Our Attorneys

Marian assists clients and their families during times of transition, with a focus on promoting children's well-being.  Attentive to each client's needs and goals, Marian is a creative problem-solver and an effective advocate.  She is licensed to practice law in the state of Minnesota as well as four tribal courts including White Earth Band of Chippewa (2001).

Advanced Training

• National Institute for Trial Advocacy/ Children’s Law Center of Minnesota, Training the Lawyer to Represent the Whole Child , Minneapolis, Minnesota, 2007
• National Institute for Trial Advocacy/ Rocky Mountain Child Advocacy Institute, Presenting Evidence in Children’s Cases , Denver, Colorado, 2001
• NAPIL Annual Leadership Development Training, Washington, D.C., 1999 and 2000
• 40-hour Guardian ad Litem Training, St. Paul, Minnesota, 1997
• 40-hour Family Law Mediation Skills Training, St. Paul, Minnesota, 1996

Year Joined Organization

• 2004

Areas of Practice

• Juvenile (CHIPS, Delinquency, State Ward, ICWA)
• Adoption
• Family Law

Bar Admissions

• Minnesota, 1999
• Court of the White Earth Band of Chippewa, 2001
• Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux (Dakota) Tribal Court, 2004
• Prairie Island Indian Community Tribal Court, 2006
• Mille Lacs Tribal Court, 2007

Education

• University of Minnesota Law School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, December, 1998
  J.D.
  Honors: Dean's List, 1997-1998
  Honors: Mansfield Fellowship, 1997
  Honors: CALI Excellence for the Future Award, 1996
  Honors: Child Advocacy Clinic
  Honors: Child Advocacy and Family Law Group
  Honors: National Moot Court
  Honors: Judicial Externship
  
  
• University of Minnesota Graduate School of Social Work, Minneapolis, Minnesota, June, 1998
  Child Abuse Prevention Studies Certificate
  Honors: With High Distinction
  
  
• Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa, May, 1993
  B.A.
  Honors: Jeanne Burkle Senior Woman Award
  Honors: Merrill and Clerk in Debate Prizes
  Honors: Rosenfield Public Affairs Award
  Honors: Mortar Board Honor Society
  Honors: Parliamentary Debate Union
  Honors: Sexual Abuse Advocacy Program
  Honors: Student Government
  Honors: Intern, Iowa City Civil Rights Commission (Iowa City, Iowa)
  Honors: House of Commons (London, U.K.)
  Major: Political Science
  
  

Published Works

• Guest, Indian Child Welfare Act, Minnesota Law Report, KYCR AM-1570, December, 2007
• Guest, Paternity, Minnesota Law Report, KYCR AM-1570, November, 2007
• Judicial Profile: Judge Jay Quam, The Hennepin Lawyer, May, 2007
• Out-of-Home Placements for Abused, Neglected, and Dependent Children in Minnesota: A Historical Perspective, 32 William Mitchell Law Review 1007-1049, 2006
• Representing Children in Family Court, THE MINNESOTA CUSTODY AND CHILD SUPPORT DESKBOOK, Minnesota State Bar Association/Continuing Legal Education,, First Edition, 2006
• Guest, Teens and Domestic Violence, (Phillips Community Television's teen-produced cable TV program), October, 2005
• Guest, Adoption, Meet Your Court, (Hennepin County District Court's weekly cable TV program), September, 2002
• Reviewer, Health For Teens in Care: A Judge's Guide, American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law, 2002
• Minnesota Judicial System: Twenty-Five Years of Radical Change, (Co-Author with Robert J. Sheran and Douglas K. Amdahl), 26 Hamline Law Review 219, 329, Spring, 2003

