Full Steam Ahead for the Greater
Grand Forks County Bar Association
On April 23, the new members of the 2020-
2021 Greater Grand Forks County Bar
Association (GGFCBA) Board were sworn in
by Grand Forks County District Court Judge
Jason McCarthy. Andria Pinkerton is serving
as president, Margaretha (Maggie) Spezzano as
vice president, and Skyler Johnson as treasurer;
and these three have already hit the ground
running.
Pinkerton is the director of legal services at
the Community Violence Intervention Center
(CVIC) and was
the vice president
of the GGFCBA
in 2019. At
CVIC, Pinkerton
represents victims
of domestic
violence and sexual
assault in civil
cases, specifically
Andria Pinkerton protection/
restraining orders and family law. She has
been active in the Grand Forks community
since moving to the area for law school, most
recently as the internal advisor on the board of
directors for the Greater Grand Forks Young
Professionals and a board member with Global
Friends Coalition. She is eager to work with
Spezzano and Johnson to continue the work of
the GGFCBA, as well as expand and grow the
organization.
Spezzano is an associate attorney at the
Camrud, Maddock, Olson, and Larson law
firm in Grand
Forks. Her practice
includes civil
litigation, family
law, personal injury,
corporate law,
and professional
malpractice defense.
Graduating from
the University of
Maggie Spezzano North Dakota
(UND) School of Law in 2018, Spezzano has
enjoyed being a member of the GGFCBA
and found it allowed her to meet and get to
know attorneys in her practice areas. She is
looking forward to contributing her ideas to
the continuing and growing initiatives of the
GGFCBA.
Johnson is a co-owner and managing partner
of Sage Legal, PLLC. The firm helps clients
in North Dakota and Minnesota gain
peace of mind
via business and
estate planning.
Her niche practice
is in estate
planning and
administration/
probate. She
is married to
Minnesota
legislator Mark Skyler Johnson
Johnson and has three children. Johnson is
excited to take the GGFCBA to the next
level by finding ways to increase membership
and deliver high value for current members.
The board has already started implementing
its big plans for the upcoming year. With
COVID-19 changing the practice of law
around the world, the board decided to use
the first GGFCBA meeting in April (via
Zoom) to host a group discussion about
the challenges, as well as the advantages,
GGFCBA members experienced in their
professional lives due to the pandemic. The
information shared included the newly
discovered benefits of video conferencing
and ideas on how to go about executing
original documents. The approach for this
meeting was in part inspired by the Grand
Forks County District Court’s bi-weekly
updates, spearheaded by Judge Donald
Hager, where the court provides updates to
local attorneys on the functions of the court
during the pandemic and allows attorneys
to ask questions about court procedures.
The GGFCBA board is similarly motivated
to keep Grand Forks County attorneys
connected during this difficult time.
In May, Adam Martin, founder of the F5
Project, provided a presentation on the
organization and its goal of helping those
formerly incarcerated or fighting addiction
to find a fresh start in life. In June, Michael
Dodge, assistant professor at UND, gave a
presentation on space law and the United
States Space Force. Additionally, the board
decided to hold its monthly meetings via
Zoom for July and in-person for August (with
Zoom access for those wishing to attend
electronically). Meetings for July and August
included topics on remote notarization and a
presentation from CVIC, including updates
on the state’s first Domestic Violence Court.
Looking forward, the board hopes to create
more engagement with local attorneys and
the UND School of Law. Currently, the
board is working with the law school to invite
and encourage law students to attend the
GGFCBA monthly meetings. The board has
also created a law student liaison position
where the selected student will work closely
with the board in planning meetings and
events. This will be a great way to enable the
local bar and law students to interact on a
regular basis, creating long-lasting professional
relationships.
In addition, the board is focused on ways to
increase GGFCBA membership and to add
value to current members. One change has
been to revive the group’s Facebook page
with fresh content and event reminders. Each
month, the GGFCBA features one of its
members to help attorneys stay up to date
with colleagues’ practice areas and firms. It is
also a great way to add value to members by
helping them “network” online and advertise
what they do.
Changes are happening with the GGFCBA,
and it will be worthwhile to keep your eye on
the group as it works to expand the role of
the county bar association in the community.
To stay in touch, follow the GGFCBA on
Facebook or email [email protected] to
be added to its mailing list.
30 THE GAVEL