Fillmore County Lawyers

Mike was born in St. Cloud, MN. He is a graduate of St. John's University and William Mitchell College of Law. He has over 34 years of legal experience, including 31 of those years being in the St. Cloud area. Mike brings a broad range of legal experience, including personal injury, trust and estate, eminent domain, business and employment matters. Mike also has past experience in Family and Criminal Law. He's argued numerous cases in the Minnesota Court of Appeals and was successful in two Minnesota Supreme Court cases; Northern States Power Co v. Aleckson, et al. and Great River...

Laura Tripiciano has been working in the field of Immigration and Naturalization law since 1998. She is a graduate of the University of Iowa and William Mitchell College of Law. She also attended The Comparative Law and Human Rights Institute at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. Ms. Tripiciano was also an Adjunct Professor of History at St. Cloud State University located in St. Cloud, Minnesota. In 2014, Ms. Tripiciano was honored by The Advocates for Human Rights for her pro bono Asylum work. Ms. Tripiciano is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, and is a past Board Chair for...

As a member of the Smith, Paulson, O’Donnell and Associates team, I work with highly skilled attorneys, including a certified real property specialist and a certified labor and employment specialists, to provide comprehensive care to the needs of my clients. I am a seasoned trial lawyer with over a decade of courtroom experience. I welcome complex family law matters including, but not limited to, divorce, child custody, child protection and child support. As a former prosecutor I offer my criminal defense clients aggressive, and highly competent, protection of their constitutional and statutory rights.

Scott Kruger has focused his legal career on assisting people injured by the negligence of others. He understands that the legal process is complicated, and that insurance companies are trying to take advantage of people during stressful times.

Mr. Kruger is dedicated to making the legal system easy to understand in a calm, straightforward manner. Whether you are recovering from your injuries, attending arbitration, or preparing for a court appearance, Mr. Kruger takes the time to explain what to expect to make you as comfortable as possible in stressful situations.

Mr. Kruger attended Carthage College in Kenosha, WI where he earned his...

Graduated from Concordia College Moorhead, MN in 2001 majoring in business administration. Attended the University of North Dakota School of Law with the Juris Doctor in 2004. Erin has been in private practice since 2004.

Kirk's practice focuses on helping small and medium size business owners with their legal needs. He seeks to provide cost-effective representation for businesses that have not worked with a law firm in the past. His practice focuses specifically on corporate, contract and real estate matters. Kirk also represents home owner associations in various matters.

Attorney Rae Bentz practices in the areas of family law, criminal law, estate planning and real estate. Rae understands the emotional nature of family and criminal legal matters and the importance of trust in the attorney client relationship. His practice includes the representation of individuals involved in the some of the most difficult of life's transitions, including divorce, paternity actions, and modification of agreements, custody disputes, prenuptial agreements, enforcement proceedings, and restraining orders. In addition, Rae provides extensive and aggressive criminal defense. He has a vast understanding of criminal procedures for both the state of Minnesota and the Federal Justice...

Jacob J. Thomason (“Jake”) provides passionate and creative representation to his clients. Jake focuses his practice on criminal defense, domestic abuse, harassment, and family law. For nearly a decade Jake has focused his practice on criminal law, with the past seven years spent as a prosecutor at the Otter Tail County Attorney’s Office. During that time, Jake prosecuted more than 1,000 criminal matters and successfully handled more than 25 jury trials, ranging from simple traffic matters to DWIs, drug possession, domestic assault, financial crimes, serious assaults, and drug trafficking. This unique insider perspective gives Jake a powerful advantage while defending...

I started my practice in Brainerd in 1975. In my early years I had a general practice with a focus on real estate and municipal law. As I gained a lot of courtroom experience I narrowed my focus to personal injury and workers compensation on the plaintiffs side. I became a certified trial specialist by the Minn. State Bar Assn. in 1995 and was selected as a leading Minn. Attorney by the American Research Corp. in 1997. In 2017 I was designated as one of the top 100 attorneys in Minnesota.

Martin Melang’s diverse background and experience provide him an advantage in understanding all aspects of civil litigation, including creditor/debtor law and Chapter 7 and 13 bankruptcy. Since joining Burns & Hansen, Marty has handled and assisted hundreds of cases across the spectrum of law in state and federal Courts. These cases include real estate, employment, and business disputes. He also regularly assists clients with their financial needs and helps them overcome economic challenges.

Marty graduated with a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Nebraska College of Law in 2003, after completing his Bachelors of Arts degree...

