Archives

 

Find out what your bar leadership has to say about issues affecting the profession and society. Bench & Bar offers these archive columns from previous issues:

Leo I. Brisbois (2009-10):

Who We Are (April 10)
Nine Days in June (March 10)
Judical Reform (February 10)
We Are Still Here (January 10)
Holiday Stories (December 09)
We Are All Related (November 09)
Of Greatest Value Is That Which We Give Away (October 09)
Civics: To Save a Village, Teach a Child (September 09)
A Quality Judiciary in Action: A Quality of Justice Worthy of Preservation (August 09)
Associating with Leaders: Join to Lead (July 09)

Michael J. Ford (2008-09):
Tipping Points & Tugs of War (May/June 09)
Theory vs. Practice (April 09)
Evolutionary, Not Revolutionary (March 09)
There’s No Background Music—But Listen (February 09)
Whassup*: A Discussion of Current Events (December 08)
Super Lawyers and the Bar Association (November 08)
Law Firm Management: Why the Diversity and Gender Equity "Best Practices Guide" Makes Good Management Sense (October 08)
The Practice, The Profession, and the Business of Law (September 08)
A Necessary Flogging: Why Pro Bono is Part of the Deal (August 08)
The Lake Wobegon Conceit (July 08)

Brian Melendez (2007-08):
Unsung Heroes (May-June 08)
Two Extraordinary Celebrations: Minnesota Sesquicentennial & MSBA Convention (April 08)
The MSBA Pro Bono Challenge (March 08)
It's Not Your Daddy's Bar Association (February 08)
Inaugural Address (January 08)
Solidarity at the Sesquicentennial (December 07)
MJF: Inspiring an Ethic of Service (November 07)
Lawyers as Teachers & Peacemakers (October 07)
Fixing the Roof While the Sun Shines - II (September 07)
Fixing the Roof While the Sun Shines (August 07)
All the Former New Lawyers (July 07)

Patrick J. Kelly (2006-07):
What We've Accomplished Together (May/June 07)
Politics & the Rule of Law (April 07)
Balancing Privacy & Security (March 07)
Upholding Equal Justice for All (February 07)
Professionalism & Service (January 07)
Lives of Service (December 06)
Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers: Friends in Deed (November 06)
Diversity in the Profession (October 06)
Pro Bono Work (September 06)
Civic Education (August 06)
Challenges Pending, Challenges Met (July 06)

Susan M. Holden (2005-06):
Separate Branches, Balanced Powers (May/June 06)
Preserving What We Value (April 06)
We Made a Difference (March 06)
Meth: Helping Kids Avoid Fatal Mistakes (February 06)
Finding Value in Your Membership (January 06)
Pitfalls of Publicly Funding Judicial Campaigns (December 2005)
Give Thanks Through Pro Bono (November 2005)
Out of Tragedy, We Can Make a Difference (October 2005)
Burning the House to Roast the Pig: Judicial Elections
After White (September 2005)
Diversity in the Profession: Is it Still an Issue? (August 2005)
A Good Day to Be a Lawyer (July 2005)

David Stowman (2004-05):
Reflections in the Rear View Mirror (May/June 2005)
Needing Protection from the Protectors (April 2005)
One Profession, Many Members (March 2005)
Getting to Know Ourselves (February 2005)
Quality Service (January 2005)
The More Things Change (December 2004)
Frivolous Lawsuits (November 2004)
Electing an Impartial, Independent Judiciary (October 2004)
Civil Politics: A Civil Responsibility (September 2004)
A Lawyer's Sense of Humor (August 2004)
What Have You Done for Me Lately (July 2004)

James L. Baillie (2003-04):
Toward an Ideal System for Delivery of Legal Services (May/June 2004)
Helping Our Members in Their Practices (April 2004)
Strengthening Our Presence in the Legislature (March 2004)
Our Public Defender System: A Funding Crisis (February 2004)
Member Participation: A Challenge (January 2004)
When a Lawyer is Shot: A Response from His Community (December 2003)
Business Law Pro Bono: Involving the Other Half of the Profession (November 2003)
A Call to Honor: Increasing our Pro Bono Services (October 2003)
The Decline in Civic Participation: Bowling Alone (September 2003)
Meeting the Crisis in Funding for the Courts and for Legal Services (August 2003)
A Matter of Honor: Meeting the Crisis in Legal Services (July 2003)

Jon Duckstad (2002-03):
Maintaining Humphrey's Legacy (May/June 2003)
Attorney Ambassador (April 2003)
Navigating Corporate Seas (March 2003)
Sections Bring Out the Best (February 2003)
Membership: It's Who We Are (January 2003)
Equal Justice for All (December 2002)
Specialist on the Prairie (November 2002)
Full Faith and Credit (October 2002)
Minnesota Mainstays: Agriculture and the Environment (September 2002)
A Service Profession (August 2002)
Multijurisdictional Practice (July 2002)

Jarvis C. Jones (2001-02):
The Year in Retrospect (May/June 2002)
Tax the Lawyers! (April 2002)
Civil Rights III: Common Ground (March 2002)
Legal Aid: Essential to Justice (February 2002)
Great Value for Your Membership Dollar (January 2002)
Lawyer-Friendly Technologies (December 2001)
Second-Class Americans? (November 2001)
Pitfalls of Ethic Profiling (October 2001)
Your Bar Association! (September 2001)
Pro Se Litigants and the Legal Profession (August 2001)
Issues Demanding Our Attention (July 2001)

Kent A. Gernander (2000-01):
Highway 61 Revisited (May/June 2001)
Judicial Elections II (April 2001)
Racial Profiling (March 2001)
Why Not Tax Legal Services? (February 2001)
A Story Goes With It (January 2001)
Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers (December 2000)
The Defenders (November 2000)
Judicial Elections (October 2000)
Legal Services Funding (September 2000)
Reflections on Independence Day (August 2000)
Remembering Justice Blackmun (July 2000)

Wood R. Foster (1999-2000):
Adding Value (May/June 2000)
Multidisciplinary Practice: Round Two (April 2000)
The MSBA and the Courts (March. 2000)
Out on a Limb: The Future of the Practice (February 2000)
A New Age (January 2000)
Whither ADR? (Dececember 1999)
The Highest Common Denominators (November 1999)
All You Get is the Magazine (October 1999)
Multidisciplinary Practice: Round One (September 1999)
A Profession at the Crossroads (August 1999)
Pride and Hope (July 1999)

Mark Gehan (1998-99):
A Remarkable Experience (June 1999)
Marking the First 150 Years (April/May 1999)
Why Do We Do This? (March 1999)
Another Law School? (February 1999)
An Invitation to Become Involved (January 1999)
Speaking Your Mind (November/December 1998)
Looking Forward, Looking Back (October 1998)
Truth, Not Tactics (September 1998)
Time and Change (August 1998)
Depression among Lawyers (July 1998)