Kevin Weber will present at the Midwest Intellectual Property Institute September 24-25, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The focus of this 25th annual event is A Collaborative Live Event Building on a 25-Year Tradition – Where Expertise and Exchange Sharpen IP Strategy.

Kevin’s presentation is titled, “The IP Licensing Stress Test: Will the Proposed Deal Still Work When the Product, Relationship, or Business Changes?”

The Institute goes beyond updates. It helps you work through the questions you, your clients, and business teams are asking now.

• What IP issues are hiding inside the next big technology headline?
• Which AI tools actually save time?
• How should changing PTAB practice alter enforcement and settlement strategy?
• Which licensing terms matter most when the relationship changes or ends?
• What trademark and copyright decisions will change the way I practice?
• How do you protect trade secrets without freezing the business?
• How much IP clearance is enough before launch?

Kyle Kroll will present at the Midwest Intellectual Property Institute September 24-25, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The focus of this 25th annual event is A Collaborative Live Event Building on a 25-Year Tradition – Where Expertise and Exchange Sharpen IP Strategy.

Kyle’s presentation is titled, “Inside Minnesota IP: Meet the Inventors, Artists and Entrepreneurs (PART 1).”

The Institute goes beyond updates. It helps you work through the questions you, your clients, and business teams are asking now.

• What IP issues are hiding inside the next big technology headline?
• Which AI tools actually save time?
• How should changing PTAB practice alter enforcement and settlement strategy?
• Which licensing terms matter most when the relationship changes or ends?
• What trademark and copyright decisions will change the way I practice?
• How do you protect trade secrets without freezing the business?
• How much IP clearance is enough before launch?

Tim Sitzmann will present at the Midwest Intellectual Property Institute September 24-25, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The focus of this 25th annual event is A Collaborative Live Event Building on a 25-Year Tradition – Where Expertise and Exchange Sharpen IP Strategy.

Tim’s presentation is titled, “2026 Trademark Year in Review: Descriptive Fair Use, Evidence of Confusion, Failure-to-Function Refusals and More.”

The Institute goes beyond updates. It helps you work through the questions you, your clients, and business teams are asking now, including:

• What IP issues are hiding inside the next big technology headline?
• Which AI tools actually save time?
• How should changing PTAB practice alter enforcement and settlement strategy?
• Which licensing terms matter most when the relationship changes or ends?
• What trademark and copyright decisions will change the way I practice?
• How do you protect trade secrets without freezing the business?
• How much IP clearance is enough before launch?

Vanessa Runtsch will present on a panel for the ABA Tax Section’s Virtual Fall Tax Meeting, titled “You May Be a Return Preparer: Using AI Without Violating Sections 7216 and 6713.”

Tax attorneys may qualify as section 7216 return preparers without signing a return when their advice, drafting, or review amounts to compensated assistance in preparing a federal income-tax
return. The hypothetical: a return preparer consults tax counsel, and counsel uses third-party generative AI to help analyze a reporting position on a completed transaction. The panel would examine when prompts and outputs constitute tax return information; whether the AI provider is merely processing information or making a substantive determination; and when disclosure or use is permitted without consent, requires advance taxpayer consent, or, absent either, creates exposure under sections 6713 and 7216 – a framework for new practitioners to use AI without crossing those lines.

A motion can protect appellate jurisdiction, correct the record, secure needed time, preserve the status quo—or create an unnecessary distraction. Knowing when to file one, what the court needs to see, and what is unlikely to succeed can make all the difference.

In this live webcast seminar, Winthrop attorney Kyle Kroll joins fellow appellate practitioner Adam E. Petras (Hennepin County Attorney’s Office) and Minnesota Court of Appeals staff attorneys Kari Crone and Jeff Simard for an inside look at motion practice before the Minnesota Court of Appeals. The panel will explain how motions are routed and decided, identify recurring problems and misconceptions, and offer concrete guidance for presenting requests efficiently and persuasively.

