23rd Annual MLBA Conference

9:00-9:15 am – Welcome and Announcements

9:15-9:45 am – Keynote Speaker: Attorney General Keith Ellison

We are excited to announce that the keynote speaker for the 23^rd Annual MLBA Conference will be Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison:

Keith Ellison has served as Minnesota’s attorney general since January 2019. From his efforts to shield the LGBTQ+ community from healthcare discrimination, to his work to keep Target staff and customers safe from anti-LGBTQ+ harassment, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is driven by the simple truth that every LGBTQ+ person deserves to live with dignity, safety, and respect.

Through his office, he holds accountable those who would deny the LGBTQ+ community those rights, and works to defend the community with the rule of law.

As the People’s Lawyer, Attorney General Ellison’s job is to help Minnesotans afford their lives and live with dignity, safety, and respect. During the COVID-19 pandemic, his office enforced executive orders barring evictions and price-gouging, and successfully defended the constitutionality of pandemic-related executive orders in court. Attorney General Ellison was the lead prosecutor in the matter of the May 2020 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and led the team that successfully convicted former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on a charge of second-degree unintentional murder, whic

9:45 -10:00 am – Break

10:00-11:00 am – Legislative Panel

• This session will include a panel of four state legislators speaking about topics and issues of interest to LGBTQ+ legal community.  The Panel will include State Representative Athena Hollins and State Senators Bonnie S. Westlin and Clare Oumou Verbeten. 

11:00-11:15 am – Break

11:15-12:15 pm – Judge’s Roundtable

• This session will include a panel of six LGBTQ+ Minnesota judges speaking about their experiences on the Bench. The Judge’s Roundtable will feature Judge Christian Sande, Associate Justice Margaret H. Chutich, Judge Melissa Houghtaling, Judge Timothy Carey, and Judge Nicole Starr.

12:15-1:15 pm – Lunch and Award Presentation

1:30-2:30 pm – Choose one CLE:

• Taking a Different Path: Minnesota and the Coverage of Gender-Affirming Care – Phil Duran, Director of Advocacy & Community Engagement at Rainbow Health
• From College Admissions to Employer DEI Programs – A Discussion on the Reach of Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard and UNC – Sara Lewenstein and Austin Spillane, Nilan Johnson Lewis, P.A.

2:30-2:45 pm – Break

2:45-3:45 pm – Choose one CLE:

• Understanding the LGBTQ+ “Panic” Defense – Mari Nemec, Policy Counsel at The LGBTQ+ Bar Association
• Gamete Donors and Parentage in Minnesota: What will the Court of Appeals decide in In Re the Paternity of A.J.S? – Mary Pat Byrn, Viitala Byrn & Ives and Erica A. Holzer, Maslon LLP.

3:45-4:00 pm – Closing

3:45-6:00 pm – Social Hour at Gluek’s

• Please join the MLBA for a hosted Social Hour celebrating the end of the 2024 Conference immediately following the final CLE presentations. Gluek’s is located at 16 N 6^th St, Minneapolis, MN 55403.