Mission Lawyers

Aaron Pilcher focuses his practice on corporate law, estate planning and administration, and general litigation. Aaron appreciates the opportunity to work alongside his clients to protect their life's work, and plan for what lies ahead.

Vince Roche is a Commercial Litigation attorney at Davenport, Evans, Hurwitz & Smith, LLP in Sioux Falls, SD. Vince focuses his practice on commercial litigation, including trusts and estates litigation, class action defense and defending financial institutions. He also has substantial experience representing clients in arbitration and mediation matters arising out of commercial disputes. Prior to joining the firm in 2008, Vince practiced for five years in Chicago with Kirkland & Ellis LLP and Novack & Macey LLP. Since joining the firm, he has obtained dismissal of several multimillion-dollar class action lawsuits against firm clients in both state and...

Kylie is a South Dakota native. She graduated from Drake University School of Business in 2002 and from the University of South Dakota School of Law in 2008. After serving as a Judicial Law Clerk for South Dakota's Fourth Judicial Circuit, Kylie began practicing as a divorce attorney at Viken Law Firm and then joined with Linda Lea M. Viken to form Viken & Riggins Law Firm. Kylie is now a family law attorney at Riggins Family Law, Prof. L.L.C.

She focuses her practice exclusively in the area of Domestic Relations Law and has established herself...

Anthony Hohn is a litigation attorney at Davenport, Evans, Hurwitz & Smith, LLP in Sioux Falls, SD. A Sioux Falls native, Anthony joined the firm in 2008 as a member of the firm’s litigation section and became a partner in 2014. His practice includes of a wide variety of litigation, including commercial litigation, creditors’ rights, employment litigation, and condemnation litigation. Anthony interned with the firm in the summer of 2006 and is a 2007 graduate of the University of South Dakota School of Law, where he served as lead articles editor for the South Dakota Law Review. Following graduation, Anthony...

Justin Clarke is a litigation attorney at Davenport, Evans, Hurwitz & Smith, LLP in Sioux Falls, SD. An Estelline, SD native, Justin joined the firm in 2010 and is a partner in the firm’s litigation section. Justin’s practice focuses on insurance defense, commercial and complex litigation, and trust litigation. Justin graduated from the University of Kansas School of Law in 2010. While in law school, he served as a staff editor for the Kansas Journal of Law and Public Policy and participated in KU Law’s Moot Court competition. When Justin isn’t working, he enjoys spending time with his family and...

John R. Murphy has been practicing criminal defense in the state and federal courts of South Dakota for over 20 years. His practice is limited to criminal defense, and he practices at the investigatory, trial, appellate and habeas corpus stages. His firm is committed to proving high quality and aggressive representation to those accused of crimes.

Ellery Grey is a Board Certified Criminal Attorney who has devoted his practice to protecting the rights of the accused. Mr. Grey practices in both federal and state court where he has defended clients on charges from drug possession to murder.

Growing up on a farm Jeff Cole understood how hard it was to be a farmer so he decided he wanted to fight for farmers to get their fair share in our legal system and became a lawyer. Since he decided to become a lawyer he has a diverse career but now mainly focuses on trials and litigation. He has tried 7 cases to the South Dakota Supreme Court and one case to the US Court of Appeals. He has even won a US Supreme Court Case where he was trial counsel.

I am an experienced trial lawyer helping clients with injury accidents, criminal allegations, divorce, custody, or guardianship issues. I enjoy helping clients get through difficult and stressful situations, and sticking up for the powerless when the individuals in power are attempting to take advantage of them.

Beau joined the Den Herder Law Firm in 2019 with several years of experience practicing in a variety of civil litigation matters, real estate transactions, and debtor-creditor negotiations. Beau serves as the municipal attorney for the town of Mission Hill, South Dakota. Beau graduated from the University of South Dakota Law School in 2014. During law school Beau served as Lead Articles Editor for the South Dakota Law Review and was a member of the Trial Team.

Beau has been a member of the South Dakota Bar Association since 2014 and is also admitted to practice before the United States District...

Mike Snyder is a litigation attorney at Davenport, Evans, Hurwitz & Smith, LLP in Sioux Falls, SD. Originally from Pierre, SD, Mike joined the firm in 2016 as a member of the firm’s litigation section. His practice focuses primarily on commercial and complex litigation and insurance litigation.

