Minnesota Lawyer articles from February 2006

Minnesota Lawyer archives from February 2006

Ramsey County election puts restorative justice back in public eye.
February 6, 2006... Byline: Barbara L. Jones Restorative justice programs, which have been around in Minnesota for years, may get some added attention this election year. Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner has sanctioned the use of restorative justice...

U.S. District Court Chief Judge Rosenbaum offers thoughts on future of e-discovery.(James M. Rosenbaum)
February 6, 2006... Byline: Michelle Lore In a recent presentation on the growing and ever-changing arena of electronic discovery, U.S. District Court Chief Judge James M. Rosenbaum observed that the field is "burgeoning in a way that is really unimaginable."...

Minnesota Black Women Lawyers Network gearing up for a big 2006.
February 6, 2006... Byline: Michelle Lore Now in its fourth year, the Minnesota Black Women Lawyers Network is gaining momentum and expects 2006 to be a busy year. The group's stated mission is "to enhance the profile of black women attorneys in...

Students show interest in Minnesota's Minority Clerkship Program.(Brief article)
February 6, 2006... Byline: Minnesota Lawyer Staff Reporter Organizers of Minnesota's Minority Clerkship Program are pleased with the response the new program is receiving from the state's minority law school students. The summer clerkship program - which...

MN Supreme Court rules insurer's recovery limited to wrongful death amount.
February 6, 2006... Byline: Minnesota Lawyer Staff Reporter Where a workers' compensation insurer pays benefits to the survivors of a man killed in the scope of his employment and subsequently sues the third-party tortfeasor, the insurer is limited to the...

8th Circuit rules wrongful-death case against Mayo Clinic Rochester can proceed.
February 6, 2006... Byline: Minnesota Lawyer Staff Reporter The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has allowed a wrongful-death case against the Mayo Clinic Rochester to proceed, reversing the trial court judge's dismissal for lack of diversity jurisdiction....

MN Bar Buzz: February 6, 2006.(Minnesota )
February 6, 2006... Byline: Minnesota Lawyer Staff Reporter Just another dividend of insuring with MLM There's good news and less-good news for Minnesota Lawyers Mutual (MLM) policyholders. The good news is, for the 18th consecutive year MLM has declared...

Commentary: Frequently asked questions about professional firm filings.
February 6, 2006... Byline: Cassie Hanson Every year at this time, the Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility (OLPR) receives numerous calls from attorneys with questions about professional firm filings. Here are some of the more frequent ones. Am...

Two former prosecutors vie to be the Hennepin County attorney.(Michael O. Freeman, Andrew M. Luger)
February 6, 2006... Byline: Barbara L. Jones With Amy Klobuchar running for the U.S. Senate rather than for re-election as Hennepin County attorney, it is difficult to predict who will take her place as top prosecutor in the state's most populous county. ...

Young prosecutor takes on seasoned incumbent in Ramsey County.(Cory Tennison)
February 6, 2006... Byline: Barbara L. Jones In Ramsey County, incumbent County Attorney Susan Gaertner, who has held the post for 12 years, faces a challenge from Cory Tennison, a 28-year-old assistant Scott County attorney. Gaertner, fresh from...

Cases from Minnesota's state courts in 2005 that every lawyer should know about.
February 6, 2006... Byline: Michelle Lore During a recent continuing legal education (CLE) program - "The Litigator's Annual Short Course" - sponsored by Minnesota CLE, Minneapolis attorney Laura E. Woolvard provided attendees with a run-down of several...

MN Lawyers in the News: February 6, 2006.
February 6, 2006... Byline: Minnesota Lawyer Staff Reporter M. Sue Wilson Law Offices has announced that Susanne Glasser has become an associate of the firm. Glasser received her J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1995 and earned a B.A. in...

Commentary: Recent ruling reflects rigid retirement risk.
February 6, 2006... Byline: Marshall H. Tanick The largest occurrence of retirement in the workplace is on the precipice as the Baby Boomer generation is curtailing or withdrawing from employment. There are some 72 million of them, born between 1946 and...

MN State Bar leaders urge against hasty response to 'White'.(Minnesota)
February 13, 2006... Byline: Barbara L. Jones Lawmakers last week considering whether the judicial-election process in Minnesota needs to be revamped in light of Republican Party of Minnesota v. White received a single unified message from leaders of the bar:...

Liability lawsuits for recreational injuries involve many obstacles.
February 13, 2006... Byline: Barbara L. Jones The stunning images of skiers at the Olympics this week may be inspiring, but carry an express or implied disclaimer: Don't try this yourself. And if you do, be aware that a liability lawsuit for a ski injury - or...

Anoka County District Court Judge James A. Morrow trades courtroom for the classroom.(joins Hamline University School of Law )
February 13, 2006... Byline: Michelle Lore Anoka County District Court Judge James A. Morrow will soon be trading in his gavel for a pointer. In August, the 23-year veteran of the bench will leave the courthouse for the classroom, becoming a full-time...

Centro Legal celebrates a quarter century of service to MN's Latino community.(Minnesota )
February 13, 2006... Byline: Michelle Lore Centro Legal is turning 25 this year. Since 1981, the nonprofit law office has been providing legal services, community outreach, education and advocacy to low-income Latinos and Latino immigrants throughout...

MN Bar Buzz: February 13, 2006.
February 13, 2006... Byline: Minnesota Lawyer Staff Reporter They shoot and score, score, score Team Minnesota - a hockey team captained by Gov. Tim Pawlenty - played three games in Wild Pond Hockey - a Winter Carnival event on Lake Phalen held over the...

Commentary: 8th Circuit considers a couple of contract cases.
February 13, 2006... Byline: Marshall H. Tanick The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rarely hears contract cases. Generally, litigation concerning business agreements is confined to the state courts, unless diversity of citizenship exists between the parties...

