![Mondale Hall at sunset](/sites/law.umn.edu/files/styles/folwell_full/public/2021-10/news-section-header-short.jpg?itok=1suNr7bP)
News
When Media is Your Medium: In a Highly Dynamic Industry, Alumni Are Making Their Mark
Laura Coates ’05 always knew she was a storyteller at heart. A St. Paul native, Coates always loved performing on stage with school and community theater groups and was drawn to the law because it offered a different kind of stage—the courtroom.
![Laura Coates ’05](/sites/law.umn.edu/files/styles/medium/public/laura-coates-mag-news.png?itok=mqwggBe3)
Protector of Privacy: Prof. McGeveran’s Policy Work and Innovative Practicum Are Helping to Tame the Wild West of Privacy Law and Data Security
Data privacy has become an issue of pressing concern to virtually every technology user. Minnesota Law Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs William McGeveran, who was in the vanguard of legal experts entering the field, is working both inside and outside of academia to shed light on the challenges of data privacy in the digital age.
![Theory at Work](/sites/law.umn.edu/files/styles/medium/public/theory-at-work-news.jpg?itok=TTB4h54-)
Kelly Mitchell Appointed Chair of the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission
The Law School congratulates Kelly Mitchell, executive director of the Robina Institute of Criminal Law and Criminal Justice, on being appointed chair of the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission. Ms. Mitchell was appointed by Governor Tim Walz and began her appointment in April. She replaces the Hon. Christopher Dietzen as Commission Chair.
![Kelly Mitchell](/sites/law.umn.edu/files/styles/medium/public/mitchell.kelly-news.jpg?itok=stoljdXj)
Alumni Interrogatory: Kyle Hawkins ’09, Solicitor General of Texas
Were there any formative experiences at Minnesota Law that helped send you on your path (a class, a clinic, a professor, etc.)?
Yes, many, but I’ll pick two. First, Professor Kristin Hickman’s administrative law class opened my eyes to the power of the administrative state and its pervasive role in our daily lives. Second, serving on the Minnesota Law Review introduced me to legal scholarship on dozens of different topics and made me a better writer and clearer thinker.
![Kyle Hawkins ’09, solicitor general of Texas](/sites/law.umn.edu/files/styles/medium/public/kyle-hawkins-news.jpg?itok=yKPxD5Oz)
Professor Paul Vaaler Awarded Fulbright to Study, Teach in South Africa
Professor and Mooty Chair in Law & Business Paul Vaaler has won a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship to study and teach in South Africa during the 2019-2020 academic year. Vaaler will join faculties at the University of Pretoria’s Gordon Institute of Business Sciences and the University of Limpopo’s School of Economics and Management.
![Paul Vaaler](/sites/law.umn.edu/files/styles/medium/public/profiles/images/vaaler-paul.jpg?itok=CwEacGTG)
Institute on Metropolitan Opportunity Releases Major Study on Neighborhood Change
A study of neighborhood change across America recently released by the Institute on Metropolitan Opportunity shows that poverty concentration and neighborhood decline are occurring more frequently in American cities than gentrification and displacement of low-income families. It also finds that decline is strongly associated with white flight and concentration of families of color.
![Professor Myron Orfield, director of the Institute on Metropolitan Opportunity](/sites/law.umn.edu/files/styles/medium/public/orfield-news.jpg?itok=WzWR7-kH)
Two Members of the Law Library Faculty Recognized With Prestigious AALL Awards
The American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) has recognized the scholarship of two members of the Law Library faculty with prestigious awards.
![Professor Vicente Garces and Professor Andrew Martineau](/sites/law.umn.edu/files/styles/medium/public/library2.jpg?itok=h93OAzYi)
Human Rights Lab Spotlight: Anne Dutton ’16 (JD/MSW)
Please tell us about your Human Rights Lab project. What was the work and what was this experience like for you personally?
![Anne Dutton '16](/sites/law.umn.edu/files/styles/medium/public/anne-dutton.jpg?itok=KQ6rOkRn)
3L Alicia Granse Wins 2019 MWL Equal Justice Award
3L Alicia Granse won the 2019 Minnesota Women Lawyers Equal Justice Award for her note, "Gun Control and the Color of the Law."
The award, granted for a paper or article on a social justice topic, includes a $1,000 cash prize and recognition at MWL’s 47th annual meeting luncheon on April 26.
![3L Alicia Granse](/sites/law.umn.edu/files/styles/medium/public/alicia_granse.jpg?itok=9ojSu4_e)
Day-long Conference at Law School Highlights Contributions of Business Book Authors
Wall Street Journal media reporter Keach Hagey, author of The King of Content: Sumner Redstone’s Battle for Viacom, CBS, and Everlasting Control of His Media Empire, was the keynote speaker for a day-long conference highlighting the contributions of business book authors held Friday at the Law School.
![Keach Hagey](/sites/law.umn.edu/files/styles/medium/public/keach_hagey2.jpg?itok=GxkuaMNq)