This is Minnesota: Understanding Disparities and Systemic Barriers in the Black Law Student Experience

In 2021, law students at the University of Minnesota published “This is Minnesota: An Analysis of Disparities in Black Student Enrollment at the University of Minnesota Law School and the Effects of Systemic Barriers to Black Representation in the Law.” In the article, authors shared personal stories and empirical research to paint a full picture of the obstacles that many Black law students face as they attend law school and enter the legal profession. Join University of Minnesota Law School students Brandie Burris, Samia Osman, and Justice Shannon and moderators Anna Prakash and Peter Goss for a panel to discuss the challenges that Black law students face and how law firms, corporate legal departments, and law schools can work together to create meaningful change.

Panelist Bios

Brandie Burris
Brandie Burris is a 3L at the University of Minnesota Law School. During her second-year, Brandie served on the Black Law Students Association (BLSA)'s executive board and helped steward BLSA's partnership with the law review to publish "This is Minnesota." As a 3L, Brandie is a Senior Writing Center Fellow, a research assistant, a judicial extern in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, and a committee member on the Federal Bar Association's Diversity & Inclusion Committee. Additionally, Brandie is the Editor-in-Chief of the Minnesota Law Review, Volume 106.

Samia Osman
Samia Osman is currently a law student at the University of Minnesota expected to graduate in 2023. Her areas of focus include litigation, criminal law, international law and Human Rights. She is the vice president for both the Black Law Students Association and the Muslim Law Students Association and sits on a number of committees including the racial justice and equality committee.

Justice Shannon
Justice Shannon is a 2L at Minnesota Law school (expected graduation May 2023).  He is the current President of the Black Law Students Association at the University of Minnesota Law School. During the fall semester, Justice interned for the Department of Commerce NTIA OPAD and will continue in this role for Spring 2022. His legal interests are internet law, national security, and environmental law. In his free time Justice enjoys Bouldering at the Minneapolis Bouldering Project or playing League of Legends.

Moderator Bios

Peter Goss
Pete Goss is Associate General Counsel at Pentair, where he serves as head of litigation.  He manages all cases and claims against the company’s consumer and industrial segments and counsels his business clients on reducing, mitigating, and preventing risks.  Before joining Pentair, Pete practiced mass tort and product liability litigation at Blackwell Burke and the firm now known as Faegre Drinker.  He is a 1996 graduate of Berkeley Law and was a member of the California Law Review.  In 2019, Pete was named an “Attorney of the Year” for serving on the Blackwell Burke trial team that won a complete defense verdict for 3M in Gareis v. Arizant Healthcare et al. 

Anna Prakash
Anna P. Prakash is a partner at the law firm of Nichols Kaster in Minneapolis and one of the leaders of the firm’s Civil Rights and Impact Litigation practice group. Her practice focuses on representing everyday people in class and multi-plaintiff actions against big businesses and the government. She is a 2005 graduate of Cornell Law School and, for the last five years, has served as an Adjunct Professor of Legal Writing at the University of Minnesota Law School.