Mike interned with the firm in the summer of 2013 and is a 2014 graduate of the University of South Dakota School of Law, where he graduated first in his class and served as editor-in-chief of the South Dakota Law Review and as a research assistant to Professor Christine Hutton. Following graduation, Mike served...

Don McCarty is a native of Wakonda, SD and received his juris doctor from the University of South Dakota (USD) in 1996. He joined the firm shortly after graduation and became a partner in 2001. Don’s general practice includes criminal law, family law and divorce, personal injury, worker’s compensation, business law and Social Security Disability. Don serves as a member of the South Dakota Army National Guard. He and his wife, Ann, have a daughter and son.

South Dakota lawyer David Rezac is a member of the Davenport, Evans, Hurwitz & Smith Transactions and General Business practice group, and his practice covers all aspects of business transactions, as well as federal and state trademark registrations. David advises clients in both large and small business transactions, and his expertise covers entity formation, leasing and financing arrangements, real estate sales, mergers, acquisitions, and general contract preparation and negotiation. David also has extensive experience in obtaining federal and state trademark registrations and can assist clients in determining the advantages of registration, as well as completing the registration process.

David joined...

Rebecca Wilson founded Wilson Legal Planning after practicing in the field of estate planning and elder law for 18 years. Rebecca’s practice throughout her career has been focused on estate planning, elder law, probate and trust administration. She enjoys working with her clients to help them understand their options and choose the best fit for their family. Rebecca received her undergraduate degree in psychology from Yale University with distinction. She graduated cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School. Rebecca is a member of the National Association of Elder Law Attorneys, the Sioux...

Mark Krogstad is a Trusts and Estates attorney practicing in South Dakota and Minnesota with Davenport, Evans, Hurwitz & Smith, LLP in Sioux Falls, SD. A Willmar, Minnesota native and Augustana University graduate, Mark joined the firm after practicing in Minnesota and receiving his Master’s Degree in Taxation from the University of Florida. He practices in the areas of estate planning, business succession planning, tax planning, charitable gift planning, and estate and trust administration. As a part of his practice, Mark assists clients in: *Drafting wills, durable powers of attorneys, and trusts, such as revocable...

Russ Janklow specializes in personal injury and civil litigation, wherein he has tried over 100 jury trials in South Dakota, including several appearances before the South Dakota Supreme Court. Russ has been distinguished as one of the top personal injury trial attorneys in South Dakota and has repeatedly been acknowledged by his peers for his personal approach, diverse skills and his outstanding accomplishments. A tenacious litigator, Russ is recognized annually by Best Lawyers in America, a recognition he’s received since 2010. He was also awarded the “2014 Lawyer of the Year” in Sioux Falls for plaintiffs’ personal injury litigation, an...

Amanda Engel grew up in South Dakota and returned there after a brief excursion into North Dakota for a few years. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of North Dakota with a B.A. in political science and then University of North Dakota School of Law with cum laude honors. In 2012 she was admitted to practice law in South Dakota.

South Dakota lawyer Mitch Peterson is a partner focused on commercial litigation. As such, he assists both large and small clients, as well as individuals, with claims arising out of commercial transactions. He also does a significant amount of general litigation work for both companies and individuals.

This work includes litigation, trials, arbitration, and appellate work in the following areas: conditional use permits and variances, confidential information, construction, contracts, copyright, corporate/ownership, estate/probate, land use, non-competition and non-solicitation, non-disclosure agreements, product liability, professional services/negligence (legal, architectural, engineering, accounting, software development, financial services), real estate, sales of businesses, sales of goods, technology/software,...

Robert E. Hayes is a Financial Services lawyer at Davenport, Evans, Hurwitz & Smith, LLP in Sioux Falls, SD. Bob has long been recognized for his expertise in the field of creditors rights law, a fact reflected not only by his having served for years on the State Bar’s Debtor Creditor Committee but accumulating nearly a decade as chair of that committee. Bob has received an AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rating by Martindale-Hubbell®, for the highest level of professional excellence for their legal knowledge, communication skills and ethical standards. He was also selected by Best Lawyers® in the areas of...