Free Advice: Do not do the “Monkey Tests” on the side of the road, do not answer any questions without an attorney and never give the cops permission to search your car or anything else for that matter.

I have tried 300+ felony, gross misdemeanor, and misdemeanor cases to jury verdict. At one point I won 12 DWI jury trials in a row in just one jurisdiction alone. I am listed in “The Best Lawyers in America” and am a Life Member to the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and a founding member of the Minnesota Society for Criminal...

Dan is a lifelong resident of Minnesota. Born in St. Paul, Dan spent many of his formative years growing up there before moving to White Bear Lake. After graduating from White Bear Lake, Dan spent four glorious years at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, earning a degree in two majors. Dan worked as a Senior Investigator at the Minnesota Department of Commerce for several years after graduating from college. During his final years Dan attended William Mitchell College of Law while still working full-time. During this exhausting 3 ½ year period Dan honed his skills in becoming an efficient,...

Erik Hansen is the managing partner at Burns and Hansen, focusing on complex civil litigation, appeals, and business transactions. Erik has over twenty years of experience litigating multi-million dollar, high-stakes complex civil litigation cases in state and federal court in Minnesota and across the country. Erik has successfully argued cases at every level of state court in Minnesota, as well as in multiple federal jurisdictions, both at the district and appellate court levels. Erik has received national awards and recognition for his advocacy on behalf of clients. Erik is an established voice in the Minnesota appellate practice community. He brings a broad...

Mr. McDonald has established himself as a distinguished attorney in the legal community as the owner and operator of the Law Office of Jerry A. McDonald PLC since 2002. Bringing over two decades of experience to his practice, he specializes in family law, business law, estate planning, probate, and criminal law. His expertise in these areas is a testament to his dedication and comprehensive understanding of the legal system. Besides founding his Minnesota law firm, Mr. McDonald garnered success as a business consultant for over five years, where he honed his skills in strategic planning and client advisement. However, his...

Kotten Law Firm is managed by attorney Glen A. Kotten and opened for practice upon Glen’s admission to the Minnesota State Bar in 2012. Glen is a January 2012 graduate of Thomas M. Cooley Law School’s accelerated law degree program. Glen was an Honors Scholar named to the Dean’s List and was an active member of Mock Trial, Student Intellectual Property Association, The Federalist Society and The Sports & Entertainment Society. While in law school Glen was fortunate to extern at Freeman, Cotton & Gleeson PLC in Bloomfield Hills, MI - focusing the majority of his externship on business litigation...

Richard Stermer has practiced law in Western Minnesota for the past 24 years. Mr. Stermer has extensive experience in handling a variety of cases in both State and Federal Courts. Mr. Stermer focuses his practice on bankruptcy, and complicated litigation and appeals.

Mr. Sackett decided to become an attorney due to his desire to help others in a meaningful way. Since being admitted to practice law in Minnesota in 2014, Mr. Sackett has been successful in protecting his clients’ interests through foresight, preparation and zealous advocacy. Mr. Sackett has experience in a wide range of civil litigation practice areas including family law, breach of contract, breach of warranty, negligence claims, products liability, construction defect, insurance defense and insurance subrogation. Outside of his law practice, Mr. Sackett enjoys bicycling, golfing, watching movies and reading. He also enjoys taking long walks with...

Frederick A. Bechtold has been an attorney for over thirty years, becoming a member of the Florida Bar in 1990, the Minnesota Bar in 1999, the Wisconsin Bar in 2012, and the bar the United States Supreme Court in 2019. Currently, Fred practices exclusively criminal appeal law in the State of Wisconsin.

Graciela Bloch is an associate attorney, focusing on real estate litigation, estate planning, probate disputes, and civil litigation. Graciela has significant experience in addressing landlord-tenant disputes, including rent escrow matters, evictions, illegal activity provisions, and local and state ordinance violations. Graciela also has experience drafting wills, documents signing over power of attorney, and health care directives. Graciela is able to guide clients through the delicate process of placing loved ones or vulnerable minors or adults under either guardianship or conservatorship, or otherwise removing them from those constraints if circumstances warrant. Graciela also advocates on behalf of clients in high-conflict probate disputes...

Ginny grew up in North Minneapolis and graduated from Patrick Henry High School. She got her undergraduate Degree from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities with a major in Political Science with a focus in Law and Politics and a minor in Sociology: Law, Criminology, and Deviance. While at the University of Minnesota Ginny was a Dean’s List recipient. She then pursued her legal education at William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota where she graduated and was also a Dean’s List recipient. While at William Mitchell she was accepted as a member of the...