Minnesota State Law Library 2025 CLE Archive

Please note: this is our archive of past CLE programs from 2025. If you are looking for CLEs for which on-demand credit is available, please visit our On-demand CLE page.

• Shielding the Carer: Understanding and Managing Secondary Trauma in the Legal Profession
• Tuesday, September 16, 2025, noon - 1:00 pm
• CLE Credit: One mental health/substance use CLE credit has been approved (#533073). Credit is available for those who attended this session when it was presented. On-demand credit is not currently available.
• Speaker: Sarah MacGillis, Outreach Director, Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers
• Description: This course is designed to educate attorneys about secondary traumatic stress and how it can adversely affect the attorney. It is based upon the understanding that working with traumatized individuals is part of many attorney’s professional practices. Indeed, many of us spend considerable time with victims of trauma, either learning their stories in person or through secondary sources like reports, photographs, recordings, interviews with others and through pretrial and trial testimony. These interactions can take a significant emotional toll of the professional, particularly with repeated exposure over time. This presentation will explain what secondary trauma is, explain other conditions including burnout, compassion fatigue, depression, anxiety and substance use disorder that can be the result of the stress we experience in repeatedly working with people's traumatic experiences. The purpose of this program is to assist attorneys in recognizing their exposure to other’s trauma and how that exposure can harm their ability to fulfill their obligations as attorneys. Finally, the presentation will give strategies for the individual and the institution to better equip themselves to handle the effects of working with this vulnerable population, in other words, how to employ strategies to “shield the carer” from the occupational hazard of working with other individual’s trauma. This includes consultation with LCL, EAPs and other resources that assist attorneys and their staff with these complicated issues.
• Recording of presentation. Handout. 
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• A Year in Review: Update on Attorney Discipline Matters in 2024
• Tuesday, July 29, noon - 1:00 pm
• CLE Credit: One ethics CLE credit has been approved (#533693). This CLE is also available for on-demand credit. Please see our On-Demand CLEs page.
• Speakers: Binh T. Tuong, Deputy Director, Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility, and Aaron D. Sampsel, Attorney, Christensen Sampsel PLLC
• Description: This CLE provides a 2024 year in review of ethics cases, trends, and statistics. It covers statistics related to discipline from 2024, discusses all 2024 disbarment cases and lessons learned, discusses a number of 2024 public discipline cases of note noting certain trends related to those cases, discusses private discipline stats and trends, discusses new ABA opinions of note, and finally provides resources for lawyers.
• Recording of presentation.
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• The Black Lawyer in Minnesota, 1973-2023: A Story of Firsts and Those Who Made a Difference
• Tuesday, June 24, noon - 1:00 pm
• CLE Credit: One elimination of bias CLE credit has been approved (#531731). Credit is available for those who attended this session when it was presented. On-demand credit is not currently available.
• Speaker: Jeffrey A. Hassan, Esq. 
• Description: Mr. Hassan, author of the book The Black Lawyer in Minnesota: 1973 to 2023, presented about the groundbreaking achievements of Minnesota's Black legal community over the last five decades. He covered these pivotal legal milestones: founding of MABL, the Derek Chauvin prosecution, landmark appointments to the bench, and stories of resilience and principle-driven leadership.
• Recording of Presentation.
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• Neurodiversity in the legal field: Enhance your understanding to support clients, coworkers, and yourself
• Tuesday, May 13, noon - 1:00 pm
• CLE Credit: One elimination of bias CLE credit has been approved (#529121). Credit is available for those who attended this session when it was presented. On-demand credit is not currently available.
• Speaker: Sierra Grandy, Attorney and founder of Questify Your Life, LLC
• Description: This session highlights the concept of neurodiversity, its relevance in the legal profession, and the unique ways neurodivergent individuals contribute to enriching the workplace. Through engaging discussions and real-world examples, participants will explore how ableism affects individuals with disabilities, including neurodivergent people, and learn why addressing these barriers is essential for a more inclusive legal field. In addition to understanding these systemic challenges, you’ll walk away with practical tools to navigate executive functioning demands, create self-accommodations, and foster empathy in your interactions. These strategies will help you better support yourself, your clients, and your colleagues, building a more collaborative and equitable legal community.
• Recording of Presentation. Presentation Slides.
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• Minnesota's New Clemency Laws: What Has Changed and Why It Is Important
• Tuesday, April 15, noon - 1:00 pm
• CLE Credit: One standard CLE credit has been approved (#526858). Credit is available for those who attended this session when it was presented. On-demand credit is not currently available.
• Speaker: Thomas A. Wilson, Attorney, Wilson Law Firm
• Description: Minnesota Clemency Laws underwent major changes in 2024, including the establishment of the Clemency Review Commission, new eligibility requirements, and a new pardon process. This CLE will explain the major changes to Minnesota's clemency laws, focusing on pardons.
• Recording of Presentation. Presentation Slides.
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• Minnesota Legislative History Research
• Thursday, March 13, noon - 1:00 pm
• CLE Credit: One standard CLE credit has been approved (#523851). Credit is available for those who attended this session when it was presented. On-demand credit is not currently available.
• Speaker: Sarah Larsen, Outreach Librarian, Minnesota State Law Library
• Description: This session provides an introduction to legislative history research in Minnesota. Topics covered include what legislative history is and why you might be interested in researching it, resources for finding legislative intent, and what to do when legislative resources do not provide the information you need. 
• Recording of Presentation. Slides. Handout. 
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• Ethical Dangers of Isolation in the Legal Profession
• Wednesday, February 12, noon - 1:00 pm
• CLE Credit: One ethics CLE credit has been approved (#522630). This CLE is also available for on-demand credit. Please see our On-Demand CLEs page.
• Speaker: Jon Tynjala, Case Manager, Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers
• Description: Loneliness and isolation present an urgent public health challenge, prompting the U.S. Surgeon General to issue a public health advisory to urge the nation’s immediate awareness and action. As lawyers, we have been identified as the loneliest workers in America, and our isolation presents a significant risk to our mental and physical health and our ability to conform to our professional obligations. This program explores some of the causes and effects of isolation, the impact on our professional responsibilities, and ways we can address both causes and effects of isolation by building a culture of connection and mutual care in the legal profession.
• Recording of Presentation. Materials Packet. 
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• Supreme Court Review
• Tuesday, January 7, noon - 1:30 pm
• CLE Credit: 1.5 standard CLE credits have been approved (#520433). Credit is available for those who attended this session when it was presented. On-demand credit is not currently available.
• Speakers: David Schultz, Distinguished University Professor Policial Science and Legal Studies, Hamline University, and Visiting Professor of Law, University of Minnesota Law School, and Marshall Tanick, Meyer Njus Tanick
• Description: David Schultz Distinguished University Professor of Political Science and Legal Studies at Hamline University and a Visiting Professor of Law at the University of MN Law School and Constitutional law attorney Marshall Tanick of the Twin Cities law firm of MEYER NJUS TANICK provided an overview of the 2023-24 Term of the U. S. Supreme Court, reviewed some of the blockbuster cases and previewed a few of the marquee cases on the docket for the upcoming Term.
• Recording of Presentation. Slides: Professor David Schultz slides. Marshall Tanick slides.