News

Thomas B. Poch ’67, who served for 15 years as a judge in Minnesota’s 1st Judicial District and as an assistant Ramsey County attorney for nearly three decades before that, died peacefully in his sleep at Breck Homes in Bloomington on March 15. He was 77 and had been diagnosed with dementia.

Poch joined the office of the Ramsey County Attorney shortly after earning his J.D. from the Law School. During his 29 years in that office, he headed up the Criminal Division and the Crimes Against Persons Unit, among other leadership roles.

Amy Monahan, Melvin Steen & Corporate Donors Professor and associate dean for research & planning at the Law School, has been named a Distinguished McKnight University Professor. 

The Distinguished McKnight University Professorship program honors the University's “most distinguished and highest-achieving mid-career faculty who have …. made significant advances in their careers at the University of Minnesota, whose work and reputation are identified with the University, and whose accomplishments have brought great renown and prestige to Minnesota."

Professor Susan Wolf will co-lead a statewide Minnesota COVID Ethics Collaborative created to rapidly share expertise and support sound ethical policy to cope with the moral challenges posed by the COVID-19 crisis.

The collaborative brings together experts from organizations across the state including ethics, law, public health, medicine, nursing, disaster planning, and spiritual care. It is a joint venture of the Minnesota Department of Health, the State Health Care Coordination Center, Minnesota Hospital Association, and the University of Minnesota. 

Mary Louise Lockhart, who with her husband Greer Lockhart ’53 generously supported the Law School for many years, passed away at the age of 90 on Feb. 14, 2020.

Yen Florczak ’98 worked at 3M as an engineer for a couple of years before she enrolled at Minnesota Law. During her student years, she served as a law clerk at 3M, joining the company as an intellectual property attorney after graduation. Today, she is 3M’s chief intellectual property counsel.

Can you describe your day-to-day work as chief intellectual property counsel at 3M?

Stanford University’s Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences has named Professor Susanna Blumenthal as one of its 2020-21 fellows.

Blumenthal, William Prosser Professor of Law and Professor of History and co-director of the Program in Law and History, is one of 38 selected scholars representing 20 U.S. institutions and 11 international institutions and programs.

The Innocence Project of Minnesota (IPMN), working with Minnesota Law students, recently helped overturn the conviction of a man who steadfastly maintained his innocence throughout five years of incarceration.

Javon Davis had been sentenced to 28 years in prison after he was convicted in 2015 on attempted murder charges arising out of a shooting outside of Target Field. The conviction came despite a dearth of evidence tying Davis to the scene and highly inconsistent witness accounts.

Clinton A. Schroeder ’55, a lifelong leader and innovator in the field of charitable estate planning, died March 12 at his home in Edina, Minnesota. He was 89.

Hailing from west-central Minnesota, Schroeder graduated from Fergus Falls High School, where he was class president and salutatorian. At the University of Minnesota, he graduated from both the Carlson School of Business Administration and the Law School in 1955. He joined the Minneapolis-based firm of Gray Plant Mooty (now Lathrop GPM) in 1957; he remained a principal with the firm until 2016.

To the Law School Community:

First, let me extend my appreciation and best wishes to all of you during a challenging time.  As we continue to receive important updates from Governor Walz, the Minnesota Department of Public Health, and President Gabel on the University of Minnesota’s efforts to keep our students, staff, and faculty healthy and safe with the current COVID-19 public health concern, I am reaching out to update you on the Law School’s plans.  

To the Law School Community:

Earlier today, you received an update from President Gabel on the University of Minnesota’s efforts to keep our students, staff, and faculty healthy and safe with the current COVID-19 public health concern.