Served as a North Dakota Supreme Court Justice for almost eighteen years
Civil Trial Attorney for twenty years
EXPERIENCE
Appointed to the North Dakota Supreme Court on March 1, 1996; elected by the citizens of the State in November 1996, 1998 and 2008, and served as a Justice on the Court until retirement on December 31, 2013
Authored 822 opinions and heard 3,200 oral arguments in almost eighteen years on the Court. Disputes that came before the Court involved complex issues in many areas of the law, including personal injury, professional malpractice, contracts, insurance, probate, real property, oil and gas and employment
Began legal career as a law clerk to the Honorable Bruce C. Stone, District Court Judge, Hennepin County, Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1975-1976
Admitted to the Bar in both Minnesota and North Dakota in 1975
Began practicing law as a civil trial attorney in 1976 and continued to litigate civil cases for the next twenty years in Minnesota and North Dakota courts
Certified as a civil trial specialist by the Minnesota State Bar Association and the National Board of Trial Advocacy
Elected to membership in the International Society of Barristers and presently a Judicial Fellow
Civil Mediation Training, National Judicial College, Reno, Nevada, October 2014
North Dakota Statewide ADR Neutral Roster
TEACHING
Guest lecturer, University of North Dakota School of Law, on expert witnesses, ethics and professionalism, evidentiary issues, women leaders, family law, appellate advocacy, science for lawyers and managing a case and preparing for trial. (1992-2015)
Presenter and facilitator, Justices Teaching Institute, “The Constitution and Judicial Decision-making.” (2006,2007,2009,2011,2013)
Continuing Legal Education seminars on preparing and trying automobile accident cases, ethics and the advocate, brief writing, harmless or prejudicial error, expert opinions, evidentiary issues, judicial ethics and self represented litigants, appellate advocacy tips and maxims, as well as mediation. (1990-2015)
PROFESSIONAL
Former Chair, Joint Procedure Committee (N.D. Supreme Court rules committee)
Member, Commission on Alternatives to Incarceration (N.D. Legislative committee)
Former Chair, North Dakota Judicial Conference
Former Chair, North Dakota Judicial Branch Education Commission
Former Director, District 10, National Association of Women Judges
Former Chair, Juvenile Drug Court Study, Planning and Implementation Committee, North Dakota Supreme Court. Started two pilot courts in 2000 and now have six active juvenile drug courts in North Dakota
Former Chair, Gender Fairness Implementation Committee
Former member, Attorney Standards Committee
Former member, Juvenile Policy Board
Former member, Court Services Committee
Former member, Joint Dispute Resolution Committee
In 2006, started the “Justices Teaching Institute,” an outreach program for high school teachers taught by the justices of the North Dakota Supreme Court
HONORS
State Bar Association of North Dakota Distinguished Service Award 2016
Richard S. Arnold Award for Distinguished Service, Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, 2014
Distinguished Service Award, North Dakota Drug Court Professionals, Oct. 12, 2011
Distinguished Service to the North Dakota Drug Courts Award, 2005
Distinguished Patriotic Employer Award, U.S. Department of Defense and the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, 2005
Distinguished Alumni Award, Minnesota State University at Moorhead, 1997
Maring Mediation
1661 Capitol Way, Suite 103 LL, Bismarck, ND 58501
