News

Bernadette Foh, LL..M. ’11, J.D. ’18, who arrived in Minnesota 16 years ago as a refugee from Sierra Leone, was recently appointed executive director of Bridges of Hope, a faith-based, nonprofit organization in Brainerd, Minnesota. The group helps families in crisis in Crow Wing County and surrounding areas by connecting them with community resources.

Last fall, Cayla Ebert ’18 joined the Washington, D.C., office of Hogan Lovells as an associate. Prior to joining the global firm, she clerked for Minnesota Supreme Court Justices G. Barry Anderson ’79 and Paul C. Thissen.

Editor's note: Alumni Voices is an occasional series of articles by alumni sharing their perspectives. We debut this web feature with a piece contributed by James Roth '77, who last semester returned to Mondale Hall as a senior student.

Fifteen Minnesota Law alumni are among the members of the state bar singled out for recognition as “Attorneys of the Year” for 2019 by Minnesota Lawyer. In addition, Senior U.S. District Court Judge Joan N. Ericksen ’81 of the District of Minnesota was honored for her lifetime service with an Outstanding Service to the Profession award.

Garry W. Jenkins, dean of the Law School and William S. Pattee Professor of Law, was recently elected to membership in the American Law Institute.

ALI is the leading independent organization in the United States producing scholarly work to clarify, modernize, and improve the law. The group drafts, discusses, revises, and publishes Restatements of the Law, Model Codes, and Principles of Law that are enormously influential in the courts and legislatures, as well as in legal scholarship and education.

Bernard Edward Borene ’70, who served for 26 years as a district court judge in Minnesota’s 3rd Judicial District, passed away Nov. 26 in Portland, Oregon, at the age of 74.

Nearly a decade ago, the University of Minnesota Law School took a bold leap with the introduction of an innovative experiential learning course required for first-year J.D. students. Today, Law in Practice (LiP) remains the only course of its kind in the country, recognized widely for the career-advancing preparation it offers.

“The placement of the course in the first year and the way we deliver this vital learning still stand alone,” says clinical professor of law Laura Thomas, who co-designed and co-directs the course.

A food pantry created by Minnesota Law students to help service the needs of their fellow students will open next month in Mondale Hall.

Mondale Kitchen, located in the N20 suite of the subplaza, will provide students with 24/7 access to shelf-stable non-perishables, single-serving ready-to-eat foods, and fresh produce. The goal is to ensure all students have the nutritious food they need in order to advance their academic, professional, and social success.

Minnesota Law hosted a regional round of the National Moot Court Competition on Nov. 22-23. Thirteen teams from across a four-state region came to the Law School to compete in brief writing and oral advocacy.

In this time of trade wars and shifting alliances, climate change and human rights crises, lawyers must often think and practice on a global scale. Across the country and the world, Minnesota Law alumni in a wide variety of practice areas and career fields are working on internationally important issues and making a difference. The following are just a few of their stories.