SOL Lawyer Magazine_Summer 2022

SCHOOL OF LAW NEWS

#1 FOR PRACTICAL TRAINING National Jurist, 2022 St. Thomas Law has been ranked among the top three law schools in this category since 2014.

PROFESSOR COLLETT TO VISIT CHILE WITH FULBRIGHT SPECIALIST PROGRAM

VISCHER NAMED INTERIM UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT

NICHOLS INTERIM DEAN; SCHILTZ INTERIM DEAN FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS Following the announcement that Dr. Julie Sullivan would step down as president of the University of St. Thomas at the end of the 2021-22 academic year, the St. Thomas Board of Trustees appointed law school Dean Robert Vischer interim president, beginning June 1. Current Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Joel Nichols is now interim dean of the law school and Professor Elizabeth (Lisa) Schiltz stepped in as interim associate dean for academic affairs. They also assumed their new roles on June 1. A national search for the next university president has commenced.

Professor Teresa Collett was invited to visit Chile in June as a Fulbright Specialist by the Universidad de los Andes in Santiago. Her visit coincides with the country’s landmark convention to rewrite its constitution and Collett will conduct research and provide input for the university regarding religious and educational freedoms as a constitutional law scholar.

NEW LAWYER SEARCH LAUNCHED Alumni are invited to join and connect with fellow St. Thomas Law graduates through the newly redesigned Lawyer Search online directory! Visit stthomas.edu/law and click on Lawyer Search to complete the online process and create your profile. Lawyer Search is a public directory that is available to those who need to find a lawyer. It also facilitates networking and referrals among alumni and allows current and prospective law students to meet attorneys working in their areas of interest. Join your former classmates and colleagues on Lawyer Search!

FACULTY PUBLISH NEW BOOKS

Robert Vischer is one of 14 law school deans who contributed to the new constitutional law coursebook Beyond Imagination? The January 6 Insurrection (West Academic Publishing, 2022). The book examines U.S. history and the events that led

CONGRATULATIONS, KAARIN NELSON SCHAFFER! At the 11th annual Alumnae Brunch on November 6, 2021, St. Thomas Law honored Kaarin Nelson Schaffer ’06 J.D. with a 2021 Alumna Achievement Award. She was nominated by fellow alum and colleague Ben Kwan ‘13 J.D. Kaarin Nelson Schaffer is a partner at Conard Nelson Schaffer. She litigates on behalf of employees in employment-related matters, including sexual harassment, whistleblower retaliation, discrimination and other forms

up to and occurred on Jan. 6, 2021, from a legal perspective, with the hope of moving the nation forward toward healing and a recommitment to the rule of law and the Constitution.

Cambridge University Press recently published the new book, Law Student Professional Development and Formation: Bridging Law School, Student, and Employer Goals , co-

of unlawful workplace conduct by employers. From 2020–2021, she served as the trustee for the next of kin of George Floyd. Nelson Schaffer and others brought a Section 1983 claim against the city of Minneapolis and the four former Minneapolis police officers involved in the death of George Floyd that ultimately settled for $27 million. The settlement has been described as the largest pre-trial civil rights wrongful death settlement in U.S. history. As the trustee, Nelson Schaffer utilized her strong relationship skills to help navigate a wide variety of interests and personalities, and helped to bring about an uncontested distribution.⁣

authored by Neil Hamilton, Holloran Professor of Law and co-director of the Holloran Center for Ethical Leadership in the Professions. The book will help legal educators foster students’ development of a professional identity that leads to a gratifying career that serves society well.

Alumna Kaarin Nelson Schaffer ’06 (above, center), recipient of the 2021 Alumna Achievement Award, stands for a photo with her fellow law school classmates during the annual “Leadership at Your Best” alumnae brunch hosted by the School of Law and the Law Women’s Networking Committee.

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