Stephen W. Plambeck

Born January 22, 1950 in Sioux City, Iowa.

Graduated Fargo North High School in 1968.

Steve has been with the firm since July 1, 1975, and is a Shareholder, Director and past President of the firm. He is a senior member of the Litigation Department and concentrates his practice on product liability, professional liability, construction litigation, railroad law and commercial litigation, including class actions. He is admitted to practice law in North Dakota, the Federal District Court for the District of North Dakota, the Eighth Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court. He has had extensive trial and appellate experience.

Steve is a member of the ABA - Sections on Public Utility Law and Litigation; the National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel; the Defense Research Institute - ACMIE; the North Dakota Defense Lawyers Association; the North Dakota and Cass County Bar Associations and the Joint Procedure Committee. He is a Fellow in the International Society of Barristers and a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers. He is also a past member of the North Dakota Commission on Pattern Jury Instructions and Federal Advisory Committee (Eighth Circuit).

Steve graduated from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C., with a BA degree in Political Science in 1972. He received his law degree, with honors, from the National Law Center of the George Washington University in 1975. He was a member of the Law Review and authored "Class Action Judgments and Mutuality of Estoppel," 43 G.W. Law Rev. 814. He was also active in Moot Court and represented the Law School at the Regional competition in Philadelphia, PA. He participated in the District of Columbia Law Students in Court Program - Criminal Division and had the highest grade point average in the first-year class.

As an undergraduate, Steve was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon, serving as Rush Chairman and representative to the Inter-Fraternity Council. He interned with then Congressman Les Aspin (Wisconsin). He also participated in SERVE (a tutoring program in D.C. public schools) and intramural football, basketball and softball.

Steve is a member of the Executive Board of the Northern Lights Council of the Boy Scouts of America and a Past President of the Council. Steve currently serves as its Local Council Representative on the National Council and is a past member of the Regional Board for the Central Region of the Boy Scouts of America. He is also Past President of the Fargo-West Rotary Club; a former Director and Vice-President of the Lake Agassiz Arts Council; a former Director of the North Dakota Division of the American Cancer Society; and a member of Team Makers.

Steve has given a number of presentations on various matters relating to civil litigation, including: presentations on depositions, cross examination and expert witnesses at a seminar for registered professional engineers in 2006 and at a seminar titled Real Evidence for The Trial Practitioner in 2004 in Fargo, ND; a presentation on Trial Techniques for FELA cases at the 1998 Winter Meeting of the National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel in Ft. Lauderdale, FL; a presentation on Alternative Dispute Resolution at the SBAND Seminar on Litigation Trends in the 1990's (1991); a presentation for the Fargo Public Schools Athletic Department on Tort Law for coaches and physical education instructors for the 1991-1992 school year, as part of an effort to develop a coaching certification program; a presentation on Product Liability Issues applicable to trials of automobile injury cases in North Dakota for the National Business Institute, Inc. (1991); and other presentations at various claims seminars. Steve also testified before the Legislative Committees of the State House and Senate in support of Tort Reform.

Steve's interests include skiing, racquetball, golf and movies.