News

Amy B. Monahan, Associate Dean for Research & Planning and Melvin C. Steen Professor, was recently inducted as a fellow of the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel (ACEBC).

Before she was a 1L, Madeline Van Ert was a Miss Minnesota. She won the coveted title in 2016 and then went on to be named Miss Congeniality in the Miss America competition. Her diverse C.V. also includes auditioning for “American Idol.” A native of Rochester, Minnesota, Van Ert attended undergraduate school at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, graduating with a B.A. in Political Science and a minor in Latin.

Wendy Tien ’93, tax division manager in the office of Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, was recently appointed to the Minnesota Tax Court. Her term will expire in 2025.

Tien is a former deputy assistant director in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Oversight, where she led a federal regulatory unit that promotes consumer financial protection.

She previously was as a partner with Baltimore-based Shapiro Sher Guinot & Sandler and an associate with New York-based Pillsbury Madison & Sutro LLP.

Meet Matt Jacobs, who, in addition to being a first-year law student, is a budding entrepreneur. A graduate of the University of Oregon with bachelor’s degrees in Philosophy and Spanish as well as a master’s in Philosophy, he owns Mad Genius Escape Rooms in Portland, Oregon. He also spent five years working as a brewer. 

Welcome to the Minnesota Law class of 2022! You worked as a brewer in a brewery and are the owner of an escape room. How do those experiences connect to your desire to study law?

1L Jessica Bontemps, a first-generation college student in her family, has served as tutor, coach, and mentor to at-risk youth in New York City. She has a B.A. in English Language and Literature from Hunter College and, in addition to being an aspiring lawyer, is an aspiring writer.

Welcome to the Minnesota Law class of 2022! Could you talk a little bit about your experience working with disadvantaged youths in New York City? 

1L Daniel Raddenbach, a graduate of the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, last spring interned at the U.S. embassy in London. He plans to study international law and hopes to put his legal education to work in foreign policy.   

Welcome to the Minnesota Law class of 2022! You interned in a U.S. ambassador's office. Could you describe a little bit about that experience and how, if it all, it connects to your decision to study law?

When Professor Fred Morrison came to the University of Minnesota Law School in 1969, the entering class was nearly all male, there were no international students, Minnesota statutes fit tightly into two volumes, and the faculty was as big as the second largest law firm in the state.

Times have changed.

Today, 12 volumes of Minnesota statutes line Morrison’s shelf, and many law firms outnumber the collective faculty. More than half of the class is female and there are more than 50 foreign students.

Fabiola Gretzinger hails from San Jose, Costa Rica. Fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, she works part-time as a paralegal at Igbanugo Partners, an immigration law firm in Minneapolis. Last spring, she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, and minors in Economics and Portuguese.

Welcome to the Minnesota Law class of 2022! You have an interesting background as a paralegal. Could you discuss that experience?

In this final installment of our “Meet Minnesota Law's LL.M. Class of ’20” series, we introduce you to Yu-Chen Wang, a Taiwanese public interest lawyer who received his bachelor’s and master’s legal degrees from National Taipei University.

Could you describe what work or educational experiences motivated you to come to the U.S. for an LL.M.?

Seowoo Jang, LL.M. ’20, hails from South Korea, where she studied some aspects of American law and developed an interest in it. She also tutored immigrant children and their parents, providing them with legal assistance. 

You received your bachelor’s degree from Kookmin University in Seoul. Could you describe what work or educational experiences there motivated you to come to the U.S. for an LL.M.?