New Faculty

The fall semester welcomed two new lawyering skills professors as full-time faculty members: Lindsey Blanchard and Benjamin Carpenter.

Lindsey Blanchard

Lindsey Blanchard received her undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her law degree from the University of Minnesota Law School, where she graduated magna cum laude and was elected to Order of the Coif. During law school, she was a student instructor for two years for the first-year Legal Research and Writing course and a research/managing editor for the Minnesota Law Review. Blanchard’s Law Review Note, titled “Determining a Corporation’s Principal Place of Business: A Uniform Approach to Diversity Jurisdiction,” won the Leonard, Street and Deinard Board Writing Award in 2006.

Upon graduation, Blanchard practiced law at Briggs and Morgan, P.A., in Minneapolis. She spent three years as an associate in the Trade Regulation section. Blanchard dealt with a range of litigation and counseling matters, including franchise, manufacturer/dealer, intellectual property, employment, and general business disputes. She also handled several immigration cases pro bono.

Blanchard said she always enjoyed legal research and writing – both inlaw school and in practice – and from her experience as an instructor in law school she learned that teaching was herpassion. “When theopportunity arose to combine my love of research and writing with teaching, I knew it was theright choice for me,” she said. “The University of St. Thomas School of Law has a unique mission and collegial environment, and the faculty is very focused on serving the students. I wanted to be a part of that. Now that I am, I hope to make a positive contribution to my students’ professional development – whatever their aspirations may be.”

Benjamin Carpenter

Benjamin Carpenter earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame, Ind., and his law degree from the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University, Macon, Ga. During law school he was a member of the Law Review and Brainerd CurrieHonor Society. After graduation, he began his legal experience in Atlanta, working for King & Spalding as a member of the International Construction and Procurement group.

In 2004, Carpenter and his family moved to Minneapolis, where he joined Dorsey & Whitney and practiced in their Trusts and Estates practice group for six years. He focused on tax planning for wealthy family groups, retirement benefits and trust litigation and was recognized for his work by being named a “Rising Star” by Minnesota Law & Politics in 2009.

Carpenter admits that while he’s always wanted to teach, he felt it was important to gain experience in private practice first. “Based on my own experiences, and those I gained while serving on Dorsey’s recruiting committee and working with many young associates, I firmly believe the ability to write effective, persuasive legal documents right out of law school is critical to a young lawyer’s opportunities and success,” he said. “I was also drawn to legal writing because it provides the unique opportunity to work one-on-one with students early in their professional development.”

When asked about his decision to teach at St. Thomas, he said, “I sensed a common mission and genuine interest in students that I hadn’t sensed at other schools. The unique opportunity to join that mission and the challenge of contributing to St. Thomas’ future excites me.”