AWARDS
Senechal Receives American Inns of Court Professionalism Award
U . S . Magistrate Judge Alice R . Senechal received the 2021 American Inns of Court Professionalism Award for the Eighth Circuit . Senechal has served as a magistrate judge for the U . S . District Court for the District of North Dakota since 1990 .
Senechal was nominated by Chief Judge Peter D . Welte of the U . S . District Court for the District of North Dakota on behalf of the court plus the Randy H . Lee , Ronald N . Davies , and Judge Bruce M . Van Sickle American Inns of Court . The award nomination highlighted her exemplary leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic .
Between 1990 and 2015 , Senechal served part-time as a magistrate judge while practicing for the Robert Vogel Law Office PC in Grand Forks . She began serving fulltime in 2015 . In addition , she has served as an adjunct professor at the University of North Dakota School of Law .
Senechal is involved in bar activities at the local , state , and national levels . She has been active in the Greater Grand Forks County Bar Association and SBAND , serving as a chair of the North Dakota Joint Committee on Attorney Standards . Senechal is a charter member and a past president of the Randy H . Lee American Inn of Court .
She began her career as a special-needs elementary school teacher after earning an undergraduate degree in speech and language pathology and audiology from North Dakota State University in 1977 . She earned a law degree cum laude from the University of Minnesota School of Law in 1984 .
U . S . Magistrate Judge Alice R . Senechal received the 2021 American Inns of Court Professionalism Award for the Eighth Circuit .
Williams Receives Award from the Eighth Circuit Bar Association
Mike Williams of the Maring Williams Law Office was recently awarded the Richard S . Arnold Award for Distinguished Service by the Eighth Circuit Bar Association at the Eighth Circuit Judicial Conference in Colorado Springs , Colo ., on October 29 , 2021 .
Williams graduated from the University of North Dakota School of Law in 1979 . He entered private practice in Bismarck and began a legal career defined by zealous advocacy for people with disabilities and service to the state bar association and his community .
Williams also served on the North Dakota Association for Justice ( NDAJ ) Board of Governors and served as president in 2004 . During his tenure , NDAJ established a mentor program for law students at the University of North Dakota Law School . He has served as a mentor in the program , and has helped recruit additional mentors for hundreds of law students . In 2021 , Williams received the NDAJ ’ s Light of Justice Award for his years of dedication and service .
Shortly after entering private practice , Williams became co-counsel on a landmark case ARC of North Dakota v . Olson , 561 F . Supp . 473 ( D . N . D . 1982 ) that helped to establish equal rights for people with disabilities . As a direct result of this case , North Dakota was recognized as a national leader in the provision of quality communitybased programs and services for people with disabilities .
Williams has been active in SBAND , serving on multiple committees and as president in 2005 . During his tenure , SBAND expanded volunteer legal services to underserved people in North Dakota through the Volunteer Lawyers Program . He was awarded the Distinguished Service Award by SBAND in 2020 .
Mike Williams , third from right , pictured with North Dakota bar members at the Eighth Circuit Judicial Conference award ceremony .
20 THE GAVEL