SMRLS e-News! - LawHelp.org

Centennial
Lifetime
Leadership Award
Recipient
Steven J. Kirsch
SMRLS
e-News!
Volume 3 | Issue 7 | December 2009
2009 Centennial Gala
Luncheon
What an amazing finale to SMRLS Centennial Year! The year culminated with the Gala Luncheon Celebration on
November 24, 2009 with over 500 guests in attendance. There were many celebratory aspects of this final event of the
year, including a special performance during the reception by “La Musica Ipsa Loquitur” (group of three attorneys,
one of which was SMRLS former board member Sally Scoggin), the announcement of SMRLS newly formed alumni
association by co-chair Hon. Natalie Hudson, MN Court of Appeals, the debut of SMRLS “Celebrating the Past” video
featuring SMRLS current/former staff and many equal justice partners; and the wonderful recognition of two of
SMRLS 25 year attorneys: Kathy Eveslage and Paul Mundt.
The keynote speaker Ted Shaw, former Director-Counsel and President of the NAACP Legal Defense and
Education Fund, was introduced by Chief Judge Michael Davis, US District Court and spoke about SMRLS’ long
record of anti-racism work.
The celebration was highlighted by the surprise announcement that longtime SMRLS supporter Steven J. Kirsch
(Murnane Brandt) was the recipient of the Centennial Lifetime Leadership Award. Steve has been the chair of
SMRLS Campaign for Legal Aid (CLA) since 1994. Under
Steve's leadership, the CLA has raised over $7 million for
SMRLS. Steve’s children and grandson, unbeknownst to
him, flew in as a surprise and presented him with the much
deserved award.
Thank you to all of the table sponsors, which included
representation by all four Minnesota Law Schools. We
offer special thanks to the Fulbright & Jaworkski law firm
for underwriting the keynote speaker’s expenses and to
Ruth Kirsch and Bruce Beneke for the production of
SMRLS “Celebrating the Past” video.
We at SMRLS are deeply grateful for all of our
support. Without you, we would not be nearly as
effective as weh have been in providing quality civil legal
Katie Kirsch; Abby Kirsch; Steve Kirsch, Murnane Brandt;
Brian Kirsch; Amy Sayad; Ismail Sayad; Ruth Kirsch and
Steve’s granson, Riley, front
Tom O’Connell, RCBA Foundation Chair and Phil
Carruthers, Co-chair, RCBA Bench & Bar Benefit; Jessie
Nicholson, SMRLS CEO; and Juan Hoyos, RCBA President
services to the disadvantaged.
We look forward to partnering with you into SMRLS’
next century as we continue to provide the poor with
meaningful access to Minnesota’s civil justice system.
Chief Judge Michael Davis, US District Court; Jessie
Nicholson, SMRLS CEO; Kathie Battle Sayles, SMRLS
Campaign for Legal Aid and Ted Shaw, Keynote
Speaker, Of Counsel, Fulbright & Jaworski

Ellen Sampson, Leonard, Street and Deinard; Barb
D’Aquila, Fulbright & Jaworski; Chief Justice Eric
Magnuson, Minnesota Supreme Court; and Hon. James
Rosenbaum, U.S. District Court
Chief Judge Michael Davis, US District Court; Hon. James
Rosenbaum, US District Court; Ted Shaw, Fulbright
& Jaworski; Dean Don Lewis, Hamline University School
of Law; Mark Hallberg, Hallberg & McClain; Hon.
Donald Alsop (Ret.); and David Alsop, Gislason & Hunter
Chris Messerly, Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi; Sue
Holden, Sieben, Grose, Von Holtum & Carey; and Mike
Tewksbury, Tewksbury & Kerfeld
Judge Donovan Frank, U.S. District Court/Chief Judge
Michael Davis, U.S. District Court reserved table
Bill Jepsen, Schwebel, Goetz & Sieben; Justice Esther
Tomljanovich (Ret.); and Hon. David Higgs, Ramsey
County District Court (and former SMRLS board member)
Steve Kirsch, Murnane Brandt; Jessie Nicholson, SMRLS
CEO; and Hon. Natalie Hudson, Minnesota Court of
Appeals

