BACKGROUND + EXPERIENCE

EDUCATION

Cornell Law School

J.D., 2001, cum laude

Member, Cornell International Law Journal

University of Chicago

Ph.D., 1995, Political Science (Law & Judicial Politics)

Reframing the Countermajoritarian Problem: Accountability, Representation, and Judicial Review

Dissertation committee: Gary Orfield (chair), Cass Sunstein, Gerald Rosenberg, Mark Hansen

Colby College

B.A., 1985, Government, honors in major

Pi Sigma Alpha Prize, awarded by Colby College, for the best research paper by a senior government major.

PRACTICE EXPERIENCE

Sapientia Law Group, Minneapolis, MN

Member, 2016-present

Constitutional law; defamation; white collar criminal defense and Criminal Justice Act cases; civil fraud; data privacy, cyber-stalking, cyber-security; civil and criminal appeals and strategic motions

Washington County Attorney’s Office, Stillwater, MN

Assistant County Attorney, 2013-2015

Prosecuted appeals and post-conviction cases and handled all aspects of felony criminal prosecution on behalf of the State of Minnesota, defended Washington County in constitutional tort and land use, takings, and other real estate and tax matters; public policy and risk management

3M, Maplewood, MN

Senior Counsel, Compliance & Business Conduct, 2011-2013

Counsel to 3M PAC, compliance with federal, state, and local campaign finance, lobbying, ethics, and pay to play standards; global policies, education, training, investigations, and audits for compliance with federal and international anti-bribery and anti-corruption standards (FCPA, UK Antibribery Act)

Greene Espel, PLLP, Minneapolis, MN

Associate, Partner, 2004-2011

Municipal liability defense, focusing on constitutional torts, land use and takings, First Amendment, excessive force, and code enforcement; civil and criminal appeals; white collar criminal defense; state appellate public defender pro bono attorney; public policy and risk management

Dorsey & Whitney, LLP, Minneapolis, MN

Associate, 2002-2004

Complex business litigation, white collar crime, ACLU pro bono attorney

Honorable Paul H. Anderson and Honorable James H. Gilbert, Minnesota Supreme Court

Law Clerk, 2001-2002

ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE

National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA)

Faculty, 2010-2011

Trial Advocacy

William Mitchell College of Law

Adjunct Professor of Law (part time), 2009-2011

Advanced Trial Advocacy and Appellate Advocacy

University of South Carolina

Assistant Professor (tenure-track), 1996-1998

Department of Government and International Relations

Courses: Constitutional Law (institutional powers and federalism, civil rights and liberties), Judicial Politics, Women and the Law, American Government for graduate and undergraduate students

University of Maryland, College Park

Visiting Assistant Professor, Spring Semester 1996

Department of Government and Politics

Courses: Constitutional Law (civil rights and liberties) and Women and the Law

Georgetown University

Instructor, 1993-1995

Department of Government, Constitutional Law and Judicial Politics

Courses: Constitutional Law (institutional powers and federalism, civil rights and liberties), Judicial Politics, American Government

Massachusetts Senate

Legislative Assistant, Massachusetts State Senator Linda Melconian, 1988-1989

Staff member, Massachusetts Special Commission on Medical Malpractice, 1988-1989 (universal healthcare)

AWARDS

Recipient of Research and Productive Scholarship Grant, University of South Carolina, for Supreme Court Justices: Independent or Loyal Presidential Agents?

Visiting Scholar, Harvard University, 1988-89

1991 recipient of Award for the Outstanding Graduate Student Research Paper, Section on Law, Courts, and Judicial Process of the American Political Science Association, for Explaining and Predicting Supreme Court Decision-Making: The Gender Discrimination Cases

ARTICLES + BOOKS

ARTICLES

William D. Brinton, Randal M. Morrison, and Robin M. Wolpert, Deterring and Defeating the Sign Code Shakedown: Best Practices for Drafting a Constitutional Sign Ordinance, Municipal Lawyer (Jan/Feb 2007).

John M. Baker and Robin M. Wolpert, The Modern Tower of Babel:  Defending the New Wave of First Amendment Challenges to Municipal Billboard and Sign Regulations, 58 Planning & Envtl. L. 3 (2006).

Robin M. Wolpert, Preserving and Promoting Minnesota’s Recreational Trails: State v. Hess, 31 Wm. Mitchell L. Rev. 1133 (2005).

