On May 4th, from 5 to 7 p.m., at the Mosaic Event Venue the Hennepin County Bar Foundation will be holding its annual Bar Benefit. For those of you who have been following my articles this year, you will find the common themes of wellness, diversity, and giving back. The Bar Benefit is one of those events that touches on all those themes. You have the chance to relax and have some fun playing the wine ring toss, pick out a mystery bag to win a prize, or play the “Heads or Tails” game.
We will also have the opportunity to have tacos from Centro, drinks from Toast Tours, and cotton candy from Spinning Wylde. Over the years, I have never been disappointed in the food or games at the event, and this year appears to be no exception.
The money raised at this event will be used to help fund so many organizations that provide direct legal services for those in need, who would otherwise not have any legal recourse. This year the HCBF has issued grants to 27 different organizations, including the Conflict Resolution Center; the Legal Rights Center; and Minnesota Justice Foundation.
As we traditionally do, the HCBF has also coordinated with Volunteer Lawyers Network to put together a variety of silent auction items to support VLN. All of that money goes to support the amazing work that VLN does,helping people with criminal expungements, immigration issues, bankruptcy, employment, debt collection, and so much more.
As an organization, the HCBA has committed to addressing the disparity in diversity in the legal profession. For the second year in a row, the HCBF is providing $6,000 in scholarship funding for law students who are members of a groups traditionally under-represented and/or marginalized in the legal profession who contribute meaningfully to diversity in their community and are interested in or already pursuing legal aid/volunteer work.
For all those reasons, I hope you will join me on May 4th. And for HCBF Fellows, I will see you an hour earlier at the Fellows event. For any non-Fellows, please ask and consider applying to join this group that cares passionately about access to justice.
I hope to see you on May 4th. You can get your tickets at the link: 2023 HCBF Bar Benefit.
Landon Ascheman is the president of the Hennepin County Bar Association. He is a solo practitioner with Ascheman Law focusing primarily on criminal law.