The 29th Annual
Law Day Testimonial Dinner

“The Supreme Court in the Age of Obama”

Thursday, April 22, 2010
Minneapolis Ballroom - 3rd Floor
- Hilton Minneapolis - 1001 Marquette Avenue

5pm Reception (Cash Bar)
6:30pm Dinner and Program
Click here to register

 Speaker: Jeffrey Toobin
Best Selling Author and CNN Analyst

Testimonial to
Arvonne and Don Fraser

Thank you to our 2010 Underwriters

For a PDF version click here.

Organization Description: Mid-Minnesota Legal Assistance (MMLA), which includes the Legal Aid Society of Minneapolis (LASM), is a 7-office, 60-attorney program providing the full range of civil legal services free to low-income Minnesotans including elderly persons and persons with disabilities. It provides services to 20 counties in Central Minnesota including Hennepin County. MMLA has a diversified funding base including United Ways; the federal, state, county and city governments; foundations; local law firms; corporations; and individuals. MMLA enjoys a good rapport with, and strong support from, the organized bar. A key funding source for MMLA is the Fund for the Legal Aid Society. Its mission is to raise money from the private sector, primarily the legal community, vendors and other entities that work with the legal community, for the benefit of LASM and other divisions of MMLA. Since its inception in 1982, The Fund has contributed over $11 million, including $1.1 million in 2009. The Fund is a 501(c)(3) organization.

The Director’s duties include:

• Ability to understand and communicate the mission and vision of MMLA and The Fund
• Prepare annual development plan including financial goals and corresponding budget outlining revenue and expenses
• Support the Fund board, executive committee and other Fund committee meetings and activities
• Plan for and implement the Fund’s annual One Hour of Sharing Campaign
• Plan for and implement the Fund’s annual Law Day Dinner
• Monitors progress against goals and produces regular reports
• Maintain positive working relationships with donors, including Fund donors, Fund board, and solicitor relations
• Develop solicitation strategies for growing the major gifts program
• Develop and support efforts to increase planned giving and increase the MMLA endowment fund
• Develop materials related to development including an annual report, MMLA newsletters, solicitation letters, planned giving materials, web-based information, and other materials
• Improve organizational systems for creation and analysis of profiles of donor program interests, participation, and giving patterns to improve acquisition and retention of donors
• Manage donor database, including maintenance of donor information and creation of analytical reports
• Supervise development assistant

The Fund’s primary activities include:

• One Hour of Sharing (OHS) Annual Giving Campaign - Law firm, corporate and personal contributions are solicited primarily in Hennepin County. OHS efforts targeted at individuals include Leaders in Giving (gifts of $1,000 and above), an Associates Campaign at law firms and corporate law departments, and general solicitation of lawyers in Hennepin County requesting gifts of at least the value or salary equivalent of one billable hour. Law firms and corporate law departments are asked to give at least $200 per lawyer. OHS is co-sponsored by the Hennepin County Bar Association (HCBA).
• Annual Law Day Testimonial Dinner held around May 1 each year, also co-sponsored by the HCBA - This largest single annual gathering of lawyers in Minnesota attracts approximately 800 attendees.

Experience and Qualification Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree or fundraising certification desirable
• Experience in cultivating, soliciting and stewardship of donors with a demonstrated track record of securing gifts from individuals and institutions
• Highly skilled at working effectively in a collaborative team environment in which decision making is often shared
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Excellent written and communication skills; proficiency in Microsoft office and skill in tracking donor information in databases
• Demonstrated success in meeting annual fund goals, development management, and special events
• Experience working with non-profit boards and coordinating board and committee meetings
• Self-starter who is organized and who will set goals and see that they are met, able to work independently, as well as in a team, manage multiple projects and maintain a high degree of professionalism and confidentiality
• Enthusiasm for and commitment to the mission of MMLA
• Ability to present ideas in a clear and persuasive manner 
• Familiarity with Minnesota’s legal community, particularly in Hennepin County, and rapport with legal professionals desirable
• Diverse economic, social, or cultural experiences are a plus.

Salary and Benefits: The position is an exempt position. It reports to the Executive Director and the Fund board. Salary depends on experience. Benefits include family health insurance, life insurance, sick leave, and generous vacation.

Applications: Applications should include a resume, three job-related references, a letter explaining interest in this position, and salary requirements. Resumes will be accepted until the position is filled. Information should be submitted to: Pamela Cunningham, Mid-Minnesota Legal Assistance, 430 First Avenue North, Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55401-1780. No Calls Please.

An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer

Exerpt from Original Law & Politics Article:

The entire article can be found by clicking here.

SCHOOL DAYS

Assault: Not Part of a School’s Phy. Ed. Curriculum

Robbinsdale School District v. Individualized Education Program

On April 24, 2008, Robbinsdale Cooper High School’s assistant principal broke up a fight in the hallway. This wasn’t your usual student brawl, though; a special education student was assaulting a physical education teacher.

Surveillance camera footage revealed a frightening scene: a ninth-grader was late for class and when the teacher directed him to get a tardy pass, the student made lewd gestures, swore and then pushed the teacher down the hallway, pinned her against a wall and threatened her.

When the Robbinsdale School District attempted to have the student expelled or moved to another district, an administrative law judge ruled that the student should be readmitted, so the district sued in order to restart the expulsion process. “The parent of the student requested our assistance to prevent the expulsion and to get the student and the school on a better track to more constructively deal with his disabilities,” says Dan Stewart, supervising attorney for the Minnesota Disability Law Center.

“From our perspective, this case involves a school district’s attempt to expel a child for behavior that is directly related to his disabilities. This violates both federal and state special education law,” says Stewart, who says a double standard is at work. “The school finds nothing wrong with a teacher physically grabbing a student with disabilities when he is disobeying a minor school rule.”

According to the Individualized Education Program, the student had no disciplinary issues on his record prior to this incident.

“The district made more than reasonable efforts to resolve this case,” says Peter Martin, who represents the Robbinsdale School District. “The attorneys want to have their cake and eat it too. It’s regrettable that it’s gotten this far. They want money from a government agency that increasingly has less of it. At this point, that seems to be animating this case.”

The case was pending at press time. -C.M.