ONLINE SEMINAR DETAILS

• Wednesday, September 23, 2026
• 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
• Hosted by Minnesota CLE
• Registration link: https://www.minncle.org/seminar/1263492701

Topics will include:

• When a motion is necessary—and when it is not
• Why correspondence is no substitute for a properly filed motion
• Extension requests, including what constitutes “good cause”
• Stays pending appeal and stays of appellate proceedings
• Motions concerning the appellate record
• Requests involving oral argument, enlarged briefs, late filings, sealing, and attorneys’ fees
• Common mistakes that can delay consideration or undermine an otherwise valid request

Winthrop & Weinstine will be presenting at the BankIn Minnesota Annual Convention July 28-30, 2026.

Kristen Larson will present on the panel for the “Industry Forum: Fraud 411.” Fraud is evolving faster than ever—and community banks are on the front lines. Fraud 411 is a timely, no-nonsense panel designed to give bankers a clear view of what’s happening right now, what’s coming next, and how to stay ahead.

Will Schumacher and Ben Podobinski will present on the roundtable discussion “Best Practices for Front-End Loans to Prevent Issues on the Back End.”  This discussion will provide information to lenders on what to include in their loan documents in order to prevent issues in the event the credit goes bad.

On May 21, 2026, Winthrop & Weinstine hosted leaders from across the Upper Midwest banking community for a day focused on practical insights, regulatory perspectives, and emerging trends shaping the industry. The 3rd Annual Banking Summit featured a regulator panel moderated by Anton Moch and Amber Kraemer, with perspectives from representatives of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, OCC, FDIC, and Minnesota Department of Commerce. Attendees also heard banking and market updates from Tom Kettleson and Andrew Steil, along with seven breakout sessions led by Winthrop attorneys and industry professionals covering timely legal and business issues impacting financial institutions today.

Presentations and Breakout Sessions included:

• Banking and Market Updates – presented by Andrew Steil & Tom Kettleson
• Regulator Roundtable – Panel moderated by Amber Kraemer & Tony Moch
• Stablecoin & Payments Regulatory Update – Breakout session presented by Kristen Larson & Vince Pecora
• Hot Topics in Employment Law – Breakout session presented by Laura Pfeiffer & Mark Pihart
• Best Practices: Website Privacy & Accessibility – Breakout session presented by Lisa Ellingson & Joe Windler
• Exploring Specialized Lending Opportunities – Conversations about Participations, Construction Loans & Ag Lending – Roundtable session led by Raha Assadi-Lamouki, Jim Dierking, Chelsea Mularoni & Tony Todero
• Title Insurance Primer – Roundtable session led by Tip Lee & Jessica Willes
• Best Practices for a Downgraded Credit – Roundtable session led by Cynthia Hegarty, Jeff Peterson & Atle Saterbak
• Beginning to End: Top 10 Considerations for a Workout – Roundtable session led by Ben Podobinski & Will Schumacher

For information about future Banking Summit events, reach out to one of the attorneys on Winthrop & Weinstine’s Banking & Finance team.

Joe Bagnoli and Kyle Kroll are presenting, “The State of AI Laws in Minnesota” at Minnesota CLE’s AI in Action Seminar on June 29, 2026.

Discover how Minnesota lawyers are using AI for legal research, drafting documents and more in this engaging, practical CLE seminar. Gain insights into the challenges and opportunities of using AI in employment law, insurance, business transactions, and litigation.

Nick Valle will be presenting, “Navigating Dispensary Locations: Zoning, Compliance, and Real Estate Strategies,” at the Annual Cannabis in Commercial Real Estate Summit on September 10, 2026.

The Cannabis in Commercial Real Estate Summit is an annual industry event hosted by REJournals in the Twin Cities. The half-day conference typically gathers investors, attorneys, and operators to discuss Minnesota’s evolving marijuana market.

On June 8, 2026, Tony Todero co-presented “From Past Due to Protected: Legal and Practical Tools for Cooperative Collections” as part of the NSAC* North Central 2026 Spring Meeting. Tony co-presented with Lance Radziej, the Controller for Bongards’ Creameries. The session was aimed at providing the audience—primarily accountants for agricultural co-ops—with practical tips to increase collections, with a heavy emphasis on the statutory floating trusts provided by the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA) and the Minnesota Wholesale Produce Dealers Act (WPDA). This event was held at the Arrowwood Conference Center in Alexandria, MN. 

*NSAC = National Society of Accountants for Cooperatives