43rd Annual Convention

CLE SCHEDULE

FRIDAY, AUGUST 15, 2025

7:30 – 9:00 am
Exhibit Hall Continental Breakfast
Sponsored by:
  Capital Planning, Inc
  Minnesota Neurorehabilitation Institute

8:55 – 9:00 am
Welcome and Land Acknowledgment

9:00 – 9:30 am
The Rot Runs Deep: How Silence, Neglect, and Power Can Kill
Katie Bennett, Robins Kaplan, LLP

Marc Betinsky, Robins Kaplan, LLP

Andrew Noel, Robins Kaplan, LLP

9:30 – 10:15 am
Understanding Liberal and Conservative Juror Biases
Joseph Gates, Gates Law Firm

10:15 – 10:30 am
Break

10:30 – 11:15 am
The Tragic Case of August Jennings: How a Nurse Midwife’s Decisions Led to a 29 Million Dollar Verdict
Noah C. Lauricella, Goldenberg Lauricella, PLLC
Stuart Goldenberg, Goldenberg Lauricella, PLLC

11:15 – 12:00 pm
Annual Membership Meeting

12:00– 1:30 pm
Keynote Luncheon - The Rule of Law, Foreign Policy, and the Current Administration
Ben Rhodes

1:30 – 2:00 pm
Exhibit Hall Reception
Sponsored by:
 John G. Stark M.D., P.A., Stark Orthopedic
 

2:00 – 2:45 pm
From One to Many: The Legal Bridge Between PI, Mass Torts & Class Actions
Abou Amara, Gustafson Gluek PLLC
Ashleigh Raso, Nigh Goldenberg Raso & Vaughn
Jessica Servais, Schwebel, Goetz & Sieben, P.A.

2:45 –  3:30
Claim Good. Appeal Better. Advocate Best
Navigating Social Security Disability Claims from Administrative Level to Federal Court: What All Lawyers Need to Know
James Greeman, Greeman Toomey, P.L.L.C.
Bryan Konoski, The Federal Appeals Firm™

3:30 – 4:30 pm
The Art of Negotiations: What I wish the Other Side Knew
Perspectives from Plaintiffs, Defendants, Mediators
Moderator: Joshua M. Tuchscherer, Meshbesher & Spence, Ltd

Panel:

Dyan Ebert, Quinlivan & Hughes, P.A.
Kevin Gray, RGP Law, Ltd.
Mark Solheim, Larson • King, LLP

4:30 – 5:00 pm
Litigating Terror: Holding Sponsors and Perpetrators Accountable
Amanda Fox Perry, Fox McKenna, PLLC

6:00 – 7:00 pm
Cocktail Reception

7:00 – 9:00 pm
Dinner and Awards Program

SATURDAY, AUGUST 16, 2025

7:30 – 8:30 am
Exhibit Hall Continental Breakfast
Sponsored by:
  Capital Planning, Inc
  Minnesota Neurorehabilitation Institute

Plenary SESSION

8:30 – 9:15 am
Typical and Atypical Spine Procedures
Dr. Jim Dvorak, MD, MBA, Rayus Radiology

9:15– 9:30 am
Break

BREAKOUT SESSIONS

CONCURRENT SESSIONS

9:30 – 10:15 am
Topic 1: Winning Complaints
Lindsay Lein, Nicolet Law

Topic 2: Winning Demands
Lindsey A. Carpenter, Meshbesher & Spence, Ltd.

Topic 3:  Winning Discovery
Jed Chronic, Maschka Personal Injury

Topic 4:  Workers' Compensation
Joshua W. Laabs, Schmidt & Salita Law Team
Dana L. Gerber, Atkinson Gerber Law Office, P.A.

10:15 – 10:30 am
Break

10:30 – 11:15 am
Topic 1: Winning Complaints
Lindsay Lein, Nicolet Law

Topic 2: inning Demands
Lindsey A. Carpenter, Meshbesher & Spence, Ltd.

Topic 3:  Winning Discovery
Jed Chronic, Maschka Personal Injury

Topic 4:  Workers' Compensation Roundtable
Joshua W. Laabs, Schmidt & Salita Law Team
Dana L. Gerber, Atkinson Gerber Law Office, P.A.


