News
Professor Laura Thomas Appointed to Hennepin County District Court Bench
Governor Tim Walz has appointed Professor Laura Thomas as a District Court judge in Minnesota’s Fourth Judicial District. Thomas will be chambered in Minneapolis in Hennepin County.
“Laura Thomas has been a beloved teacher, an exemplary faculty colleague, and a key architect of our leading clinical program,” said Garry W. Jenkins, dean and William S. Pattee Professor of Law. “We will miss her enthusiasm and dedication. Yet, it is always a point of great pride when a member of our community is called to the bench. I am confident that she will be a wise and even-handed jurist.”
Three Minnesota Law Faculty Members Promoted
The Board of Regents recently approved the promotion of Francis Shen to professor of law, Jennie Green to clinical professor of law, and Ryan Greenwood to member of the Law Library faculty, with the title associate law librarian. The promotions are effective with the upcoming academic year.
Mackenzie Heinrichs ’18 Named Equal Justice Works Fellow
Mackenzie Heinrichs ’18 is a recipient of the 2020 Equal Justice Works Fellowship.
Heinrichs will provide outreach, education, and legal representation to immigrant young adults in Minnesota in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision regarding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
3L Emily Franco Recognized for Service and Leadership
Emily Franco, 3L, has received the President’s Student Leadership and Service Award for her role in establishing a food pantry in Mondale Hall in order to serve the needs of Minnesota Law’s student community.
Mondale Kitchen was designed to provide time-pressed law students with 24/7 access to shelf-stable nonperishables, single-serving ready-to-eat foods, and fresh produce. The goal is to ensure all students have the nutritious food they need to advance their academic, professional, and social success.
Minnesota Law Students Fare Well in Inaugural Interdisciplinary Health Data Competition
A team with three Minnesota Law 3Ls fared well in the University of Minnesota’s inaugural interdisciplinary Health Data Competition, placing third out of a total of 16 teams.
The competition required students to explore the Minnesota Department of Health’s new prescription drug public use files and provide innovative insights, analysis, and recommendations based on their findings.
3Ls Meghan Knapp, Jackie Fielding Named Post-Grad Robina Fellows
3Ls Meghan Knapp and Jackie Fielding have been named 2020 Robina Post-Graduate Fellows.
Robina Post-Graduate Fellowships are supported by the Robina Foundation in recognition of the need for greater funding for recent graduates who want to pursue public interest work. These highly competitive fellowships provide funding for fellows to work full-time, for one year, in a legal or policy role at a nonprofit or government agency.
Journal of Law & Inequality Launches Video Series on Legal Areas Impacted by COVID-19
Law & Inequality: A Journal of Theory and Practice recently launched a series of online video interviews with faculty, practitioners, and other legal experts about a variety of issues affecting law and inequality during COVID-19.
The interviews, conducted by students on the journal’s editorial staff, includes discussion of the pandemic’s impact on domestic violence, reproductive rights, the rights of incarcerated people, the state of public defense in Minnesota, and issues facing immigrants, as well as evictions and other housing-related matters.
Minnesota Women Lawyers Honors Two 3Ls for Legal Writing
Minnesota Women Lawyers has announced that 3L Meghan Knapp is the recipient of the 2020 Equal Justice Award.
The annual award invites for a paper submitted by a Minnesota law student on a topic involving law and social justice.
Students Provide Virtual Help to Small Businesses Hard Hit By COVID-19 Pandemic
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and statewide stay-at-home order, business is booming for a Minnesota Law program that offers free legal advice sessions to local small business owners.
In a Unique Collaboration with Cornell, Prof. Smith Provides Remote Tax Assistance to Migrant Farm Workers
The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed many things about the United States, not least of which is the frayed condition of its societal safety nets. But a collaboration between the University of Minnesota Law School and Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., is putting at ease some worries for farm workers in upstate New York.