The State Bar Association of North Dakota Summer 2015 Gavel Magazine | Seite 6

NEW SBAND PRESIDENT JOE WETCH
SEES ACCESS TO JUSTICE A GREAT
PROFESSIONAL CHALLENGE
Tell us about your background and family.

What are your goals as SBAND President this year?

I was born and raised in Bismarck, North Dakota, the fifth child of five.
My dad was a plumber and my mother was a stay-at-home mom. My
brother went into the plumbing business with my dad, and after my dad
passed away he now runs the business. My sisters all moved out-of-state
and live in Arizona and Idaho. I have been married to my wife, Lori, for
almost 19 years. We have two children, Grayson and Mackenzie, ages
12 and 9. They are both very active. My son is heavily involved in sports,
including golf and hockey. My daughter is the performer of our family.
She is heavily involved in dance. She does go out on the golf course
with me occasionally. My wife is a banking officer and specializes in
compliance with the community reinvestment act.

We have been doing so many things well over past years under the
leadership of our past presidents. Gail Hagerty, Nancy Morris, and
so many others, have put this ship on such a great course that I don’t
want to do anything that would disrupt that. Providing great CLE
is one example. The recent changes to the annual meeting have been
fantastic and have really energized, I think, the people who attend. I
want to continue following that course, and, ultimately I would like
SBAND to be a position of providing great service to its members.
The staff at SBAND is great and they are here to help the members.
Just call on them and you will see what I mean.

What type of law do you practice?
I tell people that I do litigation, because that is all I have ever done. I
don’t practice in the area of family law, worker’s compensation, or any
criminal law, but I do work for plaintiffs and defendants in all other
aspects of litigation. I represent school boards. I do some commercial
litigation, including contract disputes, trade secret disputes, and some
construction litigation. I also do personal injury law; plaintiff and
defense work.
How did you get involved with SBAND and what have you done in
SBAND over the years?
When I first joined Serkland Law Firm in 2001, it was made clear to
me that as a lawyer in the firm I would participate in Bar activities and
would have a role in Bar leadership. Our firm has produced three other
SBAND presidents ( Jack Marcil, Maureen Holman, and Jane Dynes)
and that is something we are very proud of. I started out on the Ethics
Committee and enjoyed that very much. Eventually I moved on to the
Board of Governors. That was a very rewarding experience and also a
very educational one. Learning from all the great lawyers that I have
come in contact with over the years in connection with my SBAND
roles has been great. It has also been great to be associated with so
many superb lawyers who have the Bar’s best interests at heart and
work tirelessly to advance the interests of SBAND.

In addition to his law practice and commitment
to SBAND, President Joe Wetch volunteers in the
Fargo community and stays active with his wife,
Lori, and children, Grayson and Mackenzie.
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THE GAVEL