Mondale Hall at sunset

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.

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. 

3L Emily Franco

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. 

The students' health data presentation was on "Uncovering the Cost of Diabetes"

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.

3Ls Meghan Knapp and Jackie Fielding

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.

Navin Ramalingam

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.

3Ls Meghan Knapp and Jackie Fielding