Robin M. Wolpert and James G. Gimpel, Self-Interest, Symbolic Politics, and Public Attitudes Toward Gun Control, 20 Pol. Behav. 241 (Sept. 1998).

Robin M. Wolpert and James G. Gimpel, Information, Recall, and Accountability: The Electorate's Response to the Clarence Thomas Nomination, 22 Legis. Stud. Q. 535 (Nov. 1997).

James G. Gimpel and Robin M. Wolpert, Opinion Formation and Public Attitudes Toward Controversial Supreme Court Nominees, 49 Pol. Res. Q. 163 (Mar. 1996).

James G. Gimpel and Robin M. Wolpert, Rationalizing Support and Opposition to Supreme Court Nominations: The Role of Credentials, 28 Polity 67 (Fall 1995).

BOOK CHAPTERS

Clyde Wilcox and Robin Wolpert, Gay Rights In The Public Sphere: Public Opinion on Gay and Lesbian Equality, in The Politics of Gay Rights, The Chicago Series on Sexuality, History, and Society 409-432 (C Rimmerman et al. eds. 2000).

Robin M. Wolpert, Phillips v. Martin Marietta, Reed v. Reed, Dothard v. Rawlinson, Bowers v. Hardwick in The Encyclopedia of Women in American Politics (J Schultz & L van Assendelft eds. 1999).

James G. Gimpel and Robin M. Wolpert, The Structure of Public Support for Gun Control, in The Changing Politics of Gun Control 111-124 (C Wilcox & J Bruce eds. 1997).

Clyde Wilcox and Robin M. Wolpert, President Clinton, Public Opinion, and Gays and Lesbians in the Military, in Gay Rights, Military Wrongs 127-146 (C Rimmerman ed. 1996).

Robin M. Wolpert, Jenness v. Fortson, Kusper v. Pontikes, Marchioro v. Chaney, Rosario v. Rockefeller, in Political Parties and Elections in the United States: An Encyclopedia (L. Maisel ed. 1991).

SHORT ESSAYS

“The Urgency of Sleep and Well-Being,” Bench & Bar, July 6, 2020

“Lawyer Well-Being, Prescribing Sleep, Part 2,” Minnesota Lawyer, March 21, 2019

“Sleep—An Amazing Breakthrough for Lawyers,” Minnesota Lawyer, March 5, 2019

“To Be A Good Lawyer, You Have To Be Healthy,” Minnesota Lawyer, October 23, 2018

“Commission Issues Juvenile Sentencing Report,” Minnesota Lawyer, January 11, 2018

 “The Mission of Our Profession in the 21St Century,” SuperLawyers Magazine, August 2017

“At The Bar Of Possibility,” Bench & Bar, June 2017

“Court Funding in Minnesota: Justice Is At Stake,” with Brian McMahon, Pioneer Press, April 13, 2017

“Throwing The MSBA Hat Over The Wall,” Bench & Bar, April 2017

“Stumping For Our Judiciary,” Bench & Bar, March 2017

“Qualifications For A Federal Judgeship: The Minnesota Way,” MinnPost, March 3, 2017

“Building A Next Generation Bar,” with Michael Boulette, Bench & Bar, February 2017

“This Is Our Court—Remarks At The Investiture Of Justice Anne McKeig,” Bench & Bar, February 2017

“The 2017 Legislative Session: A Primer On MSBA Priorities,” Bench & Bar, January 2017

“Juvenile Justice And Redemption,” Bench & Bar, December 2016

“Empowering Our New Lawyers,” Bench & Bar, November 2016

“Be Sure To Vote In The State Supreme Court Race—The Stakes Are High,” MinnPost, October 25, 2016

“Judicial Elections and the Supreme Court Race,” Bench & Bar, October 2016

“Market Disruption and Our Call For Engagement,” Bench & Bar, September 2016

“Disruption: The Castile Shooting,”  Bench & Bar, August 2016

“A Bar For Everyone, With No One Left Out,” Bench & Bar, July 2016

“New MSBA President: Enhancing and Enriching Legal Careers Through Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement,” Attorney At Law Magazine, July 2016

“Justice at Stake: An Introduction to the Quie Commission Report,” Hennepin Lawyer (Nov. 2007).

