COMMUNITY CORNER
News About SBAND Members
Burns Admitted to Practice Law in North Dakota
Patrick R. Burns of Burns Law
Firm PLLC was recently admitted to
practice law in North Dakota. Based in
Minneapolis, Burns has an active ADR
practice as a mediator, arbitrator, and
special master. He also assists individuals
and businesses with dispute resolution
and frequently serves as local and cocounsel on matters in South Dakota,
Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Burns is a member of the National
Academy of Distinguished Neutrals, ValueSolve ADR, and serves
on the American Arbitration Association’s (AAA) commercial,
consumer, and mediation panels.
Burns is a graduate of the University of South Dakota School of
Law ( JD/MPA) and Pepperdine University School of Law (LL.M
– dispute resolution). After graduating from law school and serving
on active duty as an Army JAG trial lawyer, he returned home to the
Midwest. Burns teaches arbitration as an adjunct professor at the
University of South Dakota School of Law and is the former chair of
the Minnesota State Bar Association’s 400 member ADR Section.
Kolb Joins Meagher & Geer Bismarck Office
Fredrikson & Byron Named One of “50 Best
Law Firms for Women”
For the sixth year in a row, Fredrikson & Byron was named one
of the “50 Best Law Firms for Women” by Working Mother and
Flex-Time Lawyers LLC. The award recognizes firms that lead the
industry in initiatives for women’s business development and career
advancement, plus offer flexible work arrangements and generous
paid parental leave. In the “Best Law Firms for Women” report,
published in Working Mother magazine, Fredrikson & Byron is the
second highest nationally ranked law firm by percentage of women
equity partners at 35 percent. Fredrikson is also the highest ranked
Minneapolis headquartered law firm in the report for percentage
of women equity partners. “We are honored that the firm has again
been recognized for its long-standing commitment to support
working women,” said Kristy Albrecht, shareholder in Fredrikson &
Byron’s Fargo, N.D., office.
In 2015, 42 percent of the Fargo Fredrikson attorneys were women,
and 20 percent of the Fargo office equity partners were women.
Across the entire firm, 38 percent of the Fredrikson attorneys were
women, and 35 percent are women equity partners. For the firms
named to the “2016 Best Law Firms for Women,” 20 percent of
equity partners were women, compared with a national average of 18
percent.
Meagher & Geer is pleased to announce
Tracy Vigness Kolb has joined the firm’s
Bismarck office. Kolb has been practicing
law in the public and private sector in
North Dakota since 1995, handling
litigation, administrative, legislative,
legal, and regulatory compliance matters,
particularly in the healthcare industry.
Her private practice is devoted primarily
to litigation, representing healthcare providers, hospitals, clinics,
physicians, nurses, and long-term care facilities; defending medical
malpractice cases; and representing providers in state regulatory
licensing and disciplinary matters.
Sheldon Smith, chair of The
Gavel editorial board, was
awarded the 2016 SBAND
Chair of the Year award.
Smith is currently serving his
third term as editorial board
chair. Each year SBAND
acknowledges one of the chairs
of its 18 committees with the Chair of the Year award.
Kolb has a special interest in healthcare compliance and regulatory
matters, including an in-depth working knowledge of HIPAA,
HITECH, and other data privacy and security laws. She practices
in North Dakota state and federal courts, as well as tribal courts
representing Indian tribes, tribal entities, and other defendants.
Monte Rogneby has been elected a member of the American
Academy of Appellate Lawyers, an organization founded in
1990 to recognize outstanding appellate lawyers and promote the
improvement of appellate advocacy and the administration of the
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THE GAVEL
Smith Awarded Chair of the Year Award
Rogneby Elected Member of American
Academy of Appellate Lawyers