MLBA’s WORK HIGHLIGHTED AT
NATIONAL LGBT BAR ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE

As part of the National LGBT Bar Association’s annual career fair and conference, which took place September 10-12 in Brooklyn, New York, the group’s Affiliate Congress organized a session entitled, “How Bar Associations Across the Nation are Pushing for LGBT Rights.” The panel of representatives from bar associations around the country included long-time MLBA board member Phil Duran, who shared with attendees the highlights of MLBA’s work with the Minnesota State Bar Association (MSBA) since earlier this decade. “The Minnesota Lavender Bar Association has been consistently successful in persuading the MSBA to take pro-GLBT positions with respect to its own operations, the legal community and legal system, and public policy broadly,” Duran reported. Duran noted in particular that in June 2009, the MSBA Assembly unanimously adopted a report calling the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage in Minnesota “state-approved second-class citizenship.”

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA MULTICULTURAL STUDENT
WELCOME RECEPTION, Tuesday, September 22nd

Please join the University of Minnesota Law school community in its annual Multicultural Student Welcome Reception this coming Tuesday, September 22, 2009 from 5:30 – 7:30 PM. This is an excellent opportunity for new students, alumni, and the leaders within Minnesota’s legal diversity organizations to connect with one another. Light refreshments will be provided. To RSVP or for more information, please contact Melissa Bergsten at lawdos@umn.edu.

CELEBRATION AT QUATREFOIL, Sunday, September 20th

On Sunday, September 20, 2009 from 2:00 to 3:00 P.M., there will be a celebration at the Quatrefoil Library to mark the publishing of two new books concerning the history of two significant GLBT organizations: the Quatrefoil Library and MnGALLA. Please join us for coffee and cookies at the Quatrefoil Library, located at 1619 Dayton Ave.; Suite 105 in St. Paul, MN.

The histories are sponsored by the Friends of the Bill of Rights Foundation, and will be available at a number of local and regional libraries, and online via two University of Minnesota websites. The Quatrefoil Library book will also soon be available on the Library’s website. However, hard copies of the books will not be sold.

The two books include:

History of Quatrefoil Library (The First 20 Years) by Adam Keim. This book traces the origins of the Cities’ GLBT library, from its inception in the minds of founders David Irwin and Dick Hewetson, to the 1986 founding in the MCLU office building on Broadway Avenue in Minneapolis, and to its current location in near Snelling and Marshall Avenues in St. Paul, with an in depth review of the many people who have helped make the Quatrefoil one of the largest lending GLBT libraries in North America.

History of Minnesota Gay and Lesbian Legal Assistance (MnGALLA) by Dan Hanson and Richard Osborne. During the 1980’s, MnGALLA was an early organized effort to have GLBT people needing legal services referred to supportive and sympathetic attorneys. The organization presented seminars and legal information regarding civil and criminal matters to GLBT people, and was involved with legal education for people with HIV during the early days of the Minnesota AIDS Project (MAP). The book details the activities and the people who were active in MnGALLA and its impact on the Twin Cities’ GLBT community.

The two books may soon be found online at University of Minnesota websites, including the Special Libraries and the Tretter Collection sites. The Quatrefoil Library will also soon have an electronic copy of its History on their website.

For further information, please contact Quatrefoil Library at 651-641-0969 or email at info@qlibrary.org.

GENDER FAIRNESS WITHIN THE COURTS, A 20 YEAR RETROSPECTIVE, October 27th

The Minnesota Women Lawyers are pleased to announce the 15th Annual Rosalie Wahl Leadership Lecture which will be held in conjunction with the 20th Anniversary Commemoration of the Minnesota Supreme Court Gender Fairness in the Court Report.

In September 1989, the Minnesota Supreme Court Task Force for Gender Fairness in the Courts issued a final report regarding gender bias in the court system. Please join the Gender Fairness Implementation Committee as it looks back at the original recommendations and the progress that has since been made. A luncheon and a series of CLE events will be held to discuss topics related to the report.

Afterwards, please join the Minnesota Women Lawyers as they welcome Ms. Eleanor Acheson, this year’s keynote speaker for the Rosalie Wahl Leadership Lecture. Ms. Acheson is Vice-President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for National Railroad Passenger Corporation (commonly known as “Amtrak.”) She is based at the railroad's headquarters in Washington, DC. Registration for the Wahl Leadership Lecture begins at 5:30 PM with an hor d’ouerves reception immediately following the lecture. Please go to http://www.mwlawyers.org/ for more details on this event. Click here for the Event Brochure.

LAW STUDENTS

Welcome back to school! The MLBA is committed to supporting GLBT law students and law student organizations. For more information on how the MLBA can support your organizations and events, please contact the MLBA's Law Student Liaison, Jason Schellack, at jason.schellack@wmitchell.edu.

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EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY WITH THE MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE

Minnesota Department of Revenue seeks an attorney to provide legal counsel to the Corporate Franchise Tax Division of the Minnesota Department of Revenue and provide legal counsel to the Department of Revenue and auditors concerning the Job Opportunity Building Zone (JOBZ) program or similar programs. The job also involves drafting legislation in the subject areas and testifying at legislative hearings. Please see https://statejobs.doer.state.mn.us for more information. Applications are accepted through the DOER website: https://statejobs.doer.state.mn.us. Closing date for applications is 09/24/2009.

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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