An Introduction to the Human Rights of Children

Michele Garnett McKenzie and Robin Phillips

Monday, January 23, 2006

12:00 - 1:00 P.M.

Faegre & Benson LLP

The Century Room

2200 Wells Fargo Center ■ 90 South Seventh Street ■ Minneapolis, MN 55402

Please RSVP to Amy Beier at Minnesota Advocates by noon on Thursday, January 19

(612) 341-3302 ext. 118 or abeier@mnadvocates.org.

Lunch will be provided to those who RSVP. Application will be made for one CLE credit.

Biographic Information                                                                                                                           

Michele Garnett McKenzie, Esq., is the Director of Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights’ Refugee & Immigrant Program, where she directs the pro bono Asylum Project, client services, and advocacy on legal issues affecting refugees and immigrants. She received her J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School, and her B.A. from Macalester College. Prior to her work at Minnesota Advocates, Ms. McKenzie worked in private immigration practice in Saint Paul, and as a Judicial Law Clerk for the Executive Office for Immigration Review in Arizona and Nevada. She has served as an adjunct faculty member of William Mitchell College of Law and as co-chair of the Minnesota State Bar Association Human Rights Committee. She is a frequent lecturer on immigration and asylum law. Ms. McKenzie is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the Minnesota State Bar Association. She is admitted to practice in the State of Minnesota and the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota.

Robin Phillips, Esq., is the Executive Director of Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights. She formerly served as the Director of the Women's Human Rights Program and the Deputy Director of the organization. She has written on a variety of topics related to women's human rights including trafficking in women, employment discrimination, sexual harassment and domestic violence. She has taught courses on human rights at the University of Minnesota Law School and at St. Thomas University Law School. Ms. Phillips has conducted fact-finding missions to document human rights violations in Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Macedonia, Poland, Armenia, Moldova, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. She has organized international conferences and trainings on human rights and NGO development issues. Prior to Minnesota Advocates, Ms. Phillips practiced law with the firm of Briggs and Morgan. She received her law degree from Northwestern University School of Law and her B.A., magna cum laude, from Pepperdine University.

The bi-monthly Children's Human Rights Speaker Series will be held throughout 2006 and 2007.

Lectures are free and open to the public (registration required). For more information, please contact Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights

at (612) 341-3302 or see our website at www.mnadvocates.org. You may find directions to Faegre & Benson LLP. at: www.faegre.com.