Bar Buzz: Zoom event features pathfinding women lawyers

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How have some of Minnesota’s most successful women lawyers and judges overcome adversity, dealt with ethical challenges and bounced back from defeat? How do they balance those frustrating work-life balance challenges?

You’ll have a chance to find out on March 4, during a virtual event co-sponsored by the Minnesota State Bar Association’s New Lawyers Section. Celebrating Trailblazing Women Attorneys will feature 25 female luminaries of Minnesota’s bench and bar.

Other co-sponsors include the Federal Bar Association’s Minnesota chapter, the Hennepin County Bar Association, Minnesota Women Lawyers and the Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers. All attorneys are welcome to attend.

Abby Ward, the event’s organizer and the Minnesota State Bar Association’s section manager, said the Zoom event, which runs from 4:45 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday, is styled as a kind of virtual rotating round table.

Participants will be broken into groups and assigned to Zoom breakout rooms with one or two featured speakers. Those judges and lawyers will rotate in and out of the break out rooms until time runs out. There will be about four rotations over the course of the event.

“So our participants won’t be able to speak to every single lawyer and judge listed,” Ward said. “They’ll interact with a few of them, but not all of them.”

Irrespective of that necessary limitation, the event sets up as one from which it would be hard to come away disappointed.

Think we’re kidding? Check out this speakers list:

• Anne K. McKeig, Minnesota Supreme Court associate justice
• Susan Richard Nelson, Minnesota U.S. District Court judge
• Nancy E. Brasel, Minnesota U.S. District Court judge
• Wilhelmina M. Wright, Minnesota U.S. District Court judge
• Ann D. Montgomery, senior Minnesota U.S. District Court judge
• Becky R. Thorson, Minnesota U.S. District Court magistrate judge
• Hildy Bowbeer, Minnesota U.S. District Court magistrate judge
• Roberta Walburn, of counsel, Ciresi Conlin L.L.P.
• Jan Conlin, founding partner, Ciresi Conlin L.L.P.
• Liz Kramer, solicitor general, Minnesota Attorney General’s Office
• Sonia Miller-Van Oort, Sapientia Law Group
• Adine Momoh, partner, Stinson L.L.P.
• Kathryn Hoffman, CEO, Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy
• Vildan Teske, founding partner, Teske Katz P.L.L.P.
• Gloria Stamps-Smith, assistant Hennepin County Attorney
• Rebecca Egge Moos, Bassford Remele
• Kate Razavi, partner, Faegre Drinker
• Amy Seidel, partner, Faegre Drinker
• Lola Velazquez-Aguilu, lead counsel, brain modulation, Medtronic
• Tara Norgard, partner, Carlson Caspers
• Keiko Sugisaka, partner, Maslon L.L.P.
• Rikke Dierssen-Morice, Maslon L.L.P.
• Erin Sindberg Porter, partner, Jones Day; chair, Judicial Selection Commission
• Annamarie Daley, of counsel, Jones Day
• Kodi Verhalen, partner, Taft L.L.P.

Deadline for signup is March 2. Online registration is available at https://www.mnbar.org/members/cle-events/event/login?EventID=4441. The event is good for one continuing legal education credit.

Remote instructions will be emailed to participants on the day prior to the event.

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