HERE AND ON THE ROAD:
VISITING WITH UND LAW ALUMNI IN 2019
MICHAEL S. MCGINNISS
Dean, University of North Dakota
School of Law
One of my favorite parts of serving as
the new Dean of the University of North
Dakota (UND) School of Law is the special
opportunities my role provides me to spend
time with our wonderful alumni, both when
they visit with us here in Grand Forks and
when I head out on the road for group
events or individual meetings. Writing this
column as UND Law’s dramatic successes in
2019 have drawn to a close and the curtains
of 2020 have now opened, I would like to
share some reflections on three reasons these
experiences this year have meant so much to
me.
I. I have learned even more about
the challenges our legal communities
face, so I can better strategize about
how UND Law can help with them.
First, my interactions with our alumni on the
road have led me to learn even more about
the challenges our legal communities face,
so I can better strategize about how UND
Law can help with them. At the end of
September, I traveled west to visit with our
alumni and friends in Williston and Minot.
Along with delightful individual visits over
dinner or coffee, I enjoyed a great lunch
conversation with members of the Upper
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THE GAVEL
Missouri Bar Association. These discussions
provided me with additional insight into
the challenges these legal communities have
faced in recruiting and retaining lawyers to
meet the needs for legal services in a variety
of fields of law, ranging from criminal law
and domestic relations to energy law and
business transactional work. There is so
much exciting economic activity and growth
in western North Dakota, and so many
opportunities for lawyers to come in to help
these expanding communities of people and
businesses by sharing the benefits of their
legal knowledge and skills. I have worked
closely this semester with Renee Nilsen,
our director of Career Development, on
strategies for the School of Law to extend
and fortify its pipelines of law students and
graduates to take advantage of these great
opportunities.
My conversations with North Dakota’s
judges and lawyers have also reinforced
my dedication to expanding the impact of
our School of Law’s rural justice programs.
In August, North Dakota District Judge
Michael Hurly from Rugby visited with
me in my office and spoke with our entire
first-year class about the significant needs
for lawyers in our rural counties and the
valuable opportunities for a satisfying legal
career practicing in these communities.
In November, I traveled to Fargo to meet
with the board of trustees of the Edson &
Margaret Larson Foundation, chaired by
North Dakota lawyer Doug Christensen,
where I received their strong encouragement
to build on the foundation of successes we
have had with our programs over the past
five years. We are truly grateful to the Larson
Foundation for its continued generous
support in providing financial assistance each
year for our students with summer legal work
in North Dakota’s rural communities.
II. I see our alumni live out the legacy
of UND Law through their service to
others.
A second reason I have found these visits so
valuable is the opportunity they provide me
to see firsthand our alumni living out the
legacy of UND Law through their service to
others. Whether this takes the form of full-
time public service in the judicial system and
other state or federal offices and positions; or
volunteering time to the public good through
North Dakota Supreme Court or SBAND-
appointed boards and committees; or giving
fully committed and caring service to clients
who rely on these lawyers for trustworthy
advice and skilled legal work – in each case,
I am very proud to see our graduates are
making a positive difference for others in our
communities in so many impactful ways.
As just one among many examples: since
becoming Dean, I have had the pleasure
of visiting in two different places with our
five current North Dakota Supreme Court
law clerks – Katie Carpenter, Cassandra
Frederickson, Alexander Hunt, Nick