News

Kristin Trapp, 3L, partnered with University of Louisville alum Lauren North, to fundraise for the Innocence Project in honor of Juneteenth and to promote Black Lives Matter. The Facebook fundraiser’s initial goal was $150. As of now, they have raised more than $41,000. Trapp recently answered a few questions about the duo’s motivations behind starting the fundraiser and her reactions to its success.

Randall Ryder ’09 has been named co-director of the Law in Practice course.

Ryder takes over for Laura Thomas, who on Monday was sworn in as a member of the Hennepin County District Court Bench.

Ryder will work with Professor Mitch Zamoff, who is the other co-director of the innovative practical skills course for 1Ls.

Professor Prentiss Cox ’90 and Professor Perry Moriearty were recently appointed co-directors of Law Clinics.

The two-year appointment, which took effect on July 6, runs through the summer 2022.

Laura Thomas, who previously directed the Law Clinics, was sworn in as a Hennepin County District Court judge on Monday.

Professor Benjamin Casper Sanchez ’97 has been named the 2020 recipient of the Minnesota Hispanic Bar Association’s Access to Justice Award. 

Professor Kristin Hickman has been named a McKnight Presidential Professor.

The McKnight Presidential Endowed Professorship program at the University “is one of the highest honors for faculty and recognizes highly distinguished, world-class scholars. In recognition of their excellence, the names of all McKnight Presidential Professors are engraved on monuments that line our Scholars Walk.” Recipients are chosen based on their academic and research accomplishments and their contributions to advancing the University among its peers. 

After the tragic killing of George Floyd and resulting civil unrest, Ian Taylor Jr. ’19 felt a need to contribute to the moment in a constructive way.

Born and raised in Jamaica, Andrew Gordon ’08 is both an associate director of the Minneapolis-based Legal Rights Center (LRC) and the lead attorney for its Community Defense Program. Gordon has worked at LRC helping indigent clients and coordinating volunteer efforts for more than a decade. Recently, he has been instrumental in staffing the legal support hotline set up to aid George Floyd protesters and their families.

The Minnesota State Bar Association’s (MSBA) New Lawyers Section has named Kyle Kroll ’16 as the 2019-20 recipient of its Outstanding New Lawyer of the Year award.

Kroll, who serves as an adjunct Legal Research and Writing professor at Minnesota Law, is an associate with Winthrop & Weinstine. His complex commercial litigation practice includes class action, antitrust and unfair competition, false advertising, intellectual property, and utilities matters.

The National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild is honoring Professor Linus Chan for outstanding contributions to the cause of immigrant justice. 

Chan will be recognized as the group’s 2020 Member Honoree during the American Immigration Lawyers Association’s Virtual Conference on Wednesday, July 22.

Duane E. Joseph ’53, a partner with Minneapolis-based Dorsey & Whitney for more than 40 years and a steadfast Minnesota Law benefactor, passed away peacefully in Bonita Springs, Florida, on June 1. He was 91 and had been living with Parkinson’s disease for a number of years.