Matt Benda (SMRLS Board member) and Stephanie
Haedt, Peterson, Savelkoul & Benda
Catherine Harris (SMRLS Client Board Member)
Donna Erickson, Erickson Marketing and John Degnan,
Briggs and Morgan From left: Les Abrahamson, State Farm; Mark Tsutsui,
State Farm; Kelly Holm, State Farm; Mat Popham, State
Farm; Lee Smiertelny, State Farm; Brett Olander, Brett
Olander & Associates; and Brian Haab, University of St.
Thomas School of Law student
From left: Tim Kenny, Fulbright & Jaworski; Michael
Battle, Fulbright & Jaworski; John Kelly, Fulbright &
Jaworski; Chief Judge Michael Davis, US District Court;
Gary Hird, SMRLS COO; Jessie Nicholson, SMRLS CEO;
Charles Nicholson; and Ted Shaw, Of Counsel,
Fulbright & Jaworski
Attorneys Celebrating
25 Years with SMRLS
Kathy Eveslage, SMRLS St. Paul
Office and Paul Mundt, SMRLS
Winona Office

Gary Hird, SMRLS COO; Alexandra Hennekens and Cheryl
Dalby; both of the Ramsey County Bar Association
Gerry Kaluzny, SMRLS and Hon. Kathy Sanberg,
Minnesota Tax Court
The full ballroom
Kathy Haukedahl, Mid-Minnesota Legal Assistance;
Dennis Dorgan; Steve Wolfe, SMRLS St. Paul Office;
Margaret Erickson, SMRLS Worthington Office; Jan
Werness, SMRLS; Loretta Frederick, Battered Women’s
Justice Project; and Nancy Ver Steegh, William Mitchell
College of Law
From left; Jon Geffen, Arneson & Geffen; Laura
Melnick, SMRLS; Leah Montgomery, SMRLS;
Jahnvieve Howe, Alliance Bank; Jane Peterson,
Alliance Bank; Dennis Dorgan; Gerry Kaluzny,
SMRLS; Michael Goodwin, SMRLS; and Val Snyder,
SMRLS
Save the date!
SMRLS next
Luncheon
will be on
Tuesday, Nov. 23,
2010

Some 100 year Highlights
that SMRLS’ litigation efforts led to the
adoption by the City of St. Paul of fair
testing processes, which insured that the most
qualified candidates to be firefighters and police
officers were selected. As a result, both
departments have hired many women and
men of color who were previously
excluded.
that SMRLS’ litigation efforts in Garcia v.
Independent School District #625 led to
the adoption of the District’s first
comprehensive programs to assure equal
educational opportunity and to overcome the
achievement gap through bilingual and
bicultural education, assessments, supports,
parent involvement and school placement.
Jessie R. Nicholson and Michael W.
Hagedorn’s work in Robinson v.
St. Paul HRA led to the adoption of fair
admission procedures for African-Americans in
St. Paul public housing and the building of
additional affordable housing units for
low-income people.
that as a VISTA project, SMRLS started the
nation’s first battered women’s shelter in the
United States in cooperation with Women’s
Advocates under the leadership of
Executive Director John Brauch.
that SMRLS created the nation’s first legal aid
program for the homeless, Project HOPE,
under the leadership of Martha Eaves. This
project was one of 11 iniatives by the Legal
Services Corporation in 1994 and has received
national acclaim for it’s use of “pro bono
landlords” and formely homeless persons who
help to find housing and to mitigate disputes so
that families are able to stabilize.
that in Cantu v. Owatonna Canning
Company, SMRLS negotiated the largest wage
claim and illegal recruitment financial settlement
ever at that time on behalf of
migrant farm workers and their children,
including a scholarship fund for migrant
children administered by SMRLS
for 15 years.
that in Mental Health Association of Minnesota
v. Heckler, Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals
upheld a Federal District Court decision
restoring benefits to 8,000 mentally ill persons
who had been illegally terminated from their
Social Security benefits. SMRLS Trial and
Appellate Counsel: Martha Eaves, Mark
Bohnhorst, and Bill Messinger (private
co-counsel).
that in Fritz v. Warthen, the Minnesota Supreme
Court held that tenants have a right to safe and
decent rental housing. SMRLS Counsel:
Mike Wolf, Roger Haydock, Delores Orey, Bill
Crowder and Mark Reinhart.
that in Jarvis v. Levine, Minnesota Supreme
Court upholds rights of committed mentally ill
persons to deny treatment and to receive due
process considerations with respect to instrusive
medical treatments. SMRLS Counsel:
Charles Thomas
that in Carter v. Olmsted County Housing and
Redevelopment Authority, this precedent-setting
case established that housing authorities must
provide persons with a due process hearing
before terminating a lease and must prove
substantial evidence to sustain termination.
SMRLS Counsel: Michael W. Hagedorn and
Robert C. Youngerman.