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Best Practices for Corporate Transactions

Helena Ledic - Associate General Counsel, CSC

This session will focus on best practices surrounding corporate transactions. Topics to be discussed include name availability and selection, document retrieval, formations and qualification, most common reasons for document rejections, amendments and dissolutions, M&A concerns and CSC resources.

You Don't Know What You Don't Know: Case Studies in Successful and Failed Estate Plans

Mary Frances Price - Attorney, Bravura Group

This class will use actual case studies to illustrate important estate planning issues including probate avoidance, special needs planning, supported decision making documents, proper planning to avoid or minimize the possibility of judicial intervention through Guardianship and Conservatorship.

Work Smarter, Not Harder: Leveraging Generative AI in Modern Litigation (ETHICS CREDIT)

Cassandra Jacobsen - Counsel, Bassford Remele

Is your firm asking you to do more with less? In an era where "efficiency" is the name of the game, AI is no longer just a buzzword—it is a powerful tool that can transform how you communicate with clients, manage discovery, summarize depositions, and draft complex pleadings. This session will provide guidance on safely harnessing AI and explore practical, high-impact use cases that will make your daily workflow faster and more accurate, allowing you to elevate your role within your litigation team. However, with great power comes the very real risk of "hallucinations" and other ethical mishaps. We will dive into recent cautionary tales where the use of AI went wrong and outline exactly how to meet your ethical and professional obligations regarding confidentiality and accuracy.

The Impacts and Opportunities Created through Mediation Preparation

Andrew Haugen - Partner, Heimerl and Lammers

Mediation is both an isolated process to avoid litigation and an important opportunity to set a case up for success. Having clarity and understanding between paralegal, attorney, and client to support mediation efforts is an essential part of providing quality client service and consistently producing favorable results. Through the lens of mediation, this session will discuss how preparation for mediation is an essential function to assisting in spotting potential case issues, setting and managing client expectations, and preparing for what may come next, if settlement cannot be reached. This session will also discuss how preparation, or lack thereof, impacts the different stakeholders, including client, attorney, mediator, and opposing counsel.

The Intersection of Technology, Domestic Violence and Family Law

Racheal Howitz - Judicial and Practitioner Educator/Territory Development Manager, OurFamilyWizard

This interactive session will explore the implications of technology in Domestic Violence and Family Court cases. Professionals will learn how batterers use phone technology, social networking and GPS to circumvent injunctions for protection, supervised visitation, and child custody. Legal and Mental Health Practitioners will explore how victims of domestic violence can overcome communication issues using mobile and online communication tools, such as the OurFamilyWizard website, designed specifically for high conflict parents.

Leveraging AI in Legal Review Workflows

Jim Sullivan - CEO, eDiscovery AI; Brandon Rimnac - Director, Consulting, TransPerfect Legal; Matt Samet - Senior Consultant, APG Consulting TransPerfect Legal

Explore how modern AI tools can dramatically improve the speed, accuracy, and consistency of document review in litigation and investigations. This course covers practical applications of AI for relevance review, privilege identification, and early case assessment, including how to validate results and defensibly integrate AI into existing review workflows. Attendees will gain a clear understanding of where AI adds the most value, how to mitigate risk, and how to use AI to make smarter, faster decisions at every stage of the review process.

Leaving the Past Behind: Record Clearing and Legal Aid

Cate Boruff - Attorney, Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services

Founded in 1909, Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services is the oldest legal aid provider in Minnesota. SMRSL currently serves the 33 counties of southern Minnesota, including the east and south metro. The presentation will discuss SMRLS’s history and the legal services we provide, with a focus on the importance of record clearing work as a way to increase our low-income clients’ access to employment and housing. Our record clearing work includes requests for pardon, criminal expungement actions, and the sealing of housing eviction court records. Information on volunteer opportunities for Minnesota certified paralegals to represent SMRLS’ clients in record clearing proceedings in state district court will also be provided.

Managing Up

Lindsay Lien - Attorney, Nicolet Law Office S.C.

Managing Up for paralegals focuses on strategies for "managing" an attorney supervisor to improve work outcomes and the working relationship. Topics include understanding law firm hierarchies and how they impact management, identifying areas to "Manage Up," effective communication, and compliance with ethics rules.

Spot the Fraud: Real-World Financial Case Studies for Paralegals

Eric Stephens - Managing Director, CPA, CFE, Intellex Forensics; Isaac Harrill - Senior Associate, Intellex Forensics

Financial misconduct rarely begins with an obvious fraud. It often appears first as a small inconsistency, a missing invoice, an unexplained transfer, or financial disclosures that do not align with lifestyle. This session walks through real-world case studies from divorce, shareholder disputes, and fraud investigations. With a practical foundation in forensic accounting, paralegals can make stronger contributions to case strategy, recognize financial red flags early and determine when to engage forensic accounting experts.

From the Trenches to the Playbook: Insights on Litigation Strategy and Skill-Sets

Molly Gulbrandson - ParaOne Legal

Join us for a deep dive into the litigation "battlefield," where paralegals drive success behind the scenes. We will analyze the spectrum of firm sizes to identify the unique skills each environment fosters, then discuss the transition from a support role to a litigation strategist. This session culminates in the "Paralegal’s Playbook"—a collection of actionable tips, efficiency hacks, and mentorship insights gathered from twenty years in the field to help you enhance your practice.

The Story of Coco's Heart Dog Rescue

Martha Weaver - Volunteer Dog Buddy, Coco's Heart Dog Rescue

Coco's Heart Dog Rescue is a primarily volunteer-driven organization that welcomes dogs to rescue from unfortunate situations and houses them in volunteer foster homes while preparing them for adoption placement. We focus on evaluating each animal’s needs, provide high quality veterinary care, and work towards finding them a lifelong match with an adoption placement. We strive to educate our community on the importance of rescue, our specific rescue efforts, responsible pet ownership, and the difference each person can make on the lives of animals in need. Martha will share the amazing story of how Coco's Heart Dog Rescue was formed, including the challenges, milestones, our future plans and ways that you can get involved.