This year’s Trial Advocacy Seminar explores how community, collaboration, and shared purpose shape the future of advocacy. As legal landscapes shift, from civil rights to election law to the accelerating influence of AI, trial lawyers face new challenges that demand collective insight and engagement. Through thought provoking sessions led by practitioners, scholars, and subject matter experts, we will examine how advocacy strengthens communities, how communities empower justice, and how the legal profession can rise together to protect democratic principles. Join us as we connect, learn, and build the collaborative approaches that tomorrow’s trials will require.
AGENDA
OPENING REMARKS
1:30 p.m. – 1:40 p.m. CT
Speaker:
Peter A. Schmit
Senior Partner
Robins Kaplan LLP
Phil Sieff
Partner & Chair, National Tort Practice Group
Robins Kaplan LLP
SESSION I // Free Speech in the Age of AI and Misinformation
1:40 p.m. – 2:40 p.m. CT
The way we communicate, consume information, and understand the world around us is changing rapidly. Artificial intelligence, social media, and the spread of misinformation are creating new challenges for lawyers, courts, and the public. In this opening session, Professor Jeff Kosseff will explore how these forces are reshaping the information landscape—and what they mean for lawyers tasked with distinguishing fact from fiction, protecting free expression, and advocating effectively in an increasingly complex digital world. This presentation will examine the evolving role of the First Amendment, the responsibilities of lawyers in the new era of AI, and how emerging technologies are shaping the future of advocacy.
Speaker:
Jeff Kosseff
Silha Professor of Media Ethics and Law
University of Minnesota
SESSION II // Justice at the Ballot Box: Advocacy, Voting Rights, and Public Trust
2:45 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. CT
Free and fair elections depend on more than ballots, they rely on laws, institutions, and dedicated professionals working together to protect the democratic process. This panel will examine the legal frameworks that govern elections, the practical realities of election administration, and the role attorneys play in safeguarding voting rights and maintaining public confidence. Through perspectives from election administration, civil rights advocacy, and litigation, panelists will discuss emerging legal challenges, evolving election laws, and why collaboration across institutions is essential to preserving democracy.
Speakers:
Jacqueline Perez
Counsel
Robins Kaplan LLP
Julia Lofton
Minneapolis Elections Manager
Minneapolis Elections & Voter Services
Terri Nelson
Legal Director
ACLU of Minnesota
BREAK
3:45 p.m. – 3:55 p.m. CT
SESSION III // A Conversation with Justice Alan Page: Building a Life of Advocacy, Service, and Community
3:55 p.m. – 4:55 p.m. CT
This keynote discussion will explore Justice Page’s remarkable journey from professional football to the Minnesota Supreme Court and beyond, focusing on the people, communities, and opportunities that shaped his path and conviction that each of us has a role in creating a more just society. Drawing on his experiences as an athlete, lawyer, judge, and founder of the Page Education Foundation, Justice Page will share his perspective on advocacy, opportunity, service, and what it means to make a difference in the lives of others.
Speakers:
Lauren Roso
Counsel
Robins Kaplan LLP
Hon. Alan Page (Ret.)
Minnesota Supreme Court
CLOSING REMARKS
4:55 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. CT
Speaker:
Peter A. Schmit
Senior Partner
Robins Kaplan LLP
RECEPTION
5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. CT
CLE ACCREDITATION
Robins Kaplan LLP will seek approval with Mandatory Continuing Legal Education boards for a maximum of 3.0 hours of CLE credit in Iowa, North Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.
