2020-21 Annual Report
Section Membership
As of June 23, 2021, the Section has 4072 members.
CLEs & Events
The Section hosted 14 events in fiscal year 2020-21.
| Program Title | Date | Event Code | CLE Credits | # of Attendees |
| Workplace Diversity and Inclusion – Success Stories and What You Can Do Going Forward | 10/28/20 | 330081 | 1.25 Standard | 50 |
| New Lawyers Section Pumpkin Carving Social and Competition | 10/29/20 | N/A | N/A | 12 |
| NLLC – Implicit bias and How to Counter It | 11/9/20 | 332799 | 1.0 Elimination of Bias | 65 |
| NLLC – Leadership Panel – How to Develop Yourself Within the Bar and Your Firm | 11/10/20 | 330937 | 1.0 Standard | 59 |
| NLLC – Lawyers as Linchpins – Becoming Indispensable in the Increasingly Commoditized Legal Profession | 11/11/20 | 330939 | 1.0 Standard | 41 |
| NLLC – Writing Like a Leader and Speed Networking | 11/12/20 | 330941 | 1.0 Standard | 50 |
| NLLC – The New Mindful Approach to Lawyering | 11/13/20 | 330943 | 1.0 Standard | 38 |
| Introduction to your Employee Benefits- A New Attorneys Guide | 12/7/20 | 333038 | 1.0 Standard | 67 |
| MSBA and HCBA New Lawyers December Trivia - Ugly Sweater Theme | 12/16/2020 | N/A | N/A | 29 |
| Panel Discussion - Strategies for Success in an Uncertain Job Market | 2/3/21 | 339916 | 1.0 Standard | 58 |
| Celebrating Trailblazing Women Attorneys | 3/4/21 | 341422 | 1.0 Standard | 173 |
| March into Art Month – Vinyasa FreshFlow | 3/9/21 | N/A | N/A | Data unavailable |
| March into Art Month – Cooking Class led by Cook of Crocus Hill Professional Chef | 3/16/21 | N/A | N/A | 21 |
| March into Art Month – No Stress Watercolors for EVERYONE | 3/23/21 | N/A | N/A | 53 |
| March into Art Month – Live Concert with Hip Hop Rapper Nur-D | 4/2/21 | N/A | N/A | 27 |
| Law Student Listening Session Hosted by the New Lawyers Sections | 4/27/21 | N/A | N/A | 8 |
| Virtual Happy Hour and NLS Annual Elections | 5/12/21 | N/A | N/A | 24 |
| A Call to Action - How Lawyers and Law Students Can Help Bring About Change for Marginalized Communities | 5/13/21 | 364022 | 1.5 Standard | 69 |
Annual Meeting and Election Results
The Section’s Annual Meeting was held on May 12, 2021, and 24 people attended.
The following officers were elected to serve on the Section’s Governing Council from 7/1/2021 to 6/30/2022:
Chair: Qortney McLeod, Minnesota Attorney General’s Office
Vice Chair: Colleen Case, Law Clerk to the Honorable Referee Ogunleye, Referee of Hennepin County Family Court
Treasurer: Colin Hunter Hargreaves, Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C.
Secretary: Anna Barton, Maslon LLP
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
What diversity, equity and inclusion goals did the Section include in the 2020-2021 work plan, how did you approach these goals, and what was the result?
- The Section launched our first diversity, equity, and inclusion plan this year.
- One of the goals listed in our DEI plan was to “Create a Zoom CLE event that allows a panel of presenters over a lunch hour to describe tangible ways in which firms and workplaces can incorporate diversity and inclusion.” We held that event on October 28th. It was very successful with 50 people attending.
- Another goal in our DEI plan was to reach out to other bar associations to be in communication about what each group is doing and how we can collaborate. Our Section worked with the FBA and MWL to execute our Celebrating Trailblazing Women Attorneys event and brought in co-sponsorships with the HCBA and MABL. This event was extremely successful with 200 attendees and great feedback! It was a great relationship building event.
- Our Section also hosted a Call to Action event which featured a keynote speaker and leader in social justice as well as local nonprofits who need attorneys’ assistance. This event was really well received.
Other Section Accomplishments
- Successfully pivoted our New Lawyers Leadership Conference from a day-long in-person event to a week-long virtual event with great attendance.
- Hosted many creative and fun events to keep law students and new lawyers connected during an isolating time (ex: Pumpkin Carving, March into Art Month)
- Created a task force of members to look at the bar exam and issues law students face.
Submitted By:
Kyle Willems, Section Chair
Date: 06/24/2021