Plenary SESSION

11:15 – 11:30 am
Break

11:30 – 12:30 pm
Appellate Case Law Update
Scott Wilson, Scott Wilson Law Firm, PLLC, Minneapolis, MN

12:45 pm 
Board of Governors Luncheon Meeting

SOCIAL EVENT SCHEDULE

THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2025

11:30 am
 GOLF - THE JUSTICE CUP
Join your colleagues for an afternoon of golf before the opening reception! MAJ has formally incorporated Bill Jepsen's annual golf outing as part of the MAJ Convention. Foursomes will start to Tee off at 11:30 am on the Classic Golf Course at Madden's. The event is $125.00 per golfer.
Sponsored by:
  Capital Planning, Inc
 
12:00 – 5:00 pm
 LUNCHEON AND SPA AFTERNOON BY THE WOMEN FOR JUSTICE SECTION - MEMBERS ONLY
The MAJ Women for Justice Section invite members to a special luncheon and spa afternoon. You work hard and play hard so take the afternoon to treat yourself before the convention festivities begin. Participants will enjoy a wonderful lunch followed by an afternoon of pampering at The Spa at Madden's. Spaces for this event are limited due to the number of spa services offered. Spa services will be scheduled on a first come first serve basis. If you are interested in attending please contact Lachlan Anders-MacLeod at landers-macleod@mnaj.org today!
Sponsored by:
  Kerry Atkinson, Atkinson Gerber
  Capital Planning, Inc
  Lexitas Court Reporting
  Minnesota Lawyers Mutual Insurance
  Pearl Insurance
  Premier Health
 

5:00 – 7:00 pm
 COCKTAIL AND HORS D'OEUVRES RECEPTION
Welcome to the 2024 MAJ Annual Convention! MAJ Members will gather at Pavilion at Madden's for a relaxing cocktail and Hors d’Oeuvres reception. This is a great time to see friends, network with other members, enjoy the scenery and celebrate the past year in civil justice.

Sponsored by:
  Robins Kaplan LLP

7:30 – 8:45 pm
TRIVIA
Join us for Trivia with Trivia Mafia©! (Members & Member Guests Only)

Create a team or go solo and test your wits against your colleagues! Trivia Mafia is the largest and most popular bar trivia company in the Midwest: “Trivia Mafia ask questions about everything under the sun (and, in certain astronomy-themed rounds, stuff beyond that). Pop culture, history, geography, science, even wordplay and puzzles. There are no rules. Well, actually, there is one rule. As they like to say: "Use your noodle. Not your Google."
Sponsored by:
   National Dizzy & Balance Center

9:00 pm
MAJ AFTER HOURS
Socialize at O’Madden’s Pub and MAJ Lounge. Karaoke, networking, pizza.
Pub Sponsored by Schwebel, Goetz & Sieben, P.A.

Pizza Sponsored by Genevieve Zimmerman, Meshbesher & Spence, Ltd.
 

FRIDAY, AUGUST 15, 2025

6:30 am
SOBER SUPPORT MEETING
Every day more and more people are embracing an alcohol free lifestyle. At times, maintaining that lifestyle can be a challenge. Please join us for an ‘all recovery’ sober support meeting lead by Carla Ferrucci and Sarah Soucie. ‘All recovery’ meaning we will offer peer recovery support in an open format that does not adhere to a particular recovery model. All paths and journeys are welcome at this meeting.

7:30 am 
 TRIAL PAC CONTRIBUTOR BREAKFAST
Trial PAC contributors are welcome to join us for breakfast in the Wilson Bay Dining room.

11:30 am – 12:30 pm
ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
All members are invited to the Annual Membership Meeting where MAJ staff and board will update you on the past year of the organization and elect new officers and board members.

12:30 – 1:30 pm
 KEYNOTE LUNCHEON

      Ben Rhodes

Ben Rhodes is a writer, political commentator, and national security analyst. He is the author of the New York Times bestsellers After the Fall: The Rise of Authoritarianism in the World We’ve Made, and The World As It Is: A Memoir of the Obama White House. He is currently co-host of Pod Save the World; a contributor for MSNBC; a senior advisor to former President Barack Obama; and chair of National Security Action, which he co-founded with Jake Sullivan in 2018. From 2009-2017, Ben served as a speechwriter and Deputy National Security Advisor to President Obama. In that capacity, he participated in all of President Obama’s key decisions, oversaw the President’s national security communications and public diplomacy, and led the secret negotiations with the Cuban government that resulted in the effort to normalize relations between the United States and Cuba. His work has also been published in The Atlantic, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and Foreign Affairs. A native New Yorker, Ben has a B.A. from Rice University and an M.F.A from New York University.
 

