Probate, Trusts, and Estates Section
Annual Report
2022-2023
Section Membership
As of June 1, 2023 the Section has 1,076 members.
Financial Status
The Section had an account balance of $126,267 as of April 30, 2023.
CLEs & Events
The Section hosted 7 events in fiscal year 2022-23.
| Program Title | Date | Event Code | CLE Credits | Attendees | Virtual/ In-person/ Hybrid |
| The New Electronic Wills Act, and Other Recent Developments in Probate and Trust Law | 5/25/2023 | 486551 | 1.0 Standard | 160 | Virtual |
| Real Property Transfers from a Probate Estate - Getting Necessary Documents Recorded | 5/4/2023 | 484051 | 1.0 Standard | 144 | Virtual |
| View From the Bench | 4/27/2023 | 484078 | 1.0 Standard | 150 | Virtual |
| Perspectives on Those Notorious Red Flags - A Dialogue Between Estate Planners and Estate Litigators | 4/26/2023 | 480612 | 1.0 Standard | 141 | Hybrid |
| TODDs – Easy Peasy or Delayed Disaster? | 4/17/2023 | 482946 | 1.0 Standard | 177 | Virtual |
| Mental Health, Addiction, and Transition Issues in Older Adults | 12/16/2022 | 477929 | 1.0 Elimination of Bias | 145 | Virtual |
| The Elephant in the Room – Attorney’s Fees in Probate Matters | 11/17/2022 | 476587 | 1.0 Standard | 113 | Virtual |
Annual Meeting and Election Results
The Section’s Annual Meeting was held on June 12, 2023 at the Section Conference in St. Paul, MN.
The following officers were elected to serve on the Section’s Governing Council from 7/1/2023 to 6/30/2024:
Chair: Jason Schuller
Vice-Chair: Kirstin Helmers
Secretary: Joel Sommers
Treasurer: Lauren Barron
The following council members are continuing to serve their existing term:
- Brandon Edmundson
- Kiley Henry
- Joshua Hillger
- Andrew Howard
- Cameron Kelly
- Sarah Meyer
- J. Steve Nys
- Denise Rahne
- Jennifer Santini (immediate past chair, ex-officio)
- Patricia Stotzheim
- John Wehrly
The following members were newly-elected to serve on the Council:
- Jennifer Colich
- Patricia Stotzheim
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
The Section planned to continue to highlight this practice area at the local law schools with the hope of increasing a more diverse pool of practitioners. This year, the Section launched an annual writing competition – now titled the “Dead Hand Writing Competition” – for law students. This year’s writing competition focused on access to justice within the field of probate, trusts and estates law. There were two recipients this year:
- Jasmin Hernandez Du Bois – a 2L at the University of MN Law School, who wrote about the intersection of probate and the prison system; and
- Sierra Grandy – also a 2L at the University of MN Law School, who wrote about estate planning for neuro divergent clients.
Additionally, the Section launched a pro bono Probate Clinic through the Minnesota State Law Library and so far the attorney volunteers have assisted 35 individuals.
Other Section Accomplishments
The Newsletter Committee published 4 issues throughout the year.
The Legislation Committee successfully helped pass the Uniform Electronic Wills Act.
The Section received 3 requests to submit amicus briefs and the Section agreed to take on one – In re the Trust of Eva Marie Hanson Living Trust - which the Court of Appeals published an opinion in favor of the Appellants’ and the Section’s position. Mahesha Subbaraman was the author of the brief on behalf of the Section.
The Section voted to approve the revised bylaws at the Annual Meeting held on June 12, 2023.
Submitted By:
Jennifer Santini, Section Chair
Date: June 14, 2023