Spring 2018 Gavel Final Spring 2018 Gavel | Page 29
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SBAND Committees –
Volunteers needed for 2018-2019
The effectiveness of our SBAND committees is
determined by the volunteers who serve. Zachary
Pelham, president-elect, will be making committee
appointments over the next several months. He
is interested in getting new people involved. The
following committees have openings for membership:
Advisory Council to the Office of Administrative
Hearings
Consumer Protection Committee
Continuing Legal Education Committee
Joint Law School/SBAND Committee
Editorial (The Gavel) Board
Ethics Committee
Law Related Education Committee
Inquiry Committee Southeast
Inquiry Committee West
Inquiry Committee Northeast
Lawyer Referral & Information Services Committee
Member Services Committee
Volunteer Lawyer Program Committee
If you wish to be considered for appointment to
one of these committees, please contact SBAND at
[email protected]. If you have any questions, please
contact SBAND Executive Director Tony Weiler.
North Dakota Lawyers Helping through Client
Protection Fund
North Dakota’s legal profession recently awarded nearly
$85,000 from its Client Protection Fund to former clients
of Jesse Matson, TaLisa Nemec, and Ervin Lee, all now
disbarred from the practice of law in North Dakota. The
Client Protection Fund was established in 1996 to promote
public confidence in the administration of justice and the
integrity of the legal profession by reimbursing losses
caused by the dishonest conduct of lawyers licensed or
authorized to practice law in the courts of North Dakota.
Every North Dakota lawyer accepts the obligation to the
public to participate in the collective effort of the bar to
reimburse persons who have lost money or property as
a result of the dishonest conduct of another lawyer. The
Client Protection Fund receives a portion of license fees
paid by North Dakota attorneys. No taxpayer money is
used for this program.
The Client Protection Fund is administered by SBAND’s
board of governors. SBAND President Darcie Einarson
chairs the program fund. “On behalf of the over 3,000
lawyers, the theft of client money by an attorney is not
only a crime but a profound violation in the trust the public
places in lawyers. The Client Protection Fund is in existence
to restore that trust and to assist in reimbursement
of financial harm caused by the few dishonest in our
profession. Our profession participates in a collective effort
to reimburse persons who have lost money or property as
a result of the dishonest conduct of one in our profession,”
she stated in announcing these awards.
Additional information on the Client Protection Fund can
be found on the SBAND website under Client Protection
Fund.
Minch named Fellow of American College of Bankru ptcy
Attorney Roger J. Minch of Serkland Law Firm was inducted as a Fellow of the American
College of Bankruptcy on March 16 in Washington, D.C. Minch is the first practicing
bankruptcy attorney in North Dakota or South Dakota to be inducted into the college.
Minch has been an attorney at Serkland Law Firm since 1978 and practices in the areas
of Alternative Dispute Resolution, Banking Law, Business and Commercial Law, Complex
Commercial Litigation and Class Actions, Creditor-Side Bankruptcy and Creditor’s Rights.
The American College of Bankruptcy is an honorary association of bankruptcy and
insolvency professionals and plays an important role in sustaining professional excellence
in the field. Nominees are extended an invitation to join based on a sustained record of
achievement. Criteria for selection as a fellow of the college include: the highest standard
of professionalism, ethics, character, integrity, professional expertise, and leadership
contributing to the enhancement of bankruptcy and insolvency law and practice;
sustained evidence of scholarship, teaching, lecturing, or writing on bankruptcy or insolvency; and commitment
to elevate knowledge and understanding of the profession and public respect for the practice.
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