2010 City Attorneys Educational Conference
February 5-6, 2010
Hotel Sofitel, Bloomington, Minnesota
nlogo for Minnesota Association of City Attorneys

The Minnesota City Attorneys Association will continue a long tradition of presenting superior and timely legal education in 2010. The Association is pleased to announce that its 2010 Educational Conference will be return to Bloomington, Minnesota. The 1½ day event will be held at the Hotel Sofitel.

A diverse and experienced array of experts has been assembled to address the “need to know” aspects of numerous hot legal topics. Whether you work with (or in) metro or non-metro, large or small communities, this year’s Conference is guaranteed to address issues relevant to your day-to-day city business! Among the topics to be addressed during Friday general sessions are:

  • City foreclosure responsibilities/options
  • Utility relations
  • Updates to the Americans with Disability Act
  • Interim/conditional use permits
  • Issues resulting from downsizing of city staffs

Another feature of Friday’s program will be a luncheon address by Chief Judge Ray Krause of the Minnesota Office of Administrative Hearings. In light of several recent court cases criticizing the adequacy of city and county local hearing records, OAH presents a viable alternative hearing process that should be considered. Judge Krause will provide a brief overview of this resource.

Once again, choice has been included in this year’s Conference agenda. After lunch on Friday, attendees can select from two, concurrent sessions: Liability Lessons learned from Joint Powers Agreements and Lessons learned from Subdivision Agreements OR Criminal Law Update which will include a one hour session on mental health issues in criminal prosecution.

Saturday morning will begin with back-to-back sessions involving the wide world of the Internet and the often confusing but exciting realm of social media. A team of presenters will take Conference registrants on a real world (yes, we will be going on-line!) tour of websites designed to maximize your Internet law searches. Next a panel of social media experts (practitioners and attorneys) will explain the benefits and pitfalls of using of all types of social media—from Facebook, LinkedIn & MySpace pages to Twitter and other blogs.

The morning will conclude with a return of the ever-popular Short Shots. While each of the topics deserves attention, they require a short amount of time; so hang onto your hats as the information will come fast and furious! A team of legal experts will present concise, 10-minute updates on: public begging, open meetings, delinquent/defaulted developers, public sector ethics policies, licenses/permits, delinquent/defaulted developers and more. suggestions via the registration form for this event!

LOCATION
This year’s conference will be held at the Sofitel Hotel in Bloomington (5601 West 78th Street—take the East Bush Lake Road exit). This truly unique facility provides the perfect blend of elegance, style and state-of-the art meeting space—all with a French accent! Amenities include free parking, complimentary Wi-Fi, a 24-hour fitness center and an award-winning restaurant.

The Sofitel is holding a block of sleeping rooms on Thursday and Friday at the special rate of $109/night plus tax. Those needing overnight accommodations should contact them directly at 952-835-1900 by Thursday, January 19, 2010. (Be sure to mention this event to obtain the reduced rate!)

CREDITS
Applications for credit have been made to the Minnesota State Board of Continuing Legal Education, the Minnesota State Bar Association for Real Property Specialists, the Wisconsin Board of Bar Examiners, and the State Bar Association of North Dakota. Approvals are anticipated.

REGISTRATION
To register complete and return the form included in the brochure (download brochure). All registrations must be received by January 22, 2010. Payment options are credit card or check (payable to Government Training Services). You may also request to be billed after the Conference (a $10 invoicing charge is added to amount owed).

An “Early Bird” fee of $198/person applies to registrations postmarked no later than January 8, 2010. Fee for registrations postmarked after that date is $230/person. All registration fees include tuition, notebook of handout materials, Friday luncheon and reception, and coffee breaks on Friday and Saturday..