William G. Porter (1926-2004).
John M. Costello (1923-2007).
MEMBERS OF FIRM
Gene R. Bushnell (Senior Partner) born Brookings, South Dakota, December 27, 1938; admitted to bar, 1964, South Dakota. Education: University of South Dakota (B.A., 1960); George Washington University (J.D., 1964). Phi Beta Kappa; Phi Delta Phi. Assistant United States Attorney, District of South Dakota, 1965-1969. Member: Pennington County and American Bar Associations; State Bar of South Dakota; Defense Research Institute, Inc.; South Dakota Trial Lawyers Association; International Association of Defense Counsel; The Association of Trial Lawyers of America; American Board of Trial Advocates (Advocate); South Dakota Defense Lawyers Association; International Society of Barristers. Practice Areas: Insurance Coverage; Civil Litigation; Personal Injury; Insurance Defense; Products Liability.Email: Gene R. Bushnell
Edward C. Carpenter (Managing Partner) born Wagner, South Dakota, September 1, 1944; admitted to bar, 1970, South Dakota. Education: South Dakota State University (B.S., 1967); University of South Dakota (J.D., magna cum laude, 1970). Managing Editor, South Dakota Law Review, 1969-1970. Law Clerk, Federal Judge, 1970-1971. Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of South Dakota, 1971-1974. Member: Pennington County and American Bar Associations; State Bar of South Dakota; American Board of Trial Advocates (Advocate); American College of Trial Lawyers (Fellow); South Dakota Trial Lawyers Association; The Best Lawyers in America (Commercial Litigation); Chambers USA (Commercial Litigation). Practice Areas: Construction Litigation; Government Contracts; Insurance Defense; Aviation Accidents; Commercial Litigation; Professional Negligence; Insurance Bad Faith.Email: Edward C. Carpenter
Thomas H. Barnes (Managing Partner) born Mitchell, South Dakota, March 9, 1945; admitted to bar, 1973, South Dakota. Education: St. John's University and University of South Dakota (B.A., 1969); University of South Dakota (J.D., 1973). Phi Delta Phi. Staff Member, 1971-1972 and Symposium Editor, 1972-1973, South Dakota Law Review. Law Clerk, U.S. District Court, 1973-1974. Member, South Dakota Bar Commissioners, 1980-1983. Member: Pennington County (President, 1982) and American Bar Associations; State Bar of South Dakota; South Dakota Trial Lawyers Association (Member, Board of Governors, 1980-1982). Practice Areas: Insurance Coverage; Civil Litigation; Accident and Personal Injury; Insurance Defense Law; Products Liability Law.Email: Thomas H. Barnes
Donald A. Porter (Senior Partner) admitted to bar, 1975, South Dakota; 1977 U.S. District Court, District of South Dakota; 1980 U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit; 1994, U.S. District Court, District of Wyoming; 1995 U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit. Education: University of Notre Dame (A.B., 1972); University of South Dakota (J.D., 1975). Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of South Dakota, 1977-1978. President, Black Hills Claims Association, 1995-1996. Member: Pennington County (President, 1996-1997) and American Bar Associations; State Bar of South Dakota; South Dakota Defense Lawyers Association; Defense Research Institute, Inc. (Member, Technology Committee). Practice Areas: Internet Law; Insurance Defense; Defense Litigation; Personal Injury Defense; Power Line Contact Injury; Gas Explosions; Products Liability Defense; Technical Litigation.
