WDALA Fall Seminar

Western Dakota Association of Legal Assistants (WDALA)

The WDALA Fall Seminar will cover a variety of topics including Chief Justice Jon J. Jenson – Updates to the ND Court System -updates to the North Dakota Court System, including the Judicial Support Project, how AI transcripts will be used and changes to the official record; question and answer session; ND Supreme Court Law Library & Self-Help Center, Catie Palsgraaf – teach you how to locate legislative committee minutes and testimony for the North Dakota Century Code and the North Dakota Administrative Code; Navigating the Subrogation Maze, Lindsay (Harris) WIlz – focus on the relationship between personal injury claims and subrogation interests. You will learn what documents you need, how to obtain them, and how to use them to minimize a subrogation interest: Avoiding Discipline, Kara J. Erickson – provide attendees with information on how to better assist attorneys in avoiding disciplinary actions; ND Open-Meetings-Open Records, Mary Kae Kelsch – an overview of the Open Records and Open Meetings laws in North Dakota. An update of any changes from the 2025 Legislative Session will also be discussed.; State v. Corbin Lampert, a Case Review; case review of the State v. Lampert case and the
many hurdles that the state’s attorney navigated in handling a serious criminal matter with minor children involved. The case review will also discuss drug and alcohol and mental health issues in criminal cases; Holistic Advocacy for High Trauma cases, Jess Roscoe – practical strategies for identifying overlapping legal and non-legal needs, coordinating with community resources, and supporting clients through trauma-informed practices; ND Legislative Updates, Dustin Richard, Liz Fordahl, Casey Orvedal – an update of relevant changes and notable bills from the 2025 Legislative Session, and Criminal Fire and Drug Investigation, SA Luke Kapella and Lee – role of the Bureau of Criminal Investigation in criminal fire and drug investigation, including the Metro Area Narcotics Task Force. The presentation will include K9 Lee, a certified accelerant detection canine trained by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

• Substantive CLE hours: 10.5
• Legal Ethics CLE hours:  1.5