Minnesota State Law Library 2026 CLE Archive

Please note: this is our archive of past CLE programs from 2026. If you are looking for CLEs for which on-demand credit is available, please visit our On-demand CLE page.

• From Isolation to Connection: Supporting Mental Health in the Legal Profession
• Wednesday, April 29, noon - 1:00 pm
• CLE Credit: One mental health/substance use CLE credit has been approved (#546634). Credit is available for those who attended this session when it was presented. On-demand credit is not currently available.
• Speaker: Jon Tynjala, Esq., Executive Director, Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers
• Description: This course is designed to educate attorneys about the interplay between isolation and loneliness in legal practice and mental health difficulties including substance use disorder, depression, and anxiety. In 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General issued an advisory identifying loneliness and isolation as an urgent public health challenge requiring immediate attention. This course examines the legal professional’s structures that support social connection, to wit, colleagues, firm co-workers, organizations, and the profession, and show how the structure, function, and quality of those connections work for or against attorney well-being. Notably, poor or insufficient social connection is associated with increased risk of anxiety, depression, substance use disorder, and suicide. This course will rely on studies that show that legal practice is the loneliest type of work, and this fact greatly increases the risk to lawyers of suffering from one of the identified disorders (as well as others). The statistics already put lawyers at much higher risk of problematic drinking, depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and high levels of stress. Each of these factors will be discussed as it specifically relates to legal practice. In addition, numerous traits of lawyers fuel isolation including perfectionism, pessimism, skepticism, low resilience, secondary trauma, and low sociability. Each of these factors will be explored. The ethical impact of isolation will be set forth as well as the relationship between impairment and attorney discipline. Finally, a detailed discussion of the benefits of connection both professionally and personally will be set forth with strategies to enhance both workplace and personal connection. This includes consultation with LCL, EAPs and other resources that assist attorneys and their staff with these complicated issues.
• Recording of presentation. Presentation materials. 
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• Expanding Access through Digital Accessibility in Minnesota's State Courts
• Thursday, April 2, noon - 1:00 pm
• CLE Credit: One elimination of bias CLE credit has been approved (#544584). This CLE is also available for on-demand credit. Please see our On-Demand CLEs page.
• Speakers: Suzanne Mateffy, Communication Analyst, Court Services Division, Minnesota State Court Administrator's Office, and Meridith J.O. Socha, Staff Attorney, Legal Counsel Division, State Court Administrator's Office
• Description: The ability to access justice is a fundamental right. For individuals with disabilities, online systems and documents that are not digitally accessible are often a barrier to accessing that right in modern court systems. The U.S. Department of Justice enacted regulations implementing the ADA governing the web accessibility of state and local governments. The Minnesota Judicial Branch is making changes to improve accessibility for all in compliance with these regulations. This CLE will cover what digital accessibility is, what is new or different that you may expect to see when interacting with the courts, and how you can help eliminate these barriers by enhancing the accessibility of your own filings with some practical tips.
• Recording of presentation. Slides.
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• Navigating the Minnesota Commitment Appeal Panel: Overview of Practice and Procedures
• Thursday, March 26, noon - 1:00 pm
• CLE Credit: One standard CLE credit has been approved (#544583). Credit is available for those who attended this session when it was presented. On-demand credit is not currently available.
• Speakers: Jennifer Thon, Attorney, Jones Law Office, and Aaron Winter, Assistant Attorney General
• Description: Experienced Commitment Appeal Panel (CAP) attorneys will provide an overview of the statutory basis, burdens, and practice procedures for hearings before the three Judge CAP Panels. The CLE will offer an introduction to the Minnesota Sex Offender Program (MSOP) and the reduction in custody process under Minn. Stat. 253D, including the various forms of reduction in custody, the proceedings before the Special Review Board (SRB), and an overview of the CAP proceedings, including the need for court appointed counsel and what the Panel generally expects from counsel in CAP proceedings.
• Recording of presentation. Slides.
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• Updates from the Statewide Access to Justice Report on Minnesota Consumer Debt Litigation
• Wednesday, February 11, noon - 1:00 pm
• CLE Credit: One standard CLE credit has been approved (#541645). Credit is available for those who attended this session when it was presented. On-demand credit is not currently available.
• Speakers: J. Singleton, Program Manager, Legal Services State Support, and Ron Elwood, Supervising Attorney, Legal Service Advocacy Project 
• Description: In 2023, the MSBA Access to Justice Committee released a comprehensive report on debt collection litigation in Minnesota. The report found that debt collection lawsuits are the most common type of case filed in Minnesota’s civil court dockets. Policies can be confusing and difficult for consumers to navigate, especially those without legal counsel. Among the report’s findings was the fact that a staggering 82% of debt lawsuits filed in district courts end in a default judgment, which frequently leads to wage and bank garnishments. This webinar will provide an overview of these and other key findings from the MSBA Access to Justice Committee report. In addition, the presenters will explain the report’s data-informed recommendations for how to make consumer debt litigation a more open, efficient, and effective process for both consumers and creditors. Finally, the presenters will provide an update on work that has been done in the two years since the report was released.
• Recording of presentation. Slides. 
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• Minnesota's Recent Trust & Estate Law Updates
• Tuesday, January 27, noon - 1:00 pm
• CLE Credit: One standard CLE credit has been approved (#541644). Credit is available for those who attended this session when it was presented. On-demand credit is not currently available.
• Speaker: Serena O'Neil, Spencer Fane LLP
• Description: In one of the first major overhauls of the Minnesota Trust Code since it became effective in 2016, Minnesota has made major changes to its trust and estate laws that went into effect on August 1, 2025. This CLE will explore key changes to Minnesota’s rule against perpetuities, uneconomic trusts, divorce and its impact on estate plans, among other updates.
• Recording of presentation.