PRESENTATIONS

ACADEMIC SYMPOSIA AND CONFERENCE PAPERS (selected)

Thought Leader and Participant, the Divided Community Project, Ohio State University Law School (June 2020-present).

Presenter, Supreme Court Justices: Independent or Loyal Presidential Agents? Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association (April 1998).

Presenter, The Sources of Public Attitudes Toward Discrimination Against Gays and Lesbians, with Clyde Wilcox. Annual Meeting of the Southern Political Science Association (January 1996).

Presenter, Packing Heat at the Polls: Gun Ownership as a Politically Salient Trait in State and National Elections, with James G. Gimpel. Annual Meeting of the Northeast Political Science Association (November 1996).

Presenter, Litigating for Gay Rights: The Lessons of Bowers v. Hardwick. Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association (September 1995).

Presenter, Information, Recall, and Accountability: The Electorate's Response to the Clarence Thomas Nomination, with James G. Gimpel. Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association (April 1995).

Presenter, President Clinton, Public Opinion, and Gays in the Military, with Clyde Wilcox. Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association (April 1995).

Presenter, Judicial Review, Democracy, and Political Accountability. Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association (September 1994).

Presenter, Presidential Approval and the Public Response to Controversial Supreme Court Nominees, with James G. Gimpel. Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association (April 1994).

Presenter, Is the Supreme Court a Politically Accountable Institution? Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association. (September 1993).

Presenter, Consent, Equality, and the Process of Judicial Review. Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association (September 1992).

Presenter, Reframing the Countermajoritarian Problem: A Contextual Approach to Understanding Judicial Power. Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association (September 1991).

Presenter, Explaining and Predicting Supreme Court Decision-Making:  The Gender Discrimination Cases, 1971-1987. Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association. (April 1991). Awarded prize by The Law, Courts, and Judicial Process Section of the American Political Science Association.

Presenter, The Least Dangerous Branch:  Market Forces and the Implementation of Roe, with Gerald N. Rosenberg. Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association (September 1990).

CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION COURSES

Lessons Learned From Covid-19 Outbreak, plenary panel speaker, Union des Advocates Internationale, UIA Congress, Guadalajara, Mexico, October 2020

Neuroscience, Neuro-management, and Well-Being, with Joan Bibelhausen, ABA National Conference for Lawyer Assistance Programs, Springfield, Massachusetts, October 2020

Sleep, Neuroscience, and Well-Being, multiple CLEs for National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being, NCBP, FBA, MSBA, MnCLE, MN Lawyers Board, MAJ, MN Women Trial Lawyers, 2018-20

Authentic Leadership, plenary session leader and speaker, National Conference of Bar Presidents Mid-Year Meeting, Austin, Texas, February 2020

Lawyers Board Annual Symposium, program leader and speaker, Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, September 2019

District Ethics Committee Symposium, program leader and speaker, Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, May 2019

Effective Communication Across Languages and Cultures Through Interpreters, with G.Gonzales, Heather Gilbert, Abdi Elmi, Lana Nguyen, MSBA Criminal Law Section CLE, April 2019

Lawyer Well-Being For Solo-Small Firm Practitioners, with Justice Barry Anderson and Joan Bibelhausen, Minnesota Supreme Court Well-Being Summit, February 2019

Lawyer Well-Being, with Justice David Lillehaug and Susan Humiston, Federal Bar Association Monthly Lunch, November 2018

Judicial Elections, MSBA Mock Trial Training, November 2018

What’s So Scary About Lawyer Well-Being, with Joan Bibelhausen, Minnesota CLE, October 31, 2018

Lawyers Board Annual Symposium, program leader and speaker, Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, September 2018

Ethics for Appellate Practitioners, Minnesota CLE, September 2018

Ethics Training For Prosecutors, with Justice David Lillehaug, Minnesota County Attorneys Association, St. Paul, June 2018

Beyond Implicit Bias: How To Facilitate Cross-Racial Dialogues and Unleash The Power of Inclusion, with Bukata Hayes, 19th District Bar Association, May 2018

District Ethics Committee Symposium, program leader and speaker, Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, May 2018

Competence and Well-Being: Can We Have It All, with Joan Bibelhausen and Cassie Hanson, Minnesota Women Lawyers Conference, April 2018

Juvenile Justice: Legislative Initiatives and the Commission on Juvenile Sentencing For Heinous Crimes, Minnesota Department of Human Rights Symposium, Minneapolis, December 2017

