125 th ANNUAL MEETING
STATE BAR ASSOCIATION
OF NORTH DAKOTA
Wrap-Up
125 th ANNUAL MEETING
By Tony Weiler , Executive Director
Wow , 125 years of State Bar Association of North Dakota ( SBAND ) Annual Meetings , with lawyers and judges from across the state getting together to enjoy education , social activities , and fellowship . SBAND ’ s recent annual meeting was held in Fargo June 12-14 . More than 250 lawyers , guests , speakers , and partners attended the event and joined SBAND leadership and staff and many volunteers who hosted a great event ! In maintaining the most recent course of action to hold the CLE seminars at one location , attendees gathered at the Delta by Marriot in Fargo . The annual North Dakota Bar Foundation ( NDBF ) fundraiser was once again the only event held off-site at Brewhalla on Thursday of the meeting . Meeting attendees and guests enjoyed being back together to socialize and attend fantastic CLE programs .
The meeting ’ s opening plenary session was a program by Stuart Teicher , titled “ The Bad Lawyers of Hollywood : An Ethics Program .” Teicher was very entertaining and kept the audience engaged while learning about ethics . He has presented to SBAND before , but this was the first time in person , and was definitely a hit with attendees .
SBAND continued its focus on a format that featured several different tracks , with the opportunity to hear a speaker at different times during the day . The speakers covered a wide range of topics . Teicher presented a track on “ What Jazz and the Blues Teach about Bias and Inclusion in the Law ;” Dean Vikram David Amar presented once again on his “ U . S . Supreme Court Preview : What to Expect and What to Look For ,” as well as another session on the “ Major Cases from the Last Term ;” Temple University Professor Samuel Hodge Jr . spoke on “ AI Esquire : the Legal Practice Through Artificial Intelligence ,” and a second session on “ The ABC ’ s of AI for Attorneys .” Attendees also heard speakers like MacKenzie Hertz on “ Employment Law for the Non-Specialist ;” Doug Brown on “ The Art of Delegation : Across the Generational Divide ;” Eric Olson on “ Bitcoin , Blockchain , and Lawyers ;” and finally , Ann M . Heinen , Ashley Miller , and Miranda Hall on the “ Utilization of Paralegals : Benefits to your Work and Practice .”
SBAND continued to hold its general assembly and business meeting at the Friday breakfast . This included hearing from the new president of the bar , an update on SBAND ’ s finances , and a report from the NDBF . I provided an executive director report detailing the work done at SBAND during the past year .
Attendees then heard a message from ABA President Mary L . Smith , who talked about the rule of law and congratulated SBAND on all the work done in the last year . The first Friday morning plenary saw the return of the “ Mart Vogel Lecture on Professionalism and Ethics ,” moderated by UND School of Law Professor Michael McGinniss , and a lecture by Dean Amar focusing on the current court and issues associated with the current
Opening plenary session speaker Stuart Teicher .
environment and cases . Finally , the last plenary was presented by Doug Brown on “ Power Principles of Time Mastery and Personal Effectiveness .” The energy and information from all our speakers was top notch !
Social Gatherings
Attendees at this year ’ s annual meeting were treated to an opening night social at the Delta , where lawyers and guests had a chance to see old friends and meet new ones . Those in attendance got to listen to cover band “ Save Me CJ ,” who kept all entertained . Many attendees then took in the hospitality room hosted by presidentelect candidate Deb Hoffarth and ABA delegate candidate Zack Pelham .
The NDBF silent auction and reception was held at a new venue , the Odditorium at Brewhala , which was decorated perfectly by SBAND staff Carrie Molander , Jennifer Hauge , and Margi Lee . The auction had many wonderful prizes donated by our generous sponsors , and attendees were treated to background music from a quartet . Once again , the foundation ’ s silent auction fundraiser was a tremendous success .
New SBAND Officers Elected
Grand Forks attorney and Judge Ted Sandberg became SBAND President at the end of the 2024 General Assembly on June 14 . Taylor Olson is now the immediate past-president and will continue to serve on the board of governors until June 2025 . Minot
Immediate Past-President Taylor Olson , center , is thanked for her service to SBAND by Executive Director Tony Weiler , left , and SBAND President Judge Ted Sandberg , right . attorney Deb Hoffarth was elected as president-elect and will assume duties as president in June 2025 , while Zack Pelham was re-elected to a two-year term as SBAND ’ s ABA Delegate . As a result of Hoffarth becoming president-elect , an opening was created in the Nort Central Judicial District on the board of governors . Ashleigh Ensrud was elected by members of that district and she will serve a two-year term . Ashley Samuelson was elected by members of the Northeast Judicial District to a two-year term , and Dickinson attorney Amanda Engelstad was voted in by the board of governors to a two-year term for the Southwest Judicial District .
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