Paul W. Tschetter was raised in Brookings, South Dakota. Paul attended Bethel College in St. Paul, Minnesota, and after graduating with degrees in economics and finance, Paul earned his law degree and MBA from the University of South Dakota. He joined the firm in 2007 and is a member of both the firm’s Litigation Section and Business Section.
Paul focuses his practice on the areas of construction matters, creditor’s rights and commercial litigation. Paul has brought and defended claims involving a list of issues including construction contracts, construction defects, mechanics’ liens, public improvement liens, payment disputes, and zoning and ordinance compliance disputes. Paul also has invested a significant amount of his practice to drafting construction contracts, including documents released by the American Institute of Architects (AIA), Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) and the AGC’s ConsensusDOCS. As part of his practice, Paul regularly assists lenders in connection with loan work-outs, foreclosures, and collection matters. He has a wide variety of commercial litigation experience including disputes between shareholders and members of closely-held entities. Paul has experience in arbitration and has tried both jury and court trials. He has also been involved in appeals to both the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and the South Dakota Supreme Court. Outside of the office, Paul is involved in a variety of community activities. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Carroll Institute in Sioux Falls, the board for Sioux Falls Rotary South and is an active volunteer judging high school speech and debate activities. In addition, Paul was a participant in both Leadership Sioux Falls (2010-2011) and Leadership South Dakota (2014-2015). Paul serves as President of the Young Lawyer Section of the State Bar of South Dakota for the 2016-2017 year.
Paul was recognized as a Great Plains Super Lawyers Rising Star in 2014, 2015 and 2016 in the area of Construction Litigation.