Patricia A. Meyers (Senior Partner) born Sioux Falls, South Dakota, May 15, 1955; admitted to bar, 1984, South Dakota and U.S. District Court, District of South Dakota. Education: University of South Dakota (B.S., 1977; J.D., 1983); University of Iowa. Member, Board of Editors, South Dakota Law Review, 1983. Member: State Bar of South Dakota; American Board of Trial Advocates; South Dakota Defense Lawyers Association (President, 1997-1999); International Defense Counsel; Defense Research Institute. Practice Areas: Insurance Coverage; Civil Litigation; Worker's Compensation; Insurance Defense; Products Liability Law; Divorce.Email: Patricia A. Meyers
Joseph R. Lux (Senior Partner) born West Point, Nebraska, August 23, 1953; admitted to bar, 1992, South Dakota; 1994, U.S. District Court, District of South Dakota and U.S. Tax Court; Tribal Courts of South Dakota. Education: University of Nebraska at Lincoln (B.S., 1975); University of South Dakota (J.D., 1992). Editor, South Dakota Law Review, 1991-1992. Law Clerk to Robert A. Miller, Chief Justice of the South Dakota Supreme Court, 1992-1993. Mayor of Hot Springs, South Dakota, 1982-1984. Councilman of Hot Springs, South Dakota, 1980-1982 & 2002-2006. Member: Pennington County and American Bar Associations; State Bar of South Dakota; Sicangu Oyate Bar Association of the Rosebud Sioux Nation. Practice Areas: Indian Law; Real Estate; Business Law; Corporate Law; Construction Litigation; Intellectual Property; Probate; Trusts and Estates; Contracts; Appellate Practice.Email: Joseph R. Lux
Heather Lammers Bogard (Senior Partner) born Madison, South Dakota, July 23, 1971; admitted to bar, 1996, South Dakota. Education: University of Nebraska at Lincoln (B.S., 1993); University of South Dakota (J.D., 1996). Editor-in-Chief, South Dakota Law Review, 1995-1996. Law Clerk, South Dakota Supreme Court, Justice Robert A. Amundson. Author, Article, "Murphy v. Basile: Successful Abandonment by the Judicial System of a Mother Asserting In Personam Jurisdiction Against a Nonresident Putative Father," 40 SD Law Review 546. Member: Pennington County Bar Association; State Bar of South Dakota. Practice Areas: Civil Litigation; Business Litigation; Appellate Practice; Labor and Employment; Insurance Defense.Email: Heather Lammers Bogard
Jess M. Pekarski (Junior Partner) born Oakes, North Dakota, December 10, 1976; admitted to bar, 2002, South Dakota and U.S. District Court, District of South Dakota. Education: Jamestown College (B.A., Criminal Justice, cum laude, 1999); Creighton University (J.D., cum laude, 2002). Member: Pennington County Bar Association; State Bar of South Dakota. Practice Areas: Business Law; Corporate Law; Trusts and Estates; Partnership Law; Probate; Estate Planning; Real Estate; Contracts.Email: Jess M. Pekarski
ASSOCIATES
Stephen C. Hoffman (Senior Associate) admitted to bar, 1979, South Dakota. Education: University of South Dakota (B.A., 1976; J.D., 1979). Assistant Editor, South Dakota Law Review, 1978-1979. Author: Article, "Homosexual Public Employment Cases," 23 South Dakota Law Review 338; Article, "The FmHA Security Interest," 24 South Dakota Law Review 753; Article, "State v. Glendon Johnson," 24 South Dakota Law Review 510; Article, "Death Among Shifting Standards," 26 South Dakota Law Review 243. Law Clerk to U.S. District Judge Donald Porter, Pierre, South Dakota, 1979-1980, 1981-1982 and 1984-1985. Member: State Bar of South Dakota; U.S. Naval Institute. Practice Areas: Appellate Practice.Email: Stephen C. Hoffman
Phillip R. Stiles (Associate) born Kingsville, Texas, October 6, 1967; admitted to bar, 2004, South Dakota. Education: University of South Dakota, (B.S., Biology, 1997); University of South Dakota, (J.D., 2003). Delta Theta Phi. Member: Pennington County Bar Association; State Bar of South Dakota. [Sergeant, U.S. Army, 1986-1991; Sergeant, Arkansas National Guard, 1991-1992; Sergeant, Nebraska National Guard, 1992-1993; Captain, South Dakota National Guard, 1993; Finished Second Tour, Iraq, Fall 2006]. Languages: Spanish. Practice Areas: Business Law; Civil Practice; Contracts; General Practice; Probate; Real Estate; Trusts and Estates; Wills; Insurance Defense.Email: Phillip R. Stiles
