.

The Honorable John W. Harrigan ’59 passed away on November 15 at age 93. He was born in Waterloo, Iowa, and graduated from Stillwater High School in 1950. He graduated from the University of St. Thomas in 1954, served in the U.S. Army from 1954-1956, and then enrolled at the University of Minnesota Law School, where he graduated from in 1959.

In December, Governor Tim Walz announced the appointment of Lisa Beane ’13 and the Honorable Anne M. Rasmusson ’99 to the Minnesota Court of Appeals. Beane and Rasmusson will fill the vacancies that will occur upon the retirement of the Honorable Louise Dovre Bjorkman and the Honorable Randall J. Slieter. Beane will replace the Honorable Louise Dovre Bjorkman, who serves in an at-large capacity. Rasmusson will replace the Honorable Randall J.

From November 24-26 Sarah Grosse Perdekamp ‘26 represented the Human Rights Center  at the 14th United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland.

This semester Clara Corrado ‘25 had the opportunity to work as a legal researcher at Children of Incarcerated Caregivers through enrolling in the Human Rights Center’s Human Rights Law Field Placement course. Clara gained hands-on experience in international legal research and advocacy by preparing submissions to international bodies and by helping map the broader legal landscape affecting children across different jurisdictions.

The James H. Binger Center for New Americans provided legal training to over 1000 attorneys, law students and community members through its Fall Immigration Forum and Continuing Legal Education events. Students and faculty in three of the Binger Center’s immigration clinics contributed to training for lawyers on habeas corpus, recent legislation, current litigation and the latest updates in asylum law. 

Professor Fionnuala Ní Aoláin has been appointed a member of the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic.