Criminal Defense
Tenacious defense, grounded in four decades of trial experience.
A criminal charge — even a first-time misdemeanor — can affect your job, your housing, your driver's license, your right to own a firearm, and your reputation in the community. The single most important decision you'll make in the days after an arrest is who represents you. For more than 40 years, Rick has stood between his clients and the full weight of the prosecution.
We represent clients in state district courts across North Dakota, municipal courts in Fargo and surrounding cities, and Minnesota courts in Clay County and the surrounding area. Our work covers the full range of criminal matters — from traffic offenses and DUIs through serious felonies — and we approach each case with the same preparation, tenacity, and discretion.
A "minor" charge can have major consequences.
Misdemeanor charges — disorderly conduct, simple assault, theft, possession of small amounts of controlled substances, traffic offenses — are routinely treated as if they are not serious. They are. A conviction can show up on a background check for years, cost you a professional license, and complicate every job application you fill out. We treat misdemeanor cases with the same care we bring to felonies.
Where the facts and the law support it, we negotiate dismissals, diversion programs, and reductions that keep convictions off your record. Where they don't, we go to trial — and when we do, we are prepared.
When liberty is on the line.
Felony charges — drug possession or distribution, aggravated assault, burglary, weapons offenses, serious theft, and others — carry the real possibility of prison time, substantial fines, and lifelong collateral consequences. The defense of a felony case is a craft: investigating the state's evidence, identifying constitutional violations, filing and arguing suppression motions, negotiating with prosecutors from a position of strength, and preparing for trial as the default rather than the exception.
Rick has spent four decades practicing that craft in North Dakota and Minnesota courtrooms. We never recommend a plea without first knowing exactly what the state can prove, and we never go to a hearing unprepared.
A DUI is a serious case — and a defendable one.
A DUI in North Dakota — DWI in Minnesota — is one of the most technically complex misdemeanors in the code. The case turns on the legality of the traffic stop, the administration of field sobriety tests, the maintenance and calibration of the breath or blood testing instrument, the chain of custody for blood samples, and a dozen other procedural details. Each one is a potential defense.
There is also a parallel administrative proceeding to fight: the hearing that determines whether your driver's license is suspended. That hearing has a tight deadline and is easily missed without counsel. We handle both the criminal case and the administrative license matter together, so nothing falls through the cracks.
Whether the right outcome is a hard-fought trial, a negotiated reduction to a non-DUI offense, or a sentence designed to preserve your driving privileges and your job, we lay out the options honestly and let you decide.
We answer our own phones — even after hours when it matters.
A criminal case demands fast, clear communication. The single most common complaint we hear about other lawyers is that calls are not returned. That isn't how we work. Rick personally handles every client matter from the first phone call through resolution, and you always know where your case stands.
We take cases seriously, but we treat clients as people — not as files. Whatever happened, you deserve a defense that is patient, prepared, and absolutely on your side.
Four decades in Fargo and Moorhead courtrooms.
We know the prosecutors
Familiarity matters. Decades of negotiating with the same offices means we know how to find resolutions that are not obvious from the outside.
We know the judges
Each judge has tendencies on motions, sentencing, and trial procedure. We have argued in front of nearly every bench in the region.
We know two states
Licensed in both North Dakota and Minnesota, we handle cases that cross the river — including matters in Cass and Clay counties.
A criminal charge does not have to define your future.
If you or a loved one has been arrested or charged, time matters. Call us today to discuss your situation in confidence.