The 28th Annual MWL Rosalie Wahl Leadership Lecture

Minnesota Women Lawyers (MWL) is pleased to announce the 28th Annual Rosalie Wahl Leadership Lecture to be held on the evening of Monday, October 24, 2022 at Prime Therapeutics (2900 Ames Crossing Road, Eagan; at Prime Therapeutics, the surface lot parking is free and plentiful. Directions are available HERE).

The evening will begin with a general reception from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. The program will be held from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m., with an hors d'oeuvres and dessert reception to follow immediately after the program.

Many thanks to our hosts: Prime Therapeutics!

About the MWL Rosalie Wahl Leadership Lecture

The 2022 Wahl Lecture will be the twenty-eighth event in the Rosalie Wahl Leadership Lecture series, which was established in 1994 by Minnesota Women Lawyers. The series honors the career of Justice Rosalie Wahl, the first woman justice to serve on the Minnesota Supreme Court, and was established on the occasion of her retirement from the Court. The series features women whose decisions and abilities can inspire the leaders of tomorrow just as Justice Wahl inspired so many of us.

Immediately prior to the keynote lecture, the event will begin with a presentation of the MWL Foundation Law Student Scholarships.

MWL extends its thanks to our event sponsors for their generous support.  Sponsorship opportunity details are available HERE.  For more information, please contact MWL Executive Director Debra Pexa (dpexa@mwlawyers.org).

About Our Keynote Speaker

Judge Pamela Alexander's call to the legal profession began courageously at the age of twelve when she testified in court as a witness to the rape of her best friend. Judge Alexander’s courageous and exemplary career has continued as she consistently and relentlessly pursues her most central value as a judge and a person: equal justice for all.

Born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Judge Alexander was the youngest of six children, however in her career she captured a number of “firsts.”  Judge Alexander was the first in her immediate family to graduate from college, receiving her Bachelor of Arts Degree from Augsburg College and was the first in her family to attend law school, receiving her Juris Doctorate Degree for the University of Minnesota School of Law.

After beginning her legal career as an attorney for the Trust Department of First National Bank, she left and pursued the career she was meant for as a criminal defense lawyer for the Legal Rights Center where she had clerked while in Law School.  Judge Alexander later moved to the criminal division of the Hennepin County Attorneys Office and became the first African American female prosecutor in the State of Minnesota. In 1983 Governor Rudy Perpich appointed her the first African American female Judge in the State of Minnesota, Judge Alexander served as a Hennepin County District Court Judge from 1983 to 2018 with a brief hiatus from the bench from 2008-2013 when Judge Alexander served as the President of the Minnesota Council on Crime and Justice where she focused on criminal and juvenile justice policy reform. 

Judge Alexander was re-appointed to the Hennepin County District Court in 2013 by Governor Mark Dayton, where she served in the criminal and juvenile divisions of the Court until her retirement in 2018.

In the 1990 case State of Minnesota versus Gerald Russell, Judge Alexander was the first Judge to issue an opinion acknowledging the unconstitutionally of the crack cocaine laws and the disparate and irreparable effect it had on communities of color, a decision later upheld by the Minnesota Supreme Court and nearly two decades later the US Congress finally took action on this draconian law.  Judge Alexander was also one of the first Judges in Hennepin County to advocate for the collection and analysis of race data to ensure that all persons who interact with the Minnesota criminal justice system are receiving fair and equal treatment and outcomes.  This was one of the many recommendations issued by the Minnesota Racial Bias Task Force where she served as the Chair of the Criminal and Juvenile section of the task force.

Judge Alexander furthers her commitment to justice and community by being involved with a number of boards and educational institutions.  She has served as a member of the Minneapolis Foundation Board of Trustees, the Children’s Defense Fund Juvenile Judges Leadership Council, the Minnesota Supreme Court Equal Fairness in the Courts Committee, the Black Community Crusade for Children, the Way to Grow Board of Directors, Governor Dayton’s Council on Community and Police Relations.  Judge Alexander was also an adjunct Professor at the University of St. Thomas Law School and Mitchell Hamline School of Law, she also serves as a mentor and section leader at the University of Minnesota School of Law.

Judge Alexander has received numerous community service awards because of her social justice reform work some of the highlights being the Southern Christian Leadership Conference Justice Award, the David Graven Public Service Award, the Woman of Courage Award from the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation, the 2007 and 2017 University of St. Thomas Award for Outstanding Teaching, the Profiles in Courage Award from the Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers, the Pioneer Award from the Cultural Wellness Center and the Sabathani Community Leadership Award. 