Becky A. Vogt (Associate) born Burke, South Dakota, February 19, 1977; admitted to bar, 2002, South Dakota; 2003, Wisconsin; 2006, Wyoming. Education: University of South Dakota (B.A., 1999; J.D., 2002). Member: Pennington County Bar Association; State Bar of South Dakota; State Bar of Wisconsin; Wyoming State Bar. Practice Areas: Business Law; Construction Law; Contracts; Guardianship and Conservatorship; Probate; Property Law; Real Estate; Trusts and Estates; Wills; Zoning, Planning and Land Use.Email: Becky A. Vogt
Michaele S. Hofmann (Associate) born Rapid City, South Dakota, July 26, 1961; admitted to bar, 1989, California; 1998, South Dakota. Education: University of South Dakota (B.S., Education, 1984); Marquette University School of Law (J.D., 1987). Lead Articles Editor, Marquette Law Review, 1986-1987. Law Clerk to the Honorable Michael Sullivan, Wisconsin 1st District Court of Appeals, 1987-1988. Deputy District Attorney for Sacramento County, California, 1991-1997. Board Member of Women Escaping a Violent Environment, Inc. (WEAVE), 1995-1997. Member: Pennington County Bar Association; State Bar of California; State Bar of South Dakota. Practice Areas: Insurance Defense; Litigation; General Practice.Email: Michaele S. Hofmann
OF COUNSEL
Kenneth L. Heisterkamp (Of Counsel) born Carroll, Iowa, September 1, 1940; admitted to bar, 1964, South Dakota. Education: University of South Dakota (B.S., 1962; LL.B., 1964). Delta Theta Phi. Member, Board of Editors, South Dakota Law Review, 1963-1964. Law Clerk, Federal District Judge, 1964-1965. Member, South Dakota Board of Bar Commissioners, 1972-1974. Member, South Dakota Code Commission, 1974-1982. Member: Pennington County Bar Association; American Bar Association; State Bar of South Dakota. Practice Areas: Trusts and Estates; Federal Estate and Gift Taxation; Corporate Law; Partnership Law; Real Estate; Leases and Leasing.Email: Kenneth L. Heisterkamp
Dennis H. Hill (Of Counsel) born Huron, South Dakota, November 17, 1935; admitted to bar, 1959, North Dakota and South Dakota. Education: Huron College (B.A., 1956); University of North Dakota (J.D., 1959). Phi Alpha Delta. Board Member, Law School Foundation, University of South Dakota Law School, 1991; President, 1996-1997. Member: U.S. Court of International Trade, 1995; Oglala Sioux Tribal Court. Member: Pennington County and American Bar Associations; State Bar Association of North Dakota; State Bar of South Dakota (Chairman, Continuing Legal Education Committee, 1990-1991); South Dakota Trial Lawyers Association; South Dakota Defense Lawyers Association; International Bar Association; National Organization of Social Security Claimants Representative; Council of School Board Attorneys; Lawyer-Pilots Bar Association (Chairman, South Dakota Chapter, 1990). Practice Areas: Trial Practice; Professional Liability; Worker's Compensation; Civil Rights Law; Probate Law.Email: Dennis H. Hill
Melvin D. Wedmore (Of Counsel) born Rapid City, South Dakota, October 28, 1930; admitted to bar, 1956, South Dakota; 1957, District of Columbia; 1959, U.S. District Court, District of South Dakota and U.S. Court of Military Appeals; 1975, U.S. Tax Court. Education: South Dakota State University (B.S., 1952); Syracuse University (M.P.A., 1953); University of South Dakota (J.D., 1956); Georgetown University (LL.M., 1959). Member: Pennington County Bar Association; State Bar of South Dakota. [U.S. Army, JAGC, Tort Section, Litigation Division, 1956-1959; Asst. U.S. Attorney, South Dakota, 1959-1960]. Practice Areas: Probate; Real Estate; Estate Planning.Email: Melvin D. Wedmore