SOL Lawyer Magazine_Fall 2021

Jaime and Kimberly Espinosa live in Rockville,MDwith their 5-year- old daughter. Kimworks at the National Institutes of Health and Jaime is at the FDA. As it turns out, working at public health agencies during a global pandemic has been a little hectic. Jon Farnsworth (pictured below) is a partner at Spencer Fane in Minneapolis practicing business and technology law.While not working, he stays busy driving his two boys, ages 7 and 11, to and fromhockey and Cub Scouts, and wrangling snapping turtles on family camping trips.

John Kantke recently used all of his professional training and experience to succeed in his toughest assignment to date: coaching his son’s 8-and-9-year-old Little League baseball team. John quickly realized that well-reasoned logic wasn’t going to help him, but repetition and ice creamwould. Sarah (McGuire) Knoph recently was promoted to the Director of Agency-wide Development and Learning at theMinnesota Department of Human Services. The announcement states, “she has been leading in the area of work-out-of-class assignment since January.” I think that means she’s

Eric Palmer ,Meshbesher & Spence, (pictured below) and co-counsel secured a $300,000 verdict for their client in Hennepin County District Court in one of the first civil jury trials after courts reopened following the COVID shutdown. The verdict came after the insurance company offered ~$11,000 to resolve the claim.

In September, Sarah Brenes , Chuck Berendes ’07 J.D. , and KimBoche ’20 J.D. (pictured below) met with several of the 13,000Afghan evacuees at Ft.McCoy (Sparta,WI) and counseled them through the complex legal andmedical systems in place on the base.

really good at homework. GrahamMartin and Simon

Trautmann ‘08 J.D. have grown TrautmannMartin Law PLLC to include six attorneys. Grahamhas been sober for 9 years and recently startedworking out and eating like a responsible person, and hit his goal weight. Not bad for a self- proclaimed lifelong butterball. TeddyMichel coaches youth hockey.He’s not good at hockey, but as aMinnesotanwhoplayed through high school,Teddy is a hockey expert in Pennsylvania. Teddy thanks Kathy Klos in advance for servingon theUSTAlumni Board public serviceworkgroup, even though he hasn’t askedher yet. JessicaMonson joined Caribou Coffee in 2019 andwas promoted toVP, Legal andGeneral Counsel in 2020. Jessica lives in Victoria,MN with her golden retriever Hobey and recently won theWomen’s Club Championship at Hazeltine. I can’t even beat my neighbor at cornhole. Anna Petosky has been working as a prosecutor for the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office and in July was assigned to the office’s Sex Assault Initiative, where she specializes in the prosecution of alcohol-facilitated sexual assaults. I can’t find a joke in that.

Angela Hoppe Schuda accepted the role of “Business Risk &Control Senior Officer” atWells Fargo. To add a little excitement to her life, Angela and her husband adopted a rescue puppy, Frankie, and threw him into themix with their other dog and cat. ElaineWise wonders if current students continue the tradition, started by the Class of 2007, of rubbing the St. Thomas More statue’s foot for luck before finals. I have no idea, but I know I used to rub his foot and pull his finger. Chuck Berendes recently spent 35 minutes standing on the second floor of the garage he is building himself, with two tradesmen from Xcel Energy, to determine exactly how tall he couldmake the second story so it would be far enough from the power lines. Class of 2008 Send your 2008 class notes and photos to Andrea Hoversten (ahoversten@goklawfirm.com). While doing outreach for The Advocates for Human Rights in Willmar,MN, Sarah Brenes had a chance to catch upwith Nathan Kumagai , who was in town visiting family (both pictured below). Nathan now lives and practices in San Diego, CA. Great to see alumni friends meeting up!

Elizabeth Brenkman (pictured below) joined the legal department at Splunk, an enterprise software company in San Francisco, where she will handle the company’s litigations, investigations and disputes. Congratulations, Liz!

Mike andMeghan (Cook) Flesch moved to San Clemente, CA in 2020.Mike continues to work as a director of fiduciary services for Alerus Financial. Their three kids are doingwell in elementary and middle school. The weather is a challenge, but they are adjusting. Mike Gallagher was bored, so he joined his local school board during COVID. He added a 5th child inMarch and has not slept since. For three years he has been working as the Hospital Administrator at the Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Hospital inWillmar. Dana Gerber became a named partner at Atkinson Gerber Law Office, created a scholarship at UST Law, and other cool stuff. She also just realized that she forgot to celebrate her 12th wedding anniversary and is looking for a babysitter for themaniacs. Anyone? DavidHanson is gearing up for re-election next year as the Beltrami County Attorney. He recently argued his third case in three years before theMinnesota Supreme Court. David also took a part-time, unpaid position as chauffeur for his four kids.

Laura Hammargren and husband Cristof Traudes welcomed adorable Emma Rose Traudes (pictured below) on July 10.

Everyone, including big sister Sophie, 2, is doingwell. Laura took some time off and returned to her

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