2017 Appellate Review, with Professor Peter Knapp, Minnesota CLE, December 2017

An Introduction to Minnesota’s Judiciary, Mock Trial Training for high school students, with Justice G. Barry Anderson, November 2017

Leading Cultural Change in the Legal Profession: Alcoholism, Chemical Dependency, and Mental Health, New Lawyers Conference, November 2017

A Report From The Commission Juvenile Sentencing For Heinous Crimes, with James Backstrom and Jean Burdorf, Criminal Justice Institute, August, 2017

Juvenile Justice Sentencing in Minnesota—The Work of the Commission on Juvenile Sentencing For Heinous Crimes, with Justice Paul Anderson, Judge Kathleen Gearin, James Backstrom, William Ward, MSBA Convention, Bloomington, June 2017

MSBA Presidential Summit: Building A Next Generation Bar, June 2017

Alcoholism, Chemical Dependency, Mental Health For New Lawyers, with Chase Anderson and Suzola Bidon, University of Minnesota Law School, St. Thomas Law School, Mitchell Hamline School of Law, March-April, 2017

Cross-Generational Collaboration To Combat Implicit Bias, ABA Young Lawyers Division Luncheon speaker, ABA Mid-Year, Miami, February 2017

Building Bridges Across Deep Divides—Bar Leaders As Trusted Conveners In Troubled Times, National Conference of Bar Presidents, Plenary Session speaker, Miami, February 2017

Criminal Justice Disparate Outcomes—Sentencing, with Kelly Mitchell, Minnesota Department of Human Rights Symposium, Minneapolis, December 2016

The Challenges of Leading Diversification of the State Bar, Hmong American Bar Association Annual Meeting, December 2016

Alternative Legal Models, Great Rivers Bar Leaders Conference, November 2016

After Castille—A Forum on Race and Criminal Justice, with Judge Peter Reyes, Commissioner Kevin Lindsey, Teresa Nelson, Nekima Levy-Pounds, Police Chief Paul Schnell, August 2016

Appellate Update, with Jean Burdorf, Minnesota CLE Solo Small Conference, St. Paul, August 2016

Montgomery v. Louisiana and Juvenile Homicide Offender Sentencing, MnCLE webcast, panel moderator, January 2016

Alcoholism and the Profession, with Joan Bibelhausen, multiple webcasts and CLEs, 2016-17

Appellate Update, with Judge John Rodenberg and Peter Marker, 6th District Bar, Mankato, October 2015

Ethics & Elimination of Bias for Government Attorneys, Minnesota County Attorneys Association, June 2014, June 2015

Ethics for New Prosecutors, Minnesota County Attorneys Association, with Peter Ivy, May 2015

Appellate Process and Update, MSBA New Lawyer’s Conference, with Jean Burdorf, April 2015

Hot Topics In Criminal Law, Appellate Practice Institute, with Rachel Bond, March 2015

Appellate Review, with Jean Burdorf, Minnesota County Attorneys Association Annual Meeting, 2013, 2014

Appellate Process and Update, MSBA New Lawyer’s Conference, with Jean Burdorf, April 2015

The Minnesota Supreme Court: Year In Review Of Key Cases, MSBA Bench and Bar Conferences, Blaine and Rochester, June 2012, 2013, 2014 (with various appellate judges)

First Impressions From The Bench, moderator, with Justice Wright, Judge Hooten and other new appellate judges, Appellate Practice Institute, March 2013

Co-Host (with Chuck Webber) of Fireside Chat with Justice Paul Anderson, Appellate Practice Institute, March 2013

Appellate Practice Institute, Program Chair and emcee, March 2012

The Minnesota Supreme Court: Key Cases of the 2011-12 Term with Justice Page and Justice Paul Anderson, MSBA Bench and Bar Conferences, Blaine and Rochester, June 2012

Nuts and Bolts of Appellate Advocacy, Washington County Attorney’s Office, May 2012

Recent Appellate Cases Every Lawyer Should Know with Justice Paul Anderson, Washington and Dakota Counties, January and April 2012

Double Jeopardy Protections in the Context of a Guilty Plea:  Pitfalls and Best Practices, Criminal Justice Institute, August 2011

The Minnesota Supreme Court: Key Cases of the 2010-11 Term with Justice Paul Anderson and Justice Alan Page, MSBA Bench and Bar Conferences, Rochester and Blaine, June 2011

