Serkland Law Firm

The Serkland Law Firm was founded in 1888. The firm's first office was located in Sheldon, North Dakota. The office was moved to Fargo in 1903 by partners, Edmund Pierce and B.G. Tenneson.

The firm's namesake is Chester J. Serkland (1906-1996). He graduated from Concordia College and from the University of Denver School of Law in 1934, and was engaged in the private practice of law until 1944. Upon his retirement from service in the U.S. Navy in 1946 he became affiliated with Cupler, Stambaugh & Tenneson and on January 1, 1948, he became a partner. In recognition of his distinguished legal career the firm was renamed in his honor on August 19, 1999.

A few former shareholders of the firm left the private practice of law to undertake other challenging careers in the legal profession. In 1945, Lynn U. Stambaugh was appointed director of the United States Export-Import Bank in Washington, D.C. In 1956, James E. Leahy became a trust officer and later a professor of law at California Western School of Law in San Diego, California. He authored several books concerning the United States Supreme Court and the United States Constitution. In 1979, Lawrence A. Leclerc, Jr. was appointed by Governor Arthur Link to serve as District Court Judge for the East Central Judicial District of North Dakota. In 1998, Paul F. Richard became legal counsel for MeritCare Health System (known today as Sanford Health) and later became President of Sanford Medical Center in Fargo.

Since 1966, the firm has served as the Norwegian Consulate for North Dakota, providing assistance to residents of the region and Norway.

Locations	No. of Attorneys
Fargo, ND	14

Practice Areas	No. of Attorneys
Construction	4
Corporate	8
Family Law	2
Labor & Employment	4
Litigation	3
Litigation - General (consumer)	5
Real Estate	5
Tax	1
Trusts and Estates	4