B&B_NEW_LOGO_400




The official publication of the Minnesota State Bar Association



Feature Articles


MSBA President 2024-25: Samuel Edmunds
Amy Lindgren
Jul 01, 2024
Have you ever received a piece of advice that shaped your life? For Sam Edmunds, it might have been his dad’s counsel to “always show up,” a phrase heard frequently during his childhood.
Full story
  • CATEGORY
  • Profiles
  • President
Sam Edmunds: A born leader (or was that lawyer?)
Jul 01, 2024
When you ask people about Sam Edmunds, it doesn’t take long for the word “leader” to enter the conversation. Given how many leadership roles he has held, it’s almost inevitable. But his work as a lawyer is also well-respected, underpinned by his reputation for success in criminal defense.
Full story
  • CATEGORY
  • President
MSBA President 2024-25: Bio Bits
Jul 01, 2024
Full story
  • CATEGORY
  • President
2024 Minnesota legislative recap
Bryan Lake
Jul 01, 2024
After passing large budget increases and a seemingly endless list of major policy changes in 2023, state lawmakers returned to St. Paul in February for the second year of the legislative biennium.
Full story
  • CATEGORY
  • Legislation
Want to work happier? Spend some time considering your core values
Sarah Soucie Eyberg
Jul 01, 2024
Knowing my core values has helped me to know which opportunities to undertake and which to decline. It has even helped me reevaluate relationships with individuals and organizations and focus my energies where they matter most.
Full story
  • CATEGORY
  • Well-Being
The young(ish) leading the young(er): Why you don’t need to know everything to be a mentor
Veronica L. Stachurski
Jul 01, 2024
What I discovered pretty quickly was that I was in a unique position to “speak the language” of both our legal assistant and our partner. I was not still in law school, but I was not a seasoned attorney.
Full story
  • CATEGORY
  • Mentoring
Understanding Minnesota's Big Law M&A wave
Brett Larson, Theresa Bea, & Dillon White
May 20, 2024
The data gathered in the five years since the Big Law wave has afforded us a glimpse into the realities of the Minnesota legal market as a whole, and the lessons learned from its analysis can chart a course forward for firms of all sizes, but especially for midsized to large firms that may be operating too similarly to their Big Law counterparts.
Full story
  • CATEGORY
  • Business Law
What you need to know about the FTC rule banning employee noncompetes
George H. Singer
May 20, 2024
The FTC announced that the new rule will provide millions of American workers with more freedom to pursue other job opportunities, seek higher pay, and increase entrepreneurship in the United States
Full story
  • CATEGORY
  • Employment and Labor Law
Minnesota’s #MeToo tax is finally gone
Abou B. Amara, Jr. and Karla M. Gluek
May 20, 2024
Imagine being sexually harassed at work, standing up for yourself and reaching a financial settlement with your employer—and then the government steps in and taxes you on that settlement. Seems unfair, right? Well, for decades, this was the reality for countless sexual harassment victims. Under Minnesota state law, at least, that is no longer the case.
Full story
  • CATEGORY
  • Litigation
  • Tax Law
The art of the answer: How to respond effectively to questions at oral argument
Steven E. Vogel and Kyle R. Kroll
May 20, 2024
When The Killers wrote the lyrics to “Are We Human, or Are We Dancer?” they sought to describe the internal dilemma of every oral advocate—balancing imperfect, impromptu responses with the effortless grace required of a professional dancer.
Full story
  • CATEGORY
  • Appellate Practice
Exploring the NA life: A journal of drinking and not drinking
CARRIE OSOWSKI
May 20, 2024
When I drink these days, I drink to enjoy the taste of my chosen beverage, not because I want to numb myself to the stress of my job. And when I don’t want to drink alcohol, I don’t hesitate to order a nonalcoholic beverage.
Full story
  • CATEGORY
  • Well-Being
So you want to be an appellate attorney?
Jeffrey Wald
May 20, 2024
Sure, you could clerk for a United States Supreme Court justice, or get a job at the Solicitor General’s Office, but follow me for a moment, if you will, and I’ll share with you three unconventional, but foolproof, tips on how to become a knockdown appellate advocate.
Full story
  • CATEGORY
  • Appellate Practice
AI, UPL, and the justice gap
DAMIEN RIEHL
Apr 01, 2024
The legal profession stands at a crossroads. Embracing generative AI tools such as LLMs can significantly improve legal practice and access to justice. If we’re able to assess potential concerns about free speech and guild protectionism, we might move forward with using tools to benefit the public.
Full story
  • CATEGORY
  • AI
  • Access to Justice
The Eighth Circuit needs more women on the bench: An advocate’s experience
Stephanie Angolkar
Apr 01, 2024
One October morning in 2021, I prepared to return to in-person oral arguments before the Eighth Circuit in St. Paul, Minnesota. After checking in for my argument, I entered the courtroom and quickly saw that I was the only woman in the room.
Full story
  • CATEGORY
  • Gender
  • Courts
Common but not forgotten
IAN LEWENSTEIN
Apr 01, 2024
When it comes to basic comma mistakes, two are predominantly recurring: (1) missing commas between independent clauses and (2) commas used unnecessarily in compound predicates.
Full story
  • CATEGORY
  • Legal Writing
In the Matter of Equity v. Finality
m boulette, Seungwon Chung, and Abby Sunberg
Feb 29, 2024
Two recent Supreme Court cases shift the emphasis in Minnesota divorce law. As divorce lawyers, we can’t make many promises. Family court outcomes are notoriously uncertain and the classic lawyerly “it depends” is often the only answer. But there was at least one promise we could always make: By the time this is over, you’ll be divorced. Once and for all. But after recent cases from the Minnesota Supreme Court, even that answer may now depend.
Full story
  • CATEGORY
  • Divorce
  • Family Law
Retaining and using expert witnesses: A short primer
R. Don Keysser
Feb 29, 2024
Your experts should be an integral part of your legal team, capable of adding considerable value to the ultimate resolution of your client’s case, if you manage them well.
Full story
  • CATEGORY
  • Civil Litigation
10 tips for working effectively with your in-house counterparts
MIKE MATHER
Feb 29, 2024
Despite the importance of this relationship, little time is spent identifying exactly how outside counsel can maximize their value to their in-house counterparts and the client they jointly represent. To address this gap, here are ten tips on how firms can more effectively partner with their in-house colleagues.
Full story
  • CATEGORY
  • Litigation
  • Business Law
The cannabis-custody conundrum
Christopher Vatsaas and Melanie Nelson
Feb 29, 2024
Marijuana use is not a foreign issue to family courts. In Minnesota, however, the legalization of recreational marijuana in 2023 added a new layer to this legal onion. As of August 1, 2023, adults in Minnesota over the age of 21 can possess, use, and grow restricted amounts of marijuana
Full story
  • CATEGORY
  • Family Law
  • Cannabis
How judges read statutes: And how to write them so they won’t be misinterpreted
Justice Paul Thissen
Jan 26, 2024
In this article, I hope to provide practical tips for people involved in the process of drafting statutes so they can maximize the odds that judges will interpret and apply statutes as their drafters intended.
Full story
  • CATEGORY
  • Judges
  • Legislation
12345678910...