Join Your Colleagues Marching Down Hennepin Avenue!

Picture this: 30 attorneys, law students, professors, and legal professionals walking together down Hennepin Avenue. Identifiable by their suit jackets and brief-case shaped signs reading, “Attorney,” “Family Law,” “Criminal Law,” “Counselor,” “Advocate,” “GLBT Human Rights,” “Guardian,” “Teacher,” etc. A banner in front of the group announces, “Minnesota Lavender Bar Association.” As they walk, 125,000 cheer and wave greetings from the sidewalk.

Sound too good to be true? Fifteen MLBA members and friends have volunteered to make this vision come true. Will you join us? To sign up as a volunteer, contact Jenny Ryan at jennyryan@gmail.com.

ANNOUNCING THE NEW ONLINE MEMBER DIRECTORY FOR MLBA MEMBERS

MLBA is excited to offer its members an opportunity to be part of the new online member directory!  This online member list is being offered as a networking tool and informational resource for MLBA members. It will list the member’s name, his or her firm, the primary areas of practice and contact information.

Please note that the online membership directory is in not a lawyer referral service.  This directory is being offered as an informational resource for MLBA members.

For current members, please complete the application by June 13, 2009 for listing online before July 1. Applications and any inquiries regarding the directory should be sent to Julie Plumitis at Julie.plumitis@gmail.com

ANNOUNCING: The MLBA event at the Walker Art Center

The MLBA event at the Walker Art Center is June 23. We've reserved space at 20.21 starting at 6:00 pm and thereafter we'll see the following film:

Chef’s Special (Fuera de Carta), 7:30 pm; Directed by Nacho Velilla

This saucy light comedy from Spain serves up a bellyful of laughs. With slavish attention to detail, chef Maxi (Cámara) labors over the sumptuous dishes at his chic restaurant in Madrid’s gay ghetto, Chuecatown. He tries to stay focused on obtaining his first Michelin star, but the unexpected arrival of his two children from a previous marriage and the sexy footballer who moves in next door become a distraction. Now he must decide what’s more important: family, love, or career—or can he have it all? “Raucous comedy” (New York Times). 2008, video, in Spanish with English subtitles, 111 minutes.

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CLE Opportunities:

(6/09) Love, Law and Litigation: A Dialog of Bias in American Sexual and Gender Identity

(6/09) The dramatic works of playwright Tony Kushner will be the inspiration for Love, Law and Litigation: A Dialog of Bias in American Sexual and Gender Identity, the June 9 continuing legal education event presented in partnership by the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and West LegalEdcenter.

Exploring polarized social attitudes related to sexual orientation and gender identity and their effect on law throughout the United States, the June 9 event for attorneys will employ live stage performances by Guthrie actors on-stage, along with discussions of excerpts from Kushner’s plays by a panel of legal professionals. Attorneys around the world can also access the Love, Law and Litigation event at West LegalEdcenter as a live webcast and then as an on-demand video.

Registration Information: To enroll in either the live CLE event at the Guthrie Theater (June 9, 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. CDT) or the live webcast on June 9, visit www.westlegaledcenter.com, search by program name and continue through the checkout process. The course, which costs $200, provides 2.0 credits toward the Elimination of Bias requirements in Minnesota, California and Oregon. It provides 2.0 or greater CLE credits toward the Ethics requirements of most other jurisdictions. CPD credit has also been applied for in the United Kingdom.  For more information, please visit:  http://thomsonreuters.com/content/press_room/tlr/tlr_legal/356810

(6/18) Exceptional Women, Not Exceptions

THE INFINITY PROJECT is pleased to present its spring public event. Former Idaho Supreme Court Justice Cathy Silak will speak on:

Exceptional Women, Not Exceptions: Encouraging, Nurturing and Supporting Women for the Bench
Thursday, June 18, 2009, 4:00 p .m.
University of Saint Thomas School of Law
1000 LaSalle Avenue · Minneapolis, Minnesota 55403-2015

1.0 CLE applied for; Brief reception following.

This year, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg told USA Today, “Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. . . .It shouldn't be that women are the exception." Cathy Silak, now the founding dean of Concordia University Law School, will speak on her experiences as one of Idaho’s few women Supreme Court justices and what she has learned about encouraging exceptional women to become judges and supporting them while they are in office.