MN Supreme Court: Tax Court cases have little precedential value.(Minnesota )
February 13, 2006... Byline: Minnesota Lawyer Staff Reporter The Minnesota Supreme Court last week ruled that Tax Court decisions have virtually no precedential value and cannot be relied upon in future cases. "Although the tax court is described as a...

MN Supreme Court rules child's statements to social worker were not testimonial.
February 13, 2006... Byline: Minnesota Lawyer Staff Reporter The Minnesota Supreme Court has determined that a videotaped statement given by a 3-year-old to a child protection worker and a police detective during a risk-assessment interview was not testimonial...

Commentary: A midwinter's tale: Robert and Mary's story.(Short Story)
February 13, 2006... Byline: Mark A. Cohen Typically I would write on something that had a connection to law or journalism, but it is the middle of February and the Alito hearings are over, so I'd thought I'd tell a little Valentine's Day story instead. ...

Retiring MN state representative seeks Republican endorsement as judicial candidate in 2006.
February 13, 2006... Byline: Barbara L. Jones State Representative Scott Newman, R-Hutchinson, has announced that he is retiring from the Minnesota House of Representatives once the 2006 session ends and will seek Republican endorsement as a judicial candidate...

MN Legal Briefs: February 13, 2006.(Minnesota)(Kosieradzki Smith relocated its office)(Michael Jacobs, Troy Seibert joins Zelle, Hofmann, Voelbel, Mason & Gette LLP)(Timothy Paul Brausen joins Eckberg Lammers)(Brief Article)
February 13, 2006... Byline: Minnesota Lawyer Staff Reporter The firm of Kosieradzki Smith, which concentrates on the investigation and prosecution of nursing home abuse and fraud cases, has relocated its offices to 3675 Plymouth Boulevard in Plymouth. ***...

MN case raises issues concerning boundaries of the attorney-client relationship.
February 20, 2006... Byline: Barbara L. Jones Last month's indictment of St. Paul attorney Daniel Adkins for his involvement with an allegedly fraudulent Internet pharmacy has drawn attention to the tightrope lawyers can walk when prosecutors target their...

Administrative law pro bono project launched by MN State Bar Assn.(Minnesota State Bar Association)
February 20, 2006... Byline: Michelle Lore The Administrative Law Section of the Minnesota State Bar Association (MSBA) is implementing a pro bono pilot project designed to assist litigants who appear before the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) in...

Legal marketing getting more creative in Twin Cities market.
February 20, 2006... Byline: Mark A. Cohen A year ago, the Minneapolis law firm of Halleland Lewis Nilan & Johnson embarked on a new marketing campaign using splashy and irreverent billboard and airport advertising to increase awareness of its brand. The...

MN Bar Buzz: February 20, 2006.(Tom Heffelfinger to resign)
February 20, 2006... Byline: Minnesota Lawyer Staff Reporter 'Best law job in nation' is now up for grabs Soon-to-be former U.S. Attorney Tom Heffelfinger told Bar Buzz last week the decision to leave his post wasn't easy. He describes being U.S....

MN Supreme Court ruling upholding tax case dismissal inspires debate.(Minnesota)(property tax case)(Kmart Corp. v. County of Stearns )
February 20, 2006... Byline: Barbara L. Jones A Supreme Court decision last week dismissing a property tax appeal has practitioners talking for a couple of reasons. The Tax Court had dismissed the case outright for failure to provide discovery, a result...

Some worry about subpoena abuse under new MN rule.
February 20, 2006... Byline: Barbara L. Jones A real or perceived loophole in the new rules of civil procedure concerning subpoenas has got trial lawyers talking, but the drafters of the rules say the answer to the question is right in the rule. New...

MN Lawyers in the News: February 20, 2006.
February 20, 2006... Byline: Minnesota Lawyer Staff Reporter John P. Boyle has joined the firm of Moss & Barnett as a member of its litigation department. Practicing in the areas of commercial disputes and labor and employment litigation, he graduated from the...

Commentary: Cases, Congress consider counsel culpability.
February 20, 2006... Byline: Marshall H. Tanick Mischief-making by lawyers these days often becomes the subject of suits for sanctions. Courts are reluctant to impose penalties upon lawyers for culpable conduct in litigation. Before doing so, they must be...

U.S. District Court judge reverses arbitrator's decision in franchise case.
February 27, 2006... Byline: Michelle Lore It was a rare move when a federal District Court judge two weeks ago vacated an arbitration decision in a franchise dispute on the ground that it violated public policy. The lawsuit arose in connection with...

Suing family members can be a trying experience.
February 27, 2006... Byline: Michelle Lore On her way to the airport to catch a flight, a woman was injured when the car in which she was a passenger suddenly struck an object, flipped over and slid down the highway on its roof. The woman sued the recycling...

Practitioners weigh in on obesity discrimination claims.
February 27, 2006... Byline: Barbara L. Jones With all the talk in the media about America's obesity epidemic, one would expect a burgeoning amount of obesity-related litigation. But, while an Internet search on "obesity discrimination" yields over a million...

MN Supreme Court asked to reconsider its tax case dismissal.(Minnesota)
February 27, 2006... Byline: Minnesota Lawyer Staff Reporter The Supreme Court has been asked to rehear a controversial property tax appeal that was dismissed earlier this month for failure to provide discovery. The petition for rehearing was brought under...

MN Bar Buzz: February 27, 2006.(Michael A. Watson resigns)(reports of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission)
February 27, 2006... Byline: Minnesota Lawyer Staff Reporter Memo to Dorsey & Whitney: Don't feel too bad A senior in-house lawyer at the New York Life Insurance Co. has resigned after the company recently discovered he is not licensed to practice law,...