Weekly Announcements

Olmsted County Bar Association

• As noted in last week's announcements, your OCBA Board of Directors passed the following resolution on November 10, 2020, to address the need to conduct business during a pandemic that prohibits in-person voting:
  • Pursuant to Article III, Section 7(E)(1) of the Bylaws of the Olmsted County Bar Association, the Board resolves as follows: (1) To allow issues to be put before the membership, and votes cast thereon, via e-mail for the duration of the Governor's Emergency Order relating to the COVID-19 Pandemic, for all such business that would ordinarily be transacted at a regular meeting of the OCBA Membership, and (2) To presume that all members consent to voting by e-mail unless such members expressly opt-out in a written electronic communication to the OCBA Secretary via the OCBA Gmail account. 
• PURSUANT TO THIS RESOLUTION, THERE WILL BE TWO SEPARATE ISSUES PUT TO THE MEMBERSHIP, VIA SEPARATE ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION, BEFORE THE NEXT BAR MEETING ON DECEMBER 11. 
  • The first issue is whether to increase the OCBA scholarship amount to $2500.
    • Because of the size of the expenditure, there will be a second vote on this after the December OCBA meeting.
  • The second issue is whether to appoint Mr. Terry Adkins to fill the at-large vacancy on the OCBA Board of Directors.
    • Mr. Adkins was nominated pursuant to the Bylaws and, if appointed by the membership, will add invaluable assistance to our Board as we work on updating the Bylaws.
  • As noted above, the default method for voting will be electronic communication.  You must opt out of voting electronically if you do not wish to cast your vote in that fashion.
  • The Board is vetting tools to accomplish the voting on these two issues.  Please look for future communication from the OCBA in the next week or so that will provide further voting instructions once we identify the most appropriate tool and format for our needs.
• The next OCBA meeting is at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, December 11, via Zoom.
  • Our special guest will be Zoe Cantu from Five West Kitchen + Bar!
    • Ms. Cantu will be teaching us how to make a festive drink (regular or NA, depending on your preference) to celebrate the season.
    • We will be donning our ugliest holiday sweaters and competing for bragging rights of most visually alarming.
    • Stay tuned for additional details!

Minnesota State Bar Association

• The MSBA is seeking volunteer judges to work on this year's High School Mock Trial program, which will be conducted via Zoom.
  • From the MSBA:
    • This year is a civil case and will teach the students about force majeure clauses relating to the pandemic.
    • Roughly 1,500 students statewide will be competing from the safety of their homes while learning about the legal system and honing their critical thinking skills and teamwork.
    • There are 257 rounds scheduled and 773 judging positions that need to be filled to ensure the students' hard work comes to fruition.
  • The MSBA is offering unlimited Zoom tutorials to assist judges in becoming familiar with this platform.
  • The MSBA is offering a 1.5-credit CLE for judge training at 3:00 p.m. on Friday, December 11, 2020.
• Please contact Kim Basting at [email protected] for more information, click on the Mock Trial image below, or visit the Mock Trial webpage here: https://www.mnbar.org/public-resources/mock-trial/judges-information.

Minnesota Judicial Branch

• The Legal Counsel Division of the Minnesota Judicial Branch is hosting a free CLE via Zoom to discuss recent amendments to the General Rules of Practice that will take effect on January 1, 2021.
• There are two dates available for this CLE:
  • ​Friday, December 4, at 9:00 a.m. OR
  • Thursday, December 10, at 1:30 p.m.
• You can read a copy of the order and its promulgated amendments by clicking on the CLE image below.
• Please contact Erin Glaesemann at [email protected] or (507) 722.7250 to register for the event.

Have an announcement to share with your OCBA colleagues?  Please email the OCBA Gmail account before 8:00 p.m. the preceding Sunday.  Announcements will be shared on the here and on the OCBA Facebook page unless requested otherwise.  

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