National Recognition

I have received a number of national recognitions:

• I am board-certified in Civil Trial Law by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. This certification requires extensive trial experience, numerous references from attorneys and judges, an excellent ethical record, and a written exam. South Dakota has more than 2,500 attorneys. Only 6 of us are board-certified in Civil Trial Law.

• In 2021, I was named an inaugural recipient of a National Board of Trial Advocacy President’s Award.

• I am recognized by Best Lawyers in America in Employee Benefits Law, Native American Law, and Workers’ Compensation Law for Claimants.
  According to Best Lawyers in America, I was selected “based on an exhaustive and rigorous peer-review survey” of confidential evaluations by other attorneys. The publication The American Lawyer describes Best Lawyers in America as “the most respected referral list of attorneys.”

• I am recognized by U. S. News & World Report as a Tier 1 ranking in the U. S. News – Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms.”
  According to U. S. News & World Report, this ranking is based on “a combination of your clients’ impressive feedback, the high regard that lawyers in other firms in the same practice area have for your firm, and the information that you provided us in response to the law firm survey that we sent you.”
• I am recognized as a Great Plains Super Lawyer.
• According to Super Lawyers, this is based on a statement nomination process, review of my credentials, and the evaluation of my peers. Only five percent of the attorneys in South Dakota are named as a Super Lawyer.
• I am rated A.V. Preeminent (highest rating) by Martindale-Hubbell, a national lawyer rating organization, and have been since 1997. This rating is based on peer reviews by other lawyers. Only about 10% of all lawyers in this country have this rating.

• I am certified as a Trainer, Educator, and Practitioner in Psychodrama, Sociometry, and Group Psychotherapy by the American Board of Examiners.

This certification required thousands of hours of training, supervision, and experience, and passing a written and a practical examination. No other lawyer in South Dakota has this certification. I hope it makes me more sensitive to others’ thoughts and feelings.

Some companies sell “national recognitions” to lawyers. These “national recognitions” aren’t worth the paper they are printed on. I have never paid a cent for any recognition of any kind, national or otherwise.