RSVP: dfitzpatrick@umn.edu

(6/19) The Minnesota Chapter of the Federal Bar Association Proudly Presents: “The Little Rock School Desegregation Case: Cooper v. Aaron”

This engaging multimedia presentation centers on the events surrounding the 1957 integration of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, leading to a U.S. Supreme Court decision in 1958. The program will incorporate video, audio, and original documents from that era, along with live narration from Drake Mann, a Little Rock attorney, and Minnesota attorney Michael Winston. “The Little Rock School Desegregation Case: Cooper v. Aaron” has been well-received by many groups and organizations across the legal community, and comes highly- recommended after its presentation at the 2008 Eighth Circuit Judicial Conference.

3 - 4 p.m. on Friday, June 19, 2009, with hors d’oevoures to follow.

Location: W Minneapolis – The Foshay
821 Marquette Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55402

1.0 Hour Elimination of Bias CLE credit has been applied for. Cost is $45 per person. Checks payable to: MN Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. RSVP or purchase tickets by June 10, 2009. Please contact:

Allen Slaughter
Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P.
2800 LaSalle Plaza
800 LaSalle Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55402
Telephone: (612) 349-0926 Fax: (612) 339-4181
aaslaughter@rkmc.com

(6/24) LGBT Hot Topics:  Victories to Savor and Barriers to Break

Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P. Cordially Invites You to Celebrate Pride Month With Us By Attending:

(6/24) LGBT Hot Topics:  Victories to Savor and Barriers to Break
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
SCHEDULE 
11:30 am - 12:00 pm  Registration; Networking; Lunch Buffet Served
11:55 am-12:00 pm    Introduction to the Program:  Marla Butler, Partner and Diversity Committee Chairperson, Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi, L.L.P.
12:00 pm - 1:30 pm    Legal Issues Facing LGBT Individuals & Families (1.5 bias credits will be applied for)

Panelists:  Camilla Taylor, Senior Staff Attorney, Lambda Legal;  Jane Bowman, Attorney and Board Member, Project 515;  Moderator:  Jane Warring, Associate, Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P.

Learn about current legal and societal issues facing the LGBT community in the nation and in Minnesota. Camilla Taylor represents the plaintiffs in the latest case making headlines in which the Iowa Supreme Court upheld a district court ruling stating that it was unconstitutional to bar same-sex couples from marrying.  Joining her is Jane Bowman with Project 515, an initiative which addresses discriminatory and unequal laws in Minnesota against LGBT individuals and their families.

1:30 pm - 2:00 pm  A Sage Decision by the Court (.5 bias credits will be applied for)

Genevieve Zimmerman, Associate, Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P.

Genevieve Zimmerman played a key role in representing Straights and Gays for Equality ("SAGE") in a lawsuit requesting that the Osseo Area Schools, and the Maple Grove Senior High specifically, comply with the Federal Equal Access Act. She will talk about her experiences on this case, discussing both the challenges and successes. If availability allows, we may also have an opportunity to hear from one of the original plaintiffs, who is now a college student. 

Location:  Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P. Conference Center, 2800 LaSalle Plaza, 800 LaSalle Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55402 

Space is limited so please RSVP as soon as possible, and no later than June 15, 2009, to Autumn Nelson (e-mail:  axnelson@rkmc.com or phone 612-349-0885).

A total of 2.0 elimination of bias credits will be applied for in MN, GA, and CA.

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“Advertising” opportunities in the MLBA newsletter!

Looking for a chance to get word out to MLBA members and friends? At its June meeting, the MLBA Board approved an advertising” policy for use on a trial (six-month) basis. For now, the policy contemplates free announcements of such things as job openings, available office space, and other law-related matters other than simple advertisements of services. This opportunity is available to MLBA members only. For more information click here: http://www.mnlavbar.org/membership.htm

Job Opportunities posted
on MLBA website

MLBA receives a number of notices from employers seeking candidates for open positions. We try to post these on our web site regularly, and in fact have now created a specific page dedicated to sharing these opportunities.
Please click here for more information. http://www.mnlavbar.org/Employment.htm