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JANUARY 23-25, 2026 - GRANDVIEW LODGE - NISSWA, MN REMINDER: DINNER SATURDAY IS INCLUDED IN REGISTRATION FEE ROOM BLOCK HERE Learning From the Past & Preparing for the Future! MDLA Mid-Winter Conference Grandview Lodge, Nisswa, MN January 23, 2026 – January 25, 2026 Friday, January 23, 2026 2:30 p.m. ~ 3:00 p.m. ~ Visit Exhibitors – GLC Lobby 3:00 p.m. ~ 3:05 p.m. ~ Welcome & Announcements – GLC Grand Ballroom A Shayne M. Hamann, Arthur, Chapman, Kettering, Smetak, and Pikala, P.A. 3:05 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. ~ Experts: Gold Mine – not a Land Mine (Hopefully) ~ Stuart T. Johnson, Reding & Pilney, LLC. ~ Some practical advice and considerations to prepare your expert for deposition or trial to elicit the opinions you need. From initial involvement/retention through testimony, use of your expert to help you and the factfinder understand what is important. 4:00 p.m. – 4:55 p.m. ~ Evidence Based Costing Methodology for the Life Care Plan ~ Dr. Ashley Grzybowicz, Life Care Planner ~ InQuis The presentation will discuss the foundational framework for a life care plan to build credible and accurate costing research. Also, how a secure and valid life care plan will be transparent, reproducible, implementable, and evidence based. Each of these characteristics should be apparent in every aspect of the life care plan, especially the process of researching costs for the myriad of items which will be presented in the plan. 5:00 p.m. ~ 6:15 p.m. ~ New Lawyers Reception – GLC Grand Ballroom B 5:00 p.m. ~ 6:15 p.m. ~ Board Meeting – GLC Lake Hubert 6:30 p.m. ~ 7:30 p.m. ~ Welcome Reception – GLC Grand Ballroom B Saturday, January 24, 2026 7:30 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. - Registration and Continental Breakfast – GLC Grand Ballroom B 8:00 a.m. – 8:05 a.m. ~ Welcome and Announcements – GLC Grand Ballroom A Shayne M. Hamann, Arthur, Chapman, Kettering, Smetak & Pikala, P.A. 8:05 a.m. ~ 9:00 a.m. ~ Legal Ethics and Malpractice: Emerging Trends and Key Developments ~ Jessica L. Klander, Bassford Remele – Stay up to date on the latest developments in legal ethics and malpractice affecting defense practitioners. This program will explore recent case law, disciplinary trends, opinions from the ABA and LRPB, and practical strategies to manage risk and uphold professional standards in today’s evolving legal landscape. 9:00 a.m. ~ 10:00 a.m. ~ Biomechanics: Its Use in Workers’ Compensation and Litigation Claims ~ Dr. Hana Chan, Ph.D. ESi and Sophia K. Tushak, ESi ~ This presentation provides an overview of biomechanics, including injury, causation and mechanisms, and biomechanical accident reconstruction. It will explore how injury analysis and the scientific method are used to investigate injuries related to workers’ compensation and litigated claims. Using real-world case examples, attendees will navigate how biomechanics can be used to evaluate whether a reported workplace injury scenario or litigated claim is consistent with physics, medical records, and the physical evidence in an environment. 10:00 a.m. ~ 10:15 a.m. ~ Break and Interact with Exhibitors ~ Mimosa, Bloody Mary & Dirty Soda Bar – GLC Lobby 10:15 a.m. ~ 11:00 a.m. ~ Breaking Down UM/UIM Claims for Your Companies: The Math Behind a Good Defense Recommendation: Kelly Sofio, Tomsche, Sonnesyn & Tomsche, P.A. How much did the underlying claim settle for? What were the total medical specials? What will the Plaintiff need to get from the jury to get to the UIM policy at trial? Recommendations for how to defend UM/UIM claims and speaking to your adjusters and companies about what could happen at trial. 11:00 a.m. ~ 12:00 p.m. ~ PTSD - Diagnosis, Treatment, and Recovery ~ Dr. Leesa Scott-Morrow, Woodlake Medical Management ~ Dr. Scott-Morrow’s presentation will include an overview of the PTSD DSM-5-TR diagnostic criteria with an emphasis on how these various criteria present clinically. The presentation about PTSD including a discussion of common diagnostic errors. Lastly, the presentation will include discussion of best practice treatment methodologies for PTSD. 12:00 p.m. ~ 12:15 p.m. ~ Meet the Sponsors! 12:00 p.m. ~ 6:00 p.m. ~ Free Time 6:00 p.m. ~ 8:00 p.m. ~ Cocktail Reception, Dinner – Grand Ballroom B - Included in registration fee. Guest tickets are sold separately. 8:00 p.m. ~ 9:30 p.m. ~ Kids Movie – GLC Lake Margaret 9:00 p.m. ~ 11:00 p.m. ~ Campfire, S’mores, and other activities Sunday, January 25, 2026 7:15 a.m. ~ 8:30 a.m. ~ Registration and Continental Breakfast – GLC Grand Ballroom B GLC Grand Ballroom A 8:30 a.m. ~ 9:30 a.m. ~ Trucking 101: It’s Not Just a Big Car! ~ Rachel B. Beauchamp, Cousineau Malone, P.A. A presentation to aid lawyers new to commercial trucking in understanding the investigation, preservation, and unique issue spotting, for defending commercial trucking claims. 9:30 a.m. ~ 10:30 a.m. ~ What’s Up Upstairs? Mark Bradford, Bradford Andresen Norrie & Camarotto Mark will provide an overview of significant Minnesota appellate decisions from 2025. 10:30 a.m. ~ 11:30 a.m. ~ When Work and Widgets Collide: Unpacking Compensation and Liability (New Lawyers Committee) ~ Nicole Weinand, Aafedt, Forge, Gray, Monson & Hager, Benjamin Anderson, Bowman & Brooke and Tyler Young, Aafedt, Forge, Gray, Monson & Hager, Join Nicole, Ben and Tyler for a presentation about defending a product liability claim brought by somebody injured on the job (or otherwise), and their employer. The group will outline liability considerations when defending a product liability claim, break down subrogation/indemnity and contribution claims by and against the employer, and define the employer’s recoverable damages under the Minnesota’s Workers’ Compensation Act 11:30 a.m. ~ 11:35 a.m. ~ Closing Remarks Thank You Annual Supporters    
Mid-Winter Conference Sponsors Diversity  Friday Welcome Reception Saturday Break Event Sponsor  Exhibitors      Law Firms  .
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