2021 Young Lawyers Seminar Agenda

2021 Young Lawyers Seminar

*Schedule and Speakers subject to change

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Wednesday, June 23, 2021

Time Program
10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m. Community Service Project - Cookie Cart, Minneapolis, MN

For more information, please click on the tab "DRI Cares".
2:00 p.m. Registration
2:30 p.m. Enneagram Networking Workshop

Join a smaller group of your peers to learn about a profound and impactful self-awareness tool call the Enneagram. In this workshop, you will learn about the motivations of each of the nine personality types that make up the Enneagram. These motivations are the root of our strengths and weaknesses. So, as knowledge is power, self-knowledge is self-power. Get to know more about yourself and your colleagues, and learn how you can leverage your strengths, as well as those of your colleagues in this unique networking opportunity.

Darin Williams, Laner Muchin, LLC, Chicago, Illinois
Melissa H. Rose, Perkins Coie LLP, San Diego, CA
5:00 p.m. Adjourn
6:00 p.m. Networking Reception
7:00 p.m. Dine Arounds

Join fellow attendees for dine-arounds immediately following the networking reception.

Please join us after dinner at Seven on the mezzanine level for some more Networking!

700 Hennepin Ave S
Minneapolis, MN

Thursday, June 24, 2021

Time Program
6:30 a.m. DRI for Life - Yoga

Join fellow Young Lawyer Kelly Calder Mowen as she will lead us in a guided yoga and meditation session on-site at the Marquette. Towels will be provided. To sign up, please contact Darin Williams at dwilliams@lanermuchin.com or Marrielle Van Rossum at mvanrossum@devinemillimet.com.
7:00 a.m. Registration
7:30 a.m. Continental Breakfast
8:30 a.m. Welcome and Introduction

John H. Dollarhide, Butler Snow LLP, Jackson, MS
Stephen O. Plunkett, Bassford Remele, Minneapolis, MN
8:40 a.m. Gender and Age Dynamics

Kate Norris, Maria Zaloker, Ellie Krug will speak about the importance of allyship at different stages in their legal careers. The panel will provide examples of allyship and sponsorship from males and females throughout their careers that was particularly impactful and how the audience - both male and female - can lift female voices.

Kate Norris, The Emily Program, Minneapolis, MN
Ellie Krug, Human Inspiration Works, LLC, Minneapolis, MN
Maria Zaloker, Minnesota Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board, Minneapolis, MN
9:30 a.m. Top Ten Best Practices to Impress Corporate Counsel and Win Business as a Young Lawyer

As young lawyers mature in their careers, it is important to understand the effect they can have on corporate counsel. Impressing in-house counsel and creating personal relationships within an organization will help young lawyers build their reputations and generate new business. This dynamic presentation will be given by two former DRI young lawyers, both of whom started out as associates at outside defense firms. Hear unique perspectives from this in-house and outside counsel duo for concrete tips to attract the attention of corporate counsel and win business as a young lawyer.

Thomas G. (Tom) Goodwin, Atria Senior Living Group Inc., Louisville, KY
Kelly Jones Howell, Harris Beach PLLC, New York, NY
10:20 a.m. Refreshment Break
10:35 a.m. Beyond Lip Service: What Present and Future Managing Partners, Equity Partners, and Decision Makers Need to Hear About How They Can Meaningfully Advance Diversity and Inclusion from Within (And Ways to Tell Them)

Our accomplished panel of in-house and private practice lawyers will lead a provocative discussion regarding the intersection of the practice of law and the recent acknowledgment of disparities faced by minorities in the practice. Most employers have already conducted some form of diversity and inclusion training. But real change requires more. This panel will provide insights regarding their collective experience navigating the practice as minorities and will offer suggestions for decision-makers at every level to examine their hiring, retention, and promotion practices to make meaningful changes to ensure that all individuals in our field thrive.

Moderator
Chalankis Brown, Ball Ball Matthews & Novak, Montgomery, AL

Panel
Bryan R. Browning, Lenovo, Chicago, IL
Dadri-Anne Graham, Cargill, Inc., Minneapolis, MN
Ricardo Woods, Burr Forman, Mobile, AL
11:25 a.m. Diversity/WITL Luncheon

“No One Succeeds Alone": The Critical Importance of Role Models in Empowering Women of Color to Succeed in the Legal Field

Featured speaker: Justice Anne McKeig, Minnesota Supreme Court, Minneapolis, MN

Hear from the Minnesota Supreme Court’s first American Indian justice and our nation’s first female American Indian state supreme court justice Hon. Anne McKeig, as she tells how her life experiences and unique background brought her to her position on the court.

The Diversity and WITL luncheon is a ticketed event and registration is required (space is limited).
The luncheon will be held at the Universe Room (Windows on Minnesota) and you can purchase tickets through the website when you register. Cost of Ticket: $56.00
The deadline to register for the luncheon has been extended to Friday, June 18.
1:15–2:45 p.m. Elevate Your Elevator Speech: Fast-Pitch Breakout

Ready to wow in-house counsel? Come practice your pitch for business with some of the biggest names in business. Attendees will get the opportunity to work one-on-one with in-house counsel on their pitch and receive feedback in real time! Limited enrollment.
To sign up, please contact Brian Cadigan at bcadigan@reedsmith.com.

