TIME
1:30 pm – 3:30 pm central 

This five-part CLE event will cover various legal updates on issues critical for any financial institution to consider when taking care of its business, people and world. Session topics include:

Mitigating the Equity Impact: Recent Legal Developments
Working from home – a once-coveted employee perk – has become something different entirely for working parents trying to balance competing demands of family and work under one roof. Based on the numbers, women take on the majority of child care, eldercare and domestic responsibilities, which means women have fewer hours in the day to spend on their paying jobs and this differential is only exacerbated during prolonged periods of social distancing. The world is in the process of recovering from the physical and economic impacts of COVID-19, but what about the equity impact? What can legal employers do to make sure the pandemic doesn’t further lower the glass ceiling for women? This session will cover how encouraging new perspectives to improve the inclusion of the women workforce in the legal and banking professions.

Infrastructure is the Future: A Review of Federal and Minnesota Infrastructure Plans
President Biden this week unveiled a massive infrastructure proposal that he says would deliver a "once-in-a-generation investment" in the United States.  Governor Walz has a similar plan for the state of Minnesota.  This presentation provides a high-level overview of those plans.

Internal Legal Departments: Encouraging & Implementing Innovative Solutions from Within
Most businesses already encourage the sharing of ideas at work, even if it’s just strategically placed sofas around the water cooler to encourage conversation and ideation. But rather than leaving it to chance, consider how idea-sharing ‘technology’ could transform your business and overall company culture.  A Legal Innovation Committee rolled out Idea Drop – a Facebook-like platform, which provides a safe space for employees to share issues and ideas (anonymously, if necessary) and implements a structure within the law firm to implement creative solutions. This session will discuss how attorneys and staff come together to brainstorm novel solutions for their firm as well as tips and ideas that you may find helpful when implementing a similar program or enhancing its existing program within your legal organization.

We are in this Together: Improving the Cultural Landscape through Wellness for Lawyers
It’s no surprise that the legal profession is inherently high pressure, and there can be a tendency for attorneys in all roles to minimize or ignore their own well-being to focus on the demands of work. This session will discuss proven methods of using organization and self-care to prevent feeling overwhelmed and burnt out, and maximize productivity.  We will additionally discuss proven tips for communicating with counterparts that lessen the demands on both their and your own schedule, along with protocols inside and outside legal counsel can establish to help improve the cultural landscape.

Legal Considerations in Financing Marijuana Businesses: What banks needs to know
Cannabis is currently a Schedule I controlled substance under the Controlled Substances Act, and thus is off limits for any banking activity. If that changes, what issues arise for lending into this sector? How are other financial institutions structuring their transactions in this space and addressing regulatory requirements? Usage of marijuana for medical or recreational use is legal under state law in 39 states. However, it generally remains illegal under the federal Controlled Substances Act to grow, possess or distribute marijuana. The United States Congress has considered proposals to change that law. Even without such a change, financial institutions, including state banks regulated by federal regulatory agencies like the FDIC, engage in banking activities with marijuana businesses. This session will discuss the issues we have seen in financing marijuana businesses and strategies to address them.

PRESENTERS
Briana Al Taqatqa – Associate, Dorsey & Whitney LLP
Christina Carroll – Associate, Dorsey & Whitney LLP
Siena Caruso – Associate, Dorsey & Whitney LLP
Chirag Domadia – Associate, Dorsey & Whitney LLP
Abby Fang – Associate, Dorsey & Whitney LLP
Lucy Onyeforo – Associate, Dorsey & Whitney LLP
Tiana Towns – Associate, Dorsey & Whitney LLP