44th Annual Convention

2026 Annual Convention
August 20 - August 22, 2026
Madden's on gull lake
brainerd, MN

CLE SCHEDULE

FRIDAY, AUGUST 21, 2026

7:30 – 9:00 am
Exhibit Hall Continental Breakfast
Sponsored by:
  Capital Planning, Inc
  Premier Health

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

9:00 – 9:45 am
ICE Occupation of MN and its Aftermath
Alejandro Trevino, Alex Trevino Law PLLC

9:45 – 10:30 am
Immigration Advice for the Personal Injury Lawyer
Kevin V. Heinz, Heinz Law PLLC

10:30 – 10:45am
Break

10:45 – 11:15 am
Pursuing the Uninsured Tortfeasor
Cory Whalen, SiebenCarey

11:15 – 11:45 am
Laughs and Lessons from 50 years of Practice
William D. Harper, Harper & Peterson, P.L.L.C.

11:45 – 12:30 pm
Annual Membership Meeting

12:30– 2:00 pm
Keynote Luncheon 
TBD

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

2:30 – 3:00 pm
Latest Technologies for Video Analyses
Tom Rush, Focus Forensics

3:00 –  3:45
Dialing the DA — Why They Never Pick Up, and How to Get Past the Busy Signal
Jacqueline Perez, Robins Kaplan LLP
Lauren O. Roso, Robins Kaplan LLP
Raoul Shah, Robins Kaplan LLP

3:45 – 4:30 pm
Staying Sane and Maybe Finding Joy in Your Practice
Jake Jagdfeld, Johnson Becker, PLLC
Adam Kress, Johnson Becker, PLLC

4:30 – 5:15 pm
Post-Mortem $18,468,074.36 – Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.
Genevieve Zimmerman, Meshbesher and Spence

6:00 – 7:00 pm
Cocktail Reception

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

SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, 2026

7:30 – 8:30 am
Exhibit Hall Continental Breakfast
Sponsored by:
  Capital Planning, Inc
  Premier Health

Plenary SESSION

8:30 – 9:15 am
The Many Facets of Whiplash Injuries
Dr. Jim Dvorak, MD, MBA, Rayus Radiology

9:15– 9:30 am
Break

BREAKOUT SESSIONS

CONCURRENT SESSIONS

9:30 – 10:15 am
Topic 1: Pros and Pitfalls of Legal AI Services –  The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Chuck Slane, TSR Injury Law

Topic 2: Training Tips and Tricks for Law Firm Management.
Ashleigh E. Raso, Nigh Goldenberg Raso & Vaughn

Topic 3:  The Dos, Don’ts, and OMGs of Appellate Practice – Lessons Learned on the WCCA Bench that can Help You at any Appellate Court.
Hon. Sean Quinn, Minnesota Workers' Compensation Court of Appeals

10:15 – 10:30 am
Break

9:30 – 10:15 am
Topic 1: Pros and Pitfalls of Legal AI Services –  The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Chuck Slane, TSR Injury Law

Topic 2: Training Tips and Tricks for Law Firm Management.
Ashleigh E. Raso, Nigh Goldenberg Raso & Vaughn

Topic 3:  Workers' Compensation Roundtable
TBA



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 20, 2026

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:
  Dr. James Wire, MD
  Esquire Bank
  Premier Health
  ScenePhoto360, LLC
 
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 Kristin Howatt at khowatt@mnaj.org today!
Sponsored by:
 

  Atkinson Gerber

  Bradshaw & Bryant PLLC

  Capital Planning, Inc

  Minnesota Neurorehabilitation Institute

  Premier Health

  Dr. James Wire, MD

  Worldwide Litigation Services 

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 21, 2026

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
  TBD

Sponsored by:
  Greeman Toomey

2:00 – 2:30 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:
 

Dinner Sponsored by:
  Greeman Toomey
Wine Sponsored by:
 
 

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 (x.xx) and Wisconsin (x.xx) Boards of Continuing Legal Education.

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The 2026 MAJ Annual Convention will take place at Madden's on Gull Lake in Brainerd, MN. We are encouraging members who plan to attend the program to reserve rooms at Madden's early. Reservations can be made online HERE. Our room block will be released on July 7, 2026

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 July 7, 2026. Any cancellations made after July 7, 2026 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.