https://www.mnbar.org/
Even if you have not been directly affected by a scam, you probably know someone who has been. In our personal lives, we receive a barrage of daily spam calls and text messages for things like our car warranty, freeway toll fees, or failed package delivery notices. Scammers are waiting for a person to bite so they can run with it. Scammers are constantly evolving and adapting, and their attacks have become very sophisticated.
By Jill Sauber
2025 Minnesota legislative session recap
For the past several years, the Minnesota Legislature has operated under a series of historic circumstances. First came the Covid-19 crisis, which necessitated a rapid restructuring of the entire legislative process from in-person to online. That was followed by the 2022 elections, which ushered in two years of total DFL control of the Capitol and a tidal wave of new laws notable both for their volume and significance. Power dynamics shifted again after the 2024 elections, which produced a DFL-GOP deadlock in the House for just the second time in the state’s history.
By Bryan Lake
President's Page
It is an honor to become the president of the Minnesota State Bar Association for the 2025-2026 bar year. It is also a year during which the previously unremarkable and fairness-oriented principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion are being attacked. Indeed, the MSBA and its affiliates—as “state and local bar… associations”—have been specifically targeted via state action to have our “DEI programs or principles” deterred.
By Tom Pack
Professional Responsibility
Rule 4.2, Minnesota Rules of Professional Conduct, restricts a lawyer representing a client from communicating with a represented party about the subject of that representation. But how does this rule work if a lawyer is representing themselves, not another, in a matter? A Lawyers Professional Responsibility Board opinion, Opinion No. 25, and the text of the rule provide guidance.
By Susan Humiston
Law & Technology
Artificial intelligence is everywhere now. It’s drafting documents, summarizing depositions, researching case law, even generating trial strategy checklists. Whether you’ve dipped your toe in these waters or are still standing on the shore watching the waves, one thing is clear: This isn’t a passing trend. AI is changing how we work. And for those of us in the legal field, that presents both opportunity and risk.
By Kristi Paulson
Wellness
What are weak ties? They are the relationships we might form with some of our casual steadies—your favorite librarian, barista, fellow yogi, or neighbor who walks the dog at the same time you do. You get the idea. It turns out that these micro moments of connection can have a beneficial effect on our overall well-being.
By Sarah MacGillis
MSBA in Action
At the MSBA Convention in June, the bar bestowed its highest-profile annual awards.
Legal aid attorney Heather Vlieger recently paid off her law school student loans and decided to celebrate the occasion by donating to two important causes.
This summer, the Minnesota State Bar Association is participating in a new national research project on lawyer mental health and well-being.
The MSBA is honored to announce one new criminal law certified specialist: Peter J. Martin.
Notes & Trends