Charles Gullickson is a Financial Services lawyer at Davenport, Evans, Hurwitz & Smith, LLP in Sioux Falls, SD. Financial and insurance regulatory matters make up a substantial portion of Chuck’s practice. He devotes a significant amount of time to such banking law matters as lending transactions, loan documentation, bank acquisitions and branching, and Chuck advises banking clients regularly on regulatory matters and oversight of third party vendors and servicers, and credit card lending and securitizations. Chuck also handles various insurance regulatory matters and serves as Executive Director and General Counsel for the South Dakota Life & Health Insurance Guaranty Association....

A native of Burke, South Dakota, Tiffany joined the firm in 2007. Her practice focuses primarily on banking and financial services law with an emphasis on bank regulatory compliance. Tiffany advises clients with regard to matters involving various state and federal banking laws, including the Truth-in-Lending Act (TILA), Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA), Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA), Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA), Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), UDAAP, E-SIGN, and their implementing regulations. Tiffany also regularly assists financial institution clients in the drafting of consumer disclosures...

Steve Johnson is a native of South Dakota, and was born in Sioux Falls. He attended Augustana College where he graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1973. He then graduated from the University of South Dakota School Of Law in 1976 as a member of the Thomas Sterling Honor Society and the South Dakota Law Review. Steve continues to be a frequent lecturer at the South Dakota School of Law. His many professional affiliations and distinctions include membership in the American College of Trial Lawyers, International Trial Lawyers Association, American Board of Trial Advocates and the Association of Trial Lawyers...

I have been a family law attorney for over 40 years and after having also done family law mediation for several years, I am now doing only Family Law Mediation. I have taken the ABA Family Law Mediation training and attended the Harvard Negotiations Seminar.

Scott Abdallah is the managing partner of Johnson Janklow Abdallah, LLP. His practice is focused almost exclusively in the area of trial work and civil litigation, including business litigation, personal injury, wrongful death and products liability. Scott has been recognized extensively for his litigation skills. He is one of only five South Dakota attorneys who are members of the National Association of Distinguished Counsel, which recognizes only the top 1% of practicing attorneys in the United States. He has been continuously selected for inclusion in the national publication, The Best Lawyers in America, and is one of only fifteen...

Bret Merkle has been representing injured people since 1991. Bret is a trial attorney specializing in the area of bodily injury and insurance claims. He graduated with a law degree and an MBA degree, and is a staff instructor with the Gerry Spence Trial Lawyers College. Bret has obtained justice for his clients through negotiated settlements, mediation, arbitration, court trials and jury trials for hundreds of people over the years. Bret and his staff are personable and easy to work relieving the stress from tragic accidents and losses.

Ross grew up in Sioux Center, Iowa. He earned his undergraduate degree at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, graduating in 2003 with majors in psychology and government. As a law student at the University of South Dakota School of Law, Ross served as an editor for the Great Plains Natural Resources Journal. Ross graduated among the top 10 students in his law school class in May, 2006. Ross has a diverse and growing practice, including business and real estate transactions, business formations, estate planning, probate, general civil litigation, and municipal law. He is presently the City...

Stephen Demik specializes in complex civil and criminal litigation, and trials of all types. He is an experienced trial attorney, practicing in state and federal courts for nearly 15 years. He speaks Spanish proficiently. A graduate of University of California, Hastings College of the Law and a faculty teacher at the Trial Lawyers College, Stephen Demik has a wide background in many areas– from civil plaintiffs work to criminal defense, from tribal court to immigration law, from juvenile court to Guantanamo Bay. For over 14 years, he has tried cases in both state and federal court, in both South Dakota and...

Mark J. Welter was born and raised in Yankton, South Dakota; and Mark has lived in South Dakota his whole life. Mark earned a business degree at the University of South Dakota, and his law degree at the University of South Dakota School of Law. Mark then worked two years as a law clerk for John B. Jones, U.S. District Judge, District South Dakota, Southern Division. Mark then worked for 15 years as an insurance defense personal injury trial lawyer and worker’s compensation lawyer for Woods, Fuller, Schultz & Smith P.C. in Sioux Falls, defending clients against...