Get to know NHCC's Paralegal instructors.
Mary Fenske
Bio
Mary Gillen Fenske has taught in the Paralegal Program at North Hennepin Community College since 2007 and became the Paralegal Program Director in 2011. In addition, she has served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Mitchell Hamline School of Law since 2000. Prior to entering the teaching field, she was in private practice in the Washington, D.C. area where she was a trial attorney in the areas of insurance defense, medical malpractice, and general business litigation. She also has in-house legal experience and worked for Travelers Insurance Company in St. Paul upon returning to Minnesota from the east coast.
As Paralegal Program Director, she manages the program's ABA-approval, partners with Cargill and Target Corporation for paralegal student events, chairs the Paralegal Advisory Committee, and directs all communication from the department to the students. She also is the NHCC liaison with the Minnesota Department of Corrections, the American Bar Association, and AllSquare-Minneapolis for NHCC's Department of Corrections Paralegal Certificate for incarcerated students.
Mary serves on the Deans and Coordinators Committee, is a member of the Minnesota Paralegal Association, and the American Association for Paralegal Education.
Courses taught at NHCC:
- PLEG 2211 - Legal Research and Writing I
- PLEG 2212 - Legal Research and Writing II
- PLEG 2430 - Torts & Personal Injury Law
- PLEG 2930 - Legal Studies Seminar/Internship
- BUS 1300 - Legal Environment of Business
- HSEM 1000 - Honors Seminar
My teaching style
I use a combination of lecture, in-class group work, in-class assignments, class discussion, and homework. I can be tough. I push my students hard because I understand the demands that a paralegal will face in the legal profession. The hard work you put in while taking my classes will pay off when you begin your first job as a paralegal.
I keep a watchful eye. If you’re a student in my class and I notice you’re having some difficulty, I offer help. I might send an email or I’ll ask you to set up an appointment, so we can talk. I also use the Early Alert Referral System that enables NHCC advisors to check in with you if you’re having trouble. They’re very nice. We’re all here to help you succeed.
I also encourage my students to utilize the on-campus tutors. It’s a free service available to all students. Some of the best students go to see the tutors, so there is no stigma attached to making an appointment. Tutors are available to make sure you get the most out of your educational experience.
Carrie Vaia
Bio
Carrie Vaia has taught at North Hennepin Community College since 2006. When students enter the Paralegal Program, they are required to take Introduction to Law and Paralegal Studies, which is taught by Carrie. Carrie is known as the “gatekeeper” because she is the first instructor you will have when you enter the Paralegal Program. If you take a course from Carrie, your success will be her highest priority.
Carrie serves as the advisor for the Paralegal Student Association (PLSA) and has been part of search committees, and has served on the college’s ITAC Committee. She is a member of the Minnesota State Bar Association, the Minnesota Community College Faculty Association, and is a practicing licensed attorney in the state of Minnesot
Courses taught at NHCC:
- Intro to Law and Paralegal Studies
- Property
- Wills, Trusts, and Estate Administration
- Contracts and Business Organizations
- Alternative Dispute Resolution
- Employment Search
- Legal Environment of Business
- Legal Aspects of Construction
Teaching Style
If you take a class from Carrie, you’ll be participating in a teaching style called active learning. Through lecture, demonstration, practice, and participation we’ll learn the material together. Students may work on their own, together in pairs, or small groups on assignments.
Carrie gives students many different opportunities to succeed and acquire a good grade. For example, if a student doesn’t do well on tests, they still have the chance to compensate for that in another area by successfully completing several assignments.
Shawn Woodbury
Bio
Shawn Woodbury has taught at North Hennepin Community College since 2002 as an adjunct faculty member in the Paralegal and Business departments. Professor Woodbury brought the Legal Environment of Business course to the online format and developed the Intellectual Property course at NHCC.
Courses taught at NHCC:
- Computer Applications in the Legal Profession
- Criminal Law
- Family Law
- Intellectual Property
- Legal Environment of Business
- Litigation I & II
Kate Lovo
Bio
As an attorney, Kate Lovo exclusively practiced U.S. immigration law, focusing her work in matters of family-based immigration, including fiancé petitions and I-601 waivers of inadmissibility; employment-based non-immigrant visas such as the TN for Mexican and Canadian professionals, H-1B Specialty Occupation, L-1 Intracompany Transfer, O-1 Extraordinary Ability, and R-1 Religious Worker visas and employment-based permanent residency; humanitarian relief such as asylum, U visas for victims of crime, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Action Based on Childhood Arrival (DACA); applications for U.S. citizenship; and representing employers in Form I-9 inspections. She has also appeared before the Executive Office for Immigration Review ("immigration court") defending clients against deportation.
She has been an active member of the local immigration legal community, including serving as the American Immigration Lawyer Association (AILA)’s chapter liaison to U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services' Minneapolis field office; presenting immigration topics at Continuing Legal Education conferences; and representing clients pro bono in immigration matters through the Volunteer Lawyers Network.
Prior to law school, she worked as a paralegal with a Minneapolis immigration firm.
Courses taught at NHCC:
- Immigration Law
- Legal Environment of Business