Classes/Seminars Taught

• Faculty, Preparing for and Testifying in Court: A Primer for Guardians ad Litem, Minnesota Judicial Branch Guardian ad Litem Program, 2009 Annual Conference: Building Pathways for Children in a Changing World, 2009
• Faculty, There's No Place Like Home: Permanency Options for Foster Children, Minnesota State Bar Association/Minnesota CLE, 30th Annual Family Law Institute, 2009
• Co-Presenter, Third Party Custody, Minnesota Legal Services Coalition, 2009
• Presenter, Third Party Custody Options, Hamline University School of Law, Child Advocacy Clinic, 2008 - 2009
• Faculty, Representing Children in Family Court, Minnesota Custody and Child Support, Minnesota State Bar Association/Minnesota CLE, 2006
• Faculty, Juvenile Protection and Juvenile Delinquency Records, Children's Records Law, Lorman Educational Services, Minnesota, 2006
• Faculty, Issues Relating to Minority Children in Delinquency and Child Protection Proceedings, Emerging and Innovative Ideas in Juvenile Law, Juvenile Courts in Minnesota, Minnesota Juvenile Court Centenary Planning Committee, 2005
• Co-Presenter, Adoption Rules 101, Minnesota State Bar Association Children and the Law Section, 2004
• Seminar Co-Chair and Faculty Member, Best Interests of the Child and Alternative Caregiving Arrangements, Minnesota State Bar Association/Minnesota CLE, 2004
• Faculty, When Parents Can't Parent Their Children: Third-Party Custody, CHIPS Proceedings, De Facto Custodians, Guardianships and Adoption, Minnesota State Bar Association/Minnesota CLE's 25th Annual Family Law Institute, 2004
• Faculty, Representing Youth In Foster Care, Children's Law Center of Minnesota, 1999 - 2001
• Faculty, Legal Rights of Children: Fact or Fiction, MILE Juvenile Law Seminar, 2002
• Presenter, Uniform Parentage Act Task Force Report Adoption, Paternity and Assisted Reproductive Technology, Minnesota State Bar Association Children and Law Section, 2002
• Presenter, Legal Rights of State Wards and Long-Term Foster Care Youth, Hennepin County Permanency Provider Meeting, 2002
• Panel Member, Media Orientation: Open Child Protection Proceedings, Minnesota Supreme Court, 2002
• Presenter, State Wards Project, Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi, LLP, 1999
• Presenter, State Wards Project, Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi, LLP, 2002
• Guest Faculty, Improving Outcomes for State Wards, University of Minnesota School of Social Work, Child Abuse Prevention Studies, 2000
• Panel Member, Guardian ad Litem Panel, Guardian ad Litem Training, Ramsey County, 1998
• Speaker, Cornerstone Advocacy Services, 1993 - 1995
• Speaker, Minnesota State Bar Association Speakers Bureau, 2005 - Present
• Faculty, Representing Youth In Foster Care, Children's Law Center of Minnesota, 2003

Honors and Awards

• "Minnesota Rising Star," Minnesota Law and Politics, 2006 - Present
• Mansfield Fellow, Legal Aid Society of Minneapolis, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1997

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Minnesota State Bar Association, Children & the Law Section, 2001 - 2002
  Chair
  
  
• Minnesota State Bar Association, Children & the Law Section, 2002 - 2004
  Executive Council Member
  
  
• Minnesota State Bar Association, Children & the Law Section, 1998 - Present
  Member
  
  
• Hennepin County Bar Association, Family Law Section, 2002 - Present
  Member
  
  
• Minnesota American Indian Bar Association, 2006 - Present
  Special Member
  
  
• Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, 2008 - Present
  Member
  
  
• Association of Family and Conciliation Courts
  Co-Chair, Juvenile Court Committee
  
  
• Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC), Minnesota Chapter, 2009 - Present
  Member
  
  
• Minnesota Supreme Court Juvenile Protection Rules Committee, 2001 - 2004
  Member
  
  
• Children's Justice Initiative-Hennepin County, 2002 - 2003
  Member, State Wards Subcommittee
  
  
• Statewide Advisory Committee on Long-Term Foster Care, 2002
  Member
  
  
• Uniform Parentage Act Task Force, 2001 - 2002
  Member
  
  
• Casey Foundation/VOA, Transitioning from Adolescence Task Force, 2000
  Member
  
  
• National Association of Counsel for Children, 1997 - Present
  Member
  
  

Past Employment Positions

• Fredrikson & Byron, P.A., Minneapolis, Minnesota, Attorney, 2002 - 2004
• Children's Law Center of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, Staff Attorney, 1999 - 2002
• Office of the Hennepin County Attorney, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Law Clerk, 1998 - 1999
• Legal Aid Society of Minneapolis, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Summer Law Clerk, 1997
• Children's Law Center of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, Summer Law Clerk, 1996
• Cornerstone Advocacy Services, Bloomington, Minnesota, Child Advocate, 1993 - 1995
• Minneapolis Crisis Nursery, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Crisis Care Provider, 1993 - 1994

Pro Bono Activities

• Member, Initial Board of Directors, Children's Legal Services, 2009 - Present
• Volunteer Attorney, Volunteer Lawyers Network, 2009 - Present
• Volunteer Attorney, MSBA/Hennepin County Pro Se/Pro Bono Project (Limited Scope Legal Services), 2008 - Present
• Volunteer Attorney, Children's Law Center of Minnesota, 2002 - Present
• Contributor, Storyboard Project, Minnesota Juvenile Court Centenary Committee, 2006
• Volunteer, Minnesota State Bar Association Mock Trial Program, 2001 - 2004
• Steering Committee Member, Park Avenue Seeking International Justice, 2004
• Volunteer, White Earth Land Recovery Project (White Earth Indian Reservation), 2002
• Guardian ad Litem, Ramsey County Juvenile and Family Court, 1997 - 1999
• Children's Support Group Facilitator, Cornerstone, 1995 - 1996