What are your goals as SBAND president this year?
I’d like to stay the course. SBAND is running well in a number of
ways. Our membership is up, our CLEs are better than ever, and
we are doing well financially. When I look around the room in our
board meetings, I see our organization led by bright and committed
lawyers and by a very capable and approachable executive director.
The SBAND staff is stellar. SBAND has a good reputation with
legislators, and our relationship with the judiciary is the envy of
many.
I hope to visit most districts and encourage more SBAND
involvement, and I would like to see our website project completed.
What are the challenges you see in the legal
profession in general and in North Dakota?
Keeping up with technology and remaining relevant. Our profession
is traditional, and we are going to need to change the ways we
practice. With many online resources available, it is important we
showcase what lawyers can do. There is no substitute for a
knowledgeable and articulate advocate.
boat and at the lake. I love the outdoors and hiking, kayaking, and
biking whenever I get a chance. I also enjoy searching for treasures at
rummage sales and love working on my 1886 Queen Anne Home.
I like music and the arts. I love to travel, entertain at home, wine
taste, and cook. I am fairly artistic but have not taken any classes in
drawing or painting. That’s on the list.
Anything else you would like to add?
I’m excited and proud to be SBAND’s president. I love spending
time with my colleagues and have enjoyed meeting leaders from
other states. Those connections have already proven helpful as some
issues we face have been already managed by others. I recently
attended the Jack Rabbit Bar Conference meeting in Santa Fe, N.M.
The conference is made up of bar associations that are of similar size
to ours and was very informal and collegial. North Dakota will host
that meeting in Medora in 2018, and I’d love to have the meeting
well attended.
We also have a shortage of lawyers in our state, particularly in
the rural areas. We need to continue to support programs to
provide legal services across North Dakota. With the budget
cuts we are seeing, we must support the UND Law School.
It is imperative our state’s only law school maintains its ABA
accreditation. We rallied and helped provide the needed
building; now we may need to support the program in other
ways to assure it can continue to provide a great education to
future lawyers, right here at home.
How have you been involved in community
service outside of your legal career?
I served on the Unity Medical Center board of directors
from 1998 – 2007, serving as president for about three years.
I’m very proud of that service, as I assisted the facility in
upgrading and renovating its facility. I helped find funding
sources, spoke at various community functions, and helped
pass a sales tax initiative to fund the facility. The Unity
Medical Center is very vibrant and is attracting many new
professionals to Grafton.
I have also served on the Park Board and am a member of
Grafton Lutheran Church. I have directed youth choirs,
served on a board to establish and run a church daycare,
taught confirmation, and assisted in arranging service projects
for our youth. I also play in the church hand bell choir.
What do you do for fun?
I love fun! I find it everywhere. I am a social person who
enjoys meeting people. I love to golf and to spend time on my
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