Appointed:
Appointed as District Court Judge on April 26, 2002. Elected in 2004, 2010, and 2016. Retired on June 8, 2018. Appointed and assigned to serve statewide as Senior Judge from July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2025.
Educational Background:
1976 Graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
1973 Graduate of Southwest Minnesota State University, Marshall, Minnesota.
1969 Graduate of Russell High School, Russell, Minnesota.
Admitted to practice before the Supreme Court, State of Minnesota, on October 1, 1976.
Admitted to practice before the Federal District Courts of the United States on June 21, 1982.
Professional Organizations:
Investigator on the Ninth District Ethics Committee, Jan. 1982 to Dec. 1991
Chairman of the Ninth District Ethics Committee, Dec. 1991 to Dec. 1997
Past Member of the Lyon-Lincoln-Redwood County Rules Committee
Member of the Lincoln-Lyon Bar Association, 1976 to Present.
President of Lincoln-Lyon Bar Association, 1981-1982; Treasurer 1982-1983
Member of the Ninth District Bar Association, 1976 to Present
Chairman of Ninth District Bar Association, 1998-1999
Member of the Minnesota State Bar Association, 1976 to Present
Member of the American Bar Association, 1976 to Present
Member of the Minnesota Trial Lawyers Association, 1978 to Present
Member of the Minnesota District Judges Association, 2002 to Present
Other Activities:
Rated in Martindale-Hubbell with an AVâ Rating
Selected as Leading American Attorney, 1997 to 2002, at which time I became a District Court Judge
Current Member of the Board of Directors of the Southwest State University Foundation, May 1998 to Present
Employment Experience:
April 2002 to June 8, 2018, District Court Judge for the State of Minnesota, chambered at Marshall, Minnesota
April 1979 to April 2002, Self-Employed Attorney. Sole practitioner engaged in general practice of law.
August 1976 to April 1979, Employed by David M. Watson, Attorney at Law, Tyler, Minnesota. Engaged in the general practice of law.
Employed part-time at Southwest State University, Marshall, Minnesota, as interim instructor in the area of Business Law while the University sought to fill the position on a permanent basis.
Areas of Interest, Prior Interest and Practice:
In my past position as a District Court Judge, a primary focus of legal activities involved a resolution of cases with a strong concentration in criminal and juvenile matters.
Prior to becoming a District Court, my activities were primarily in a civil area. Practice areas included a broad general practice with involvement in business law, business organization, real estate, probate, wills, estate planning, municipal law, criminal law, business and litigation. All of these areas were as determined by a client’s needs for service in a rural community. They included cases extending into litigation and civil appellate work.