In-House Counsel
Brendan Dolan, Polaris Industries Inc., Minneapolis, MN
Maggie Lassack, Polaris Industries Inc., Minneapolis, MN
Maria Zaloker, Minnesota Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board, Minneapolis, MN
Melissa McAlpine, Polaris Industries Inc., Minneapolis, MN
Sonya Seidl, Target, Minneapolis, MN
Thomas G. (Tom) Goodwin, Atria Senior Living Group Inc., Louisville, KY
Bryan R. Browning, Lenovo, Chicago, IL
1:15 p.m. Giving is Receiving: How to Enhance Your Skills by Taking on Pro Bono Cases

Providing pro bono representation is one of the most fulfilling ways to use one's law degree to help those in need. But working with a pro bono client has its own share of nuances, interesting scenarios, and highs and lows that can challenge any attorney, regardless of experience. Hear from a fellow Young Lawyer member on what you should expect when taking on a pro bono matter and best practices for dealing with those expectations.

Vanessa Offutt, Shook, Hardy & Bacon, L.L.P., Miami, FL
2:05 p.m. But That's Not Who We Are

That is who you are if it is what people perceive you to be. This session will focus on aligning individuals and teams with the mission of your organization or firm. Tapping into your personal narrative is critical to shaping how you want to show up, build a culture of inclusion, and represent diverse clients with cultural competence.

Paula Forbes, Forbes Solutions, PLLC, Minneapolis, MN
2:55 p.m. Refreshment Break
3:10 p.m. Personalizing the Corporate Defendant

Juries tend to be biased against corporate defendants based on the notion that corporations are "dark suits" and "corner offices," motivated only by profit. This presentation will offer general strategies for "humanizing" your client by focusing on its people at various stages of litigation.

Sonya Seidl, Target, Minneapolis, MN
Robert Shields, Wilson Turner Kosmo, San Diego, CA
4:00 p.m. Modern Day Litigation: Using Multiple Media to Appeal to Jurors of All Ages

Modern-day juries can be made of people from more than three generations. Each has a preferred style for learning and communicating. Learn from a past Young Lawyer Committee Chair and experienced trial lawyer on how to use different forms of media to effectively communicate with and persuade jurors of all ages. Attendees will learn in real-time how to use technology to more persuasively and efficiently litigate for their clients.

Baxter D. Drennon, Wright Lindsey & Jennings, LLP, Little Rock, AR
5:00 p.m. Networking Reception
7:00 p.m. Dine-Arounds

Join fellow attendees for dine-arounds immediately following the networking reception.

Friday, June 25, 2021

Time Program
7:30 a.m. Registration
7:30 a.m. Continental Breakfast
8:35 a.m. Welcome and Introduction

Kevin McCarthy, Larson King, Minneapolis, MN
8:40 a.m. Young Lawyers Committee Business Meeting

Subcommittee descriptions will be given to those attendees interested in joining the steering committee and a short business meeting will be held.
9:30 a.m. A Guide to Getting in Good Trouble

As a speaker and teacher, one of the questions Kori has received the most recently is: “How can I be part of change with all the civil rights, diversity, and social justice issues?” In this session, Kori will help us unpack what it means to choose courage to interrupt bias and isms, what it means to be authentic in your approach, and how you as an individual and your organization can ensure the work is meaningful.

Kori Carew, Seyfarth Shaw, Chicago, IL
10:30 a.m. Pandemic: Past

The COVID-19 pandemic had a tremendous impact on the United States' judicial system. In the first portion of the judicial panel, Chief Justice Gildea, Chief Judge Tunheim, and Judge Wahl will discuss how the Minnesota judicial system navigated the challenges presented by COVID-19 and the lessons learned through that experience.

Moderator
Shannon M. NessierHanson Bridgett LLP, San Francisco, CA

Hon. Lorie Gildea, Chief Justice, Minnesota Supreme Court
Hon. Ed Wahl, Hennepin County
Hon. John R. Tunheim, District Judge, D. Minn.
11:15 a.m. Refreshment Break
11:30 a.m. Pandemic: Future

The second portion of the judicial panel will focus on the future of the Minnesota judicial system, and the practice of law at large, following the COVID-19 pandemic. Chief Justice Gildea, Chief Judge Tunheim, and Judge Wahl will discuss what they foresee as the future of legal practice following the challenges presented by COVID-19, and the adaptations made to account for those challenges.

Moderator
Shannon M. NessierHanson Bridgett LLP, San Francisco, CA

Hon. Lorie Gildea, Chief Justice, Minnesota Supreme Court
Hon. Ed Wahl, Hennepin County
Hon. John R. Tunheim, District Judge, D. Minn.
12:15 p.m. Science of Well-Being

Hear from our own MD/JD Emma Ross for an understanding of the cognitive science of well-being. As many in our profession are now aware, lawyers are more unhappy than most, with (much) higher-than-average rates of mental illness, suicide, and substance abuse. 2020 has exacerbated these issues. This CLE focuses practical, evidence-based solutions for lawyers looking to improve their well-being with insights drawn from cognitive science. Emma will discuss the misconceptions about what creates well-being; practical ways to counteract wrong intuitions about well-being; and resources for further learning.

Emma Ross, M.D., J.D., Goldman Ismail Tomaselli, Chicago, IL
1:05 p.m. Adjourn

DRI Cares

Cookie Cart Baking Bright Futures

Community Service Project: Cookie Cart | Minneapolis, MN

Cookie Cart is the Twin Cities' leader in youth social enterprise, combining paid work experience in two commercial bakeries with workshops to provide career readiness and leadership development for the Twin Cities' youth. Join us as we work with Cookie Cart’s teens on informational interviews about our career paths to educate and inspire them. For information, please contract Candace Deer at candacedeer@proassurance.com and Amber Eklof at aeklof@grsm.com.