Probable Cause at the Crossroads:  The Impact of Emerging Second Amendment Jurisprudence and Right to Carry Laws on the Probable Cause Paradigm, Criminal Justice Institute, St. Paul, August 2010

The Minnesota Supreme Court:  Key Case of the 2009-2010 Term with Justices Page, Meyer, and Paul Anderson, MSBA Bench and Bar Conferences, Ham Lake, Rochester, and Alexandria, June 2010

Regulatory Options for Digital Signs, Lorman CLE, May 2010, November  2010, April 2011

The Writing on the Wall: Recent Developments in the Law of Signs and Billboards, International Municipal Lawyers Association, Miami, FL, October 2009

Panelist, The History of the Minnesota Supreme Court: A View From the Law Clerks, MSBA  Appellate Practice Section and Minnesota Supreme Court Historical Society Law Clerk Reunion, St. Paul, May 2008

Issues in Judicial Elections: Accountability, Representation, and the Rule of Law, Wisconsin Department of Justice, September 2007

Local Regulation of Dynamic (LED) Signs and the First Amendment, Presented at the International Municipal Lawyers Association Annual Meeting, October 2007, Nashville, TN.

The Minnesota Outdoor Recreation Act:  Promoting Recreational Trails by Limiting Liability,” Presented at the 2006 SMART Trail Symposium, Rochester, MN.

Drafting and Defending Sign and Billboard Ordinances: New Strategies and Emerging Issues for Local Governments, Moderator, 2006, International Municipal Lawyers Association National Audio-Conference.

The New Wave of First Amendment Attacks on Local Sign Codes, Presented at the International Municipal Lawyers Association Mid-Year Conference, April 2006, Washington, DC.

Defending Recreational Trails Against Quiet Title Actions,” Presented at the Annual Meeting of Rails to Trails Conservancy, 2005, Minneapolis, MN.

LEADERSHIP

PROFESSIONAL AND COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES

American Bar Association, House of Delegates, 2020-present

National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being, member, 2019-present

Union des Advocates Internationale (UIA), member, 2019-present

National Conference of Bar Presidents, Executive Council, August 2017-present

Lawyers Professional Responsibility Board, Chair, October 2017-present, Board Member, 2012-present

Minnesota State Bar Association, President, July 2016-June 2017; Present-Elect, July 2015-June 2016; Treasurer, July 2014-June 2015; Secretary, July 2013-June 2014

Merit Selection Panel, U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, February-April 2018

Criminal Justice Act Panel, U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, January 2017-present

Commission on Juvenile Sentencing for Heinous Crimes, December 2016-May 2018 (Created this commission as MSBA President to change our unconstitutional sentencing statute to conform with U.S. Supreme Court mandates in Miller v. Alabama and Montgomery v. Louisiana)

Minnesota State Bar Association Criminal Law Section Council, July 2017-present

Minnesota Supreme Court Historical Society, Chair, Board of Directors, 2015; Vice Chair, 2014; Secretary, 2013; Treasurer, 2012, Board Member, 2008-2015

Commission on Judicial Selection, lawyer member representing Tenth Judicial District, 2011-2016

Minnesota County Attorneys Association, appellate practice and best practices committees, 2013-2015

Minnesota State Bar Association Appellate Practice Section Council, Chair, 2011-12, Council member 2008-2012

Minnesota State Bar Association 19th District Ethics Committee, Investigator, Washington, Chisago, Kanabec, and Pine Counties, 2006-2012

The Infinity Project, Board of Directors, 2009-2013

Minnesota Citizens Commission for the Preservation of an Impartial Judiciary (Governor Al Quie, Chair), Reporter, 2006-2007

Parks and Trails Council of Minnesota, Board Member, 2005-2006

AWARDS

Minnesota Lawyer Diversity & Inclusion Honoree, 2018

Named “Super Lawyer,” Minnesota Super Lawyers, 2017-2020

Named as “Top Women Lawyers,” Minnesota Super Lawyers, Mpls. St. Paul Magazine, 2017-2020

Named as “Attorney of the Year,” Minnesota Lawyer, 2016, 2012

Named a “Rising Star,” Minnesota Law & Politics, 2011

International Municipal Lawyers Association, Amicus Service Award, 2008

Lawsuit of the Year, Minnesota Law & Politics, 2008