Kate McBride, an attorney and head of Meagher & Geer’s appellate practice group, and Meagher & Geer attorney, Louise Behrendt will speak on a panel at the upcoming Minnesota CLE 11th Annual Appellate Practice Institute.

During an afternoon breakout session titled, “Preparing for, Perfecting, and Surviving Your Appeal (or, Enduring the Pit of Despair, Avoiding the Dread Pirate Roberts, and Ensuring You Are Armed to Engage in a Battle of Wits),” three experienced practitioners will explain how to successfully prepare for, perfect, and argue your appeal in state or federal court, including the unique twists in administrative appeals. This session will cover the basics (what to file, when and where) as well as more nuanced considerations, including whether to appeal at all, preserving the record, framing issues, and preparing persuasive arguments both in writing and at oral argument.

For more information, or to register for this MN CLE, go to: 2017 Appellate Practice Institute webpage.

Kate focuses her practice on appellate law and complex motions – especially those involving litigation issues, professional liability, insurance coverage, and other areas in which the firm maintains a trial practice.  She is head of the firm’s appellate practice group and has handled more than 130 state and federal appeals. She has been recognized in the Minnesota Super Lawyers® list in the area of appellate law and has been named to the Top 50 Women Super Lawyers list.  Kate is one of the founding board members of the Minnesota Supreme Court Historical Society and served for seven years as the chair of that organization’s Education Committee.  As chair, she oversaw the creation of three new lesson plans about the judiciary that are now being used in classrooms throughout the state.  She is currently directing the Society’s first essay contest in which high school seniors will compete for scholarships by writing on a designated court-related topic.

With over 20 years of experience in writing and arguing civil appeals and complex civil motions, Louise is well-known to the Twin Cities legal community as a thoughtful and talented writer, skilled in legal analysis and persuasion. Louise has handled multiple appeals and civil motions in Minnesota state and federal courts in an effective, thorough, and ethical manner — addressing a wide variety of civil issues including construction defect, contractual indemnification, employment discrimination, insurance coverage, premises liability, personal injury, products liability and sex abuse.