Rhodes’s most recent book is the bestseller After the Fall, which The New York Journal of Books called “vital reading for Americans and people anywhere who seek to understand what is happening ‘after the fall’ of the global system created by the United States.” At a time when democracy in the United States is endangered as never before, Rhodes spent years traveling the world to understand why. He visited dozens of countries, meeting with politicians and activists confronting the same nationalism and authoritarianism that are tearing America apart. Along the way, he discusses the growing authoritarianism of Vladimir Putin, and his aggression towards Ukraine, with the foremost opposition leader in Russia, who was subsequently poisoned and imprisoned; he profiled Hong Kong protesters who saw their movement snuffed out by China under Xi Jinping; and America itself reached the precipice of losing democracy before giving itself a fragile second chance.

Sponsored by:
  Greeman Toomey

1:30 – 2:00 pm
 EXHIBIT HALL RECEPTION
All registrants and their guests are invited to a cocktail reception in the Exhibit Hall. Join us in the in the Exhibition Hall immediately following the Keynote.
Sponsored by:
 John G. Stark M.D., P.A., Stark Orthopedic

6:15 – 9:00 pm
 RECEPTION AND AWARDS DINNER
All registrants and their guests are invited to MAJ’s annual awards dinner. Join us in the Ballroom to start with a cocktail hour at 6:00 pm, followed by dinner and program at 7:00 pm.
Reception Sponsored by:
  Penn, Kestner, & McEwen

Dinner Sponsored by:
  Greeman Toomey
Wine Sponsored by:
  Meshbesher & Spence, Ltd.
 

9:00 – 12:00 am
MAJ AFTER HOURS
Members are invited to gather after the awards dinner for a lively moderated discussion of emerging legal issues. No cameras or recordings are allowed and CLE credits will not be available for this event. This is a great chance to exchange ideas with your colleagues and get to know other members in an informal setting.

Whiskey Sponsored by Scott Wilson, Scott Wilson Law Firm, PLLC

CHILDCARE OPTIONS
The Adventure Cove at Madden's is scheduled to be open from 4 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. on Thursday and 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. on Friday for children ages 4 - 12 (must be completely potty trained).  This will include dinner and activities during our scheduled receptions and dinners. All children MUST be registered in advance. Registration for the Adventure Cove is part of the convention registration and must be added when registering. MAJ is currently working with Madden's regarding daycare options outside of these hours. If you are interesting in hiring a babysitter, please contact Derek Lamparty at dlamparty@mnaj.org or (612) 334-3139.


CLE CREDIT
MAJ has requested CLE hours from the Minnesota (8.25) and Wisconsin (9.5 hours) Boards of Continuing Legal Education.

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FACULTY

 

Abou Amara
Gustafson Gluek PLLC

Katie Bennett
Robins Kaplan, LLP

Marc Betinsky
Robins Kaplan, LLP

Lindsey A. Carpenter
Meshbesher & Spence, Ltd

Jed Chronic
Maschka Personal Injury

Dr. Jim Dvorak, MD, MBA
Rayus Radiology

Dyan Ebert
Quinlivan & Hughes, P.A.

Amanda Fox Perry
Fox McKenna, PLLC

Joseph Gates
Gates Law Firm

Dana L. Gerber
Atkinson Gerber Law Office, P.A.

Stuart Goldenberg
Goldenberg Lauricella, PLLC

Kevin Gray
RGP Law, Ltd.

James Greeman
Greeman Toomey PLLC

Bryan Konoski
The Federal Appeals Firm™.

Joshua W. Laabs
Schmidt & Salita Law Team

Noah Lauricella
Goldenberg Lauricella, PLLC

Lindsay Lein
Nicolet Law

Andrew Noel
Robins Kaplan LLP

Ashleigh Raso
Nigh Goldenberg Raso & Vaughn

Jessica Servais
Schwebel, Goetz & Sieben, P.A.

Mark Solheim
Larson • King, LLP

Joshua M. Tuchscherer
Meshbesher & Spence, Ltd.

Scott Wilson
Scott Wilson Law Firm, PLLC

 

 

 

 

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The 2025 MAJ Annual Convention will take place at Madden's on Gull Lake in Brainerd, MN. Our room block was  released on July 8, 2025. Reservations can still be made by calling 800-642-5363 and identifying yourself as being part of the Minnesota Association for Justice group.
 

A $200 deposit is required at time of reservation request. The balance will be charged upon checkout. You are responsible for your entire stay; early departures or reservations reduced in length are not refundable. Package payments are refundable, less a $25.00 cancellation fee if you cancel by June 26, 2025. Any cancellations made after June 26, 2025 will not receive a refund (replacements are gladly accepted). Reservations made after the deadline are non-refundable.

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Refunds will be made only if notification of cancellation is received ten business days in advance of the convention less a $75 administrative fee. Please Note: Membership Benefits and Passport to Excellence DO NOT apply to the convention.