Villard Lawyers

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.

Dan joined Gammello, Qualley, Pearson & Mallak PLLC in January 2012 after serving for more than two years as the law clerk for the Honorable David J. Ten Eyck, Judge of District Court, Ninth Judicial District. Prior to serving as Judge Ten Eyck’s Law Clerk, Dan was also a Certified Student Attorney at the Tenth Judicial District Office of the Public Defender located in Stillwater, Minnesota for a year where he represented clients on in-custody arraignment and misdemeanor/gross-misdemeanor pretrial calendars. Since joining the firm, Dan has begun a diverse practice and represents clients in the areas of Real Estate, Corporate...

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.

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...

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...

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...

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.

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.

Criminal defense and immigration attorney.

Catherine practices exclusively criminal defense in the Twin Cities Metro area in state and federal court. She has tried over 40 jury trials and conducted hundreds of evidentiary hearings. She worked as a state public defender in multiple counties and has represented thousands of people in matters from Misdemeanor traffic tickets to felony drugs, criminal sexual conduct, domestic assault, fraud, weapons, murder and federal conspiracy cases. Catherine is an MSBA Certified Criminal Law Specialist and trained trial attorney from the National Criminal Defense College Trial Practice Institute. She has also advocated for criminal justice reform in front of the Minnesota...

Mark Arneson's background as a former prosecutor makes him uniquely qualified to handle criminal defense cases and makes him one of the top criminal defense lawyers in Minnesota. He has had great success in gaining acquittals and dismissals for numerous clients throughout his career. Mr. Arneson practices exclusively in Criminal Defense and DWI/DUI Law. As would be expected, Mr. Arneson's work has earned numerous honors, including being named as a Top 10 Criminal Defense Lawyer, a Top 100 Trial Lawyer and a Rising Star by Minneapolis Super Lawyers. Attorney Arneson firmly believes that every person is entitled to the best...

Client Testimonial: "I never needed a lawyer before. Adam Johnson was highly recommended to me by a family friend, I'm so happy he did. Adam was always very friendly and was available to answer my questions no matter the time or day of the week. The work he put in to my case went far above and beyond what I ever expected. He achieved the best possible outcome for my case, I didn't have much hope that could happen. He was amazing to watch in court, a true pro. I would recommend Adam Johnson to anyone with a similar problem in...