Judge Alexander lives by these words:  Law is living and changing, we have to live and change with it. Having said that we must be ever mindful of the lives we are impacting. Given who we see, what we see, it is incumbent upon those who are in this position to diligently work towards equal justice for everyone.

Individual Registration:

$0        22-23 Diamond or Sapphire Premier Member 
$25      22-23 Emerald Premier Member (Using Ticket – Balance Owed)
$25      2022 Partner (Using Ticket – Balance Owed)
 
$75      MN Affinity Bar Member 
$125    Non- Member

Friend Sponsorship
MWL is pleased to offer the opportunity for individuals to sponsor the 28th Annual Wahl Leadership Lecture through a Friend Sponsorship. This sponsorship will help fund reduced-rate registration and scholarships, supporting other MWL members to attend this milestone event.  Friend Sponsors receive one (1) ticket to the event, and will be recognized in the event program, on the MWL website and in the Wahl Lecture event slideshow.  Simply register as a Friend on the event registration form. For more information, contact MWL Executive Director Debra Pexa (dpexa@mwlawyers.org).  NOTE: Friends sponsorships are only available to individuals.  For more information about MWL’s law firm and corporate sponsorships, click HERE.

Not an MWL member? Join MWL today and save on your 2022 Wahl Lecture ticket. Minnesota Women Lawyers brings together nearly 1,300 lawyers, judges, law students, legal employers and supporters who are dedicated to advancing the success of women in the legal profession and striving for a just society. Find out how you can get involved and join MWL today!

Please register by Monday, October 17, 2022. Please contact MWL Program and Projects Coordinator Tessa Jones with any questions (tjones@mwlawyers.org or 612/338-3205).

Special Thanks to 28th Annual MWL Wahl Lecture Sponsors

Benefactor 

DLA Piper
Dorsey & Whitney LLP
Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
Gustafson Gluek PLLC

MADEL PA
Robins Kaplan LLP

Patron
Barnes & Thornburg LLP
Fredrikson & Byron, P.A.

Greenberg Traurig LLP

Jones Day

Larson King, LLP

Prime Therapeutics
Zelle LLP

Supporter 

Ballard Spahr LLP
Fish & Richardson P.C.

Advocate 

Bassford Remele

LifeWorks

Minnesota Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company

Mitchell Hamline School of Law
Schaefer Halleen LLC
Thomson Reuters

U.S. Bank

Sponsorship opportunities are available for the 28th Annual MWL Rosalie Wahl Leadership Lecture. Details are available HERE.  Feel free to contact MWL Executive Director Debra Pexa for more information. (dpexa@mwlawyers.org).

COVID Policy

Minnesota Women Lawyers continues to monitor the situation surrounding COVID-19, as it relates to MWL current and upcoming in-person events and meetings.  The health and safety of MWL members, guests and staff continues to be our top priority.  Please review MWL's complete COVID-19 Policy HERE.

At this time, MWL does not require proof of vaccine, masks or social distancing for attendance at its in-person events and meetings. Guests who attend MWL events and meetings in-person are encouraged to participate in a manner that best suits their individual health and safety needs.  MWL will continue to be a “mask and social distancing-friendly” space.

In general, please refrain from attending an in-person MWL event if you are feeling ill or have a known exposure to someone who tests positive for COVID-19. If you test positive for COVID-19, please follow CDC guidance for quarantine or isolation. 

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Attendance List – Opt OUT:

In order to foster a welcoming environment and to facilitate networking among workshop attendees, Minnesota Women Lawyers will create an attendee list from this event, to be shared with all event registrants, along with the post-event evaluation form.  Attendance list content will be limited to a registrant’s name, employer and email address.  NOTE: If you do not wish to be included in this list you MUST OPT-OUT by checking the appropriate box on this registration form.

PLEASE NOTE: The information contained in the attendance list is protected by copyright and is solely intended for the individual and private use of event attendees in a manner that is consistent with the MWL's mission, goals, and activities. All other use is strictly prohibited. Prohibited use includes but is not limited to the copying, renting, leasing, selling, distributing, transmitting or transfer of all or any portions of the material, or use for any other commercial and/or solicitation purposes of any type, or in connection with any action taken that violates the MWL's copyright. The list is not to be used for any mass communications, but rather only for one-to-one member communication. For information concerning appropriate use of the attendance list, contact MWL Executive Director Debra Pexa (dpexa@mwlawyers.org or 612/338-3205). 

MWL's Cancellation Policy:
For events that require a fee, cancellations must be received at least three working days in advance of any seminar or event in order to receive a full refund, even if you did not attend the event. If payment had not been submitted prior to the event and a cancellation request had not be received at least three working days in advance, you will be invoiced for the fee. All refunds for registration cancellations will be processed after the event.