Firm Profile

The Nilles Law Firm traces its roots to the law firm of Holt & Frame which practiced law in the early 1900's in Fargo, North Dakota.  In about 1920 Herbert G. Nilles joined that firm, and soon the firm was known as Holt, Frame & Nilles. Lewis H. Oehlert joined the firm in 1929, and John J. Nilles joined in 1932.  The firm became known as Nilles, Oehlert & Nilles in the 1930s and retained that name into the 1960s.

The firm began to expand in the 1950s and 1960s with the addition of J. Gerald Nilles, Donald R. Hansen, Lyle W. Selbo, Frank J. Magill, J. Michael Nilles, and Timothy Q. Davies.

Frank Magill was appointed by President Reagan to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and retired from the Eighth Circuit in 2007.  Michael Nilles left the firm in 1991 to become general counsel to Metropolitan Federal Bank, fsb., which later merged into First Bank, now US Bank.  Russ Freeman retired in June, 2001, when chosen by President Bush to serve as the Ambassador to Belize, in which position he served until 2005.  Daniel Crothers left the firm in 2005 when appointed by Governor John Hoeven to serve on the North Dakota Supreme Court.   

The Nilles Law Firm is North Dakota's member of Lex Mundi, a worldwide affiliation of independent law firms and is the reviser of the North Dakota Law Digest for Martindale Hubbell.

Members of the firm are community and bar association leaders. Our attorneys have been active and taken leadership positions in both the state and county bar associations. Our attorneys have been members of the local school board and have served on the boards of directors of the YMCA of Cass and Clay Counties, the Village Family Service Center, the United Way, the Boy Scouts of America, the Plains Art Museum, the Fargo Lions Club, and many other social and cultural organizations. We are committed to improving our community and encourage our attorneys and staff to participate in community and civic matters.