I have been practicing law since 1981. I started out as an associate in a small firm in my hometown of Dickinson, North Dakota. The firm was a general practice firm but tended to do more plaintiff's work than defense work. I did a fair amount of family law, civil litigation which ran the gamut from construction law to personal injury to unfair trade practices, and criminal law from both the defense and prosecution sides. The firm served as the city attorney for a number of smaller rural communities.