Finding early success in the law

SUCCESS

IN THE LAW

A LIBERAL ARTS EDUCATION HELPED THESE GRADUATES FEEL PREPARED TO GROW IN THEIR PROFESSIONS AS LAWYERS.

TIM O’KEEFFE ’95 Founding Partner, President O’Keeffe O’Brien Lyson Foss, Fargo

Practice Areas

Serious personal injury, wrongful death, business/commercial litigation, and criminal defense

Notable Achievements

Tim is familiar with success at a young age. Coming to UJ, he was a Wilson Scholar. Then, just five years after taking the bar exam, he opened his own practice. “It was a risk, took a little bit of courage. People have asked me, ‘Is O’Keeffe on the sign your dad or your grandpa?’ And no, it’s just me,” Tim said humbly. His firm started out as a team of four, and now has more than 30 members. “It’s been a roller coaster at times,” he explained. “But I’m very happy with the success we’ve had.”

Community involvement

Tim and his team strive to give back. Once a month, they encourage employees to volunteer for a day or afternoon for a specific organization as well as lend their skills to non-profit boards. And once a year, they do a big push—really impacting an organization with donations.

On UJ

“I felt prepared for law school. It was perfect for me to have a broad background. It provides a lot of creativity and flexibility in what you want to do. It just made me a well-rounded person.”

Being a lawyer is great, because…

“I get to investigate situations and handle them in the worst moment of people’s lives and make it better. The pinnacle of any case is getting to trial, being in front of a jury. You train and prepare for it. That’s sometimes the most stressful part, but it’s the part I enjoy the most.”

ANDREW PETERSON ’14 Associate Nilan Johnson Lewis, Minneapolis

Practice Areas

Labor and employment law

Notable Achievements

Andrew found a lot of success while in law school, but it was never just handed to him. He put in the work, balancing school with side projects and activities. He participated in international moot court, a key extracurricular activity that takes months of preparation and writing to compete against other schools in simulated court. Andrew also served as senior editor of his school’s Law Journal and earned a position as a judicial law clerk—all while graduating magna cum laude.

On just starting out in law

“As a short-term goal, I hope to leverage the knowledge that’s around me—the people I work with are really good at their jobs—to become a better writer, to learn those nuanced areas that separate people and cases, and just to get better at my job.”

On UJ

“I think I had a bit of a jumpstart on law school with writing particularly, because it was such a strong component at UJ. … There’s a different structure to UJ as a private, liberal arts school—the structure of you are constantly doing things. You learn how to lean on people, be a part of a team, do group projects, how to manage your time—those are all important as you become a lawyer.”

Being a lawyer is great, because…

“There’s a storytelling component to labor and employment that I really enjoy. They each have their own side. Whoever you represent, you are trying to push their side of the narrative. You do everything to push your factual story and hope the law is on your side of the facts.”

LUKE HECK ’11 Attorney Vogel Law Firm, Fargo

Practice Areas

Criminal Defense

Notable Achievements

Luke was voted by his class in law school to be the graduation speaker. He spoke about what he learned, “not only from my teachers, but from other students and my family,” Luke explained. His speech was about how “it’s important to be a great lawyer, but it’s equally important to remember that we want to be good people, too—working hard and treating people with respect and compassion.”

On just starting out in law

“It’s humbling, and it can be intimidating. But in all, being able to get advice—legal, professional, personal—from some of the best attorneys in the area, that experience is priceless.”

On UJ

“I never really thought about going anywhere other than UJ. It was engrained in me growing up. My mom was a graduate. My dad worked there. I was the ball boy on the basketball team. It was the obvious next step. And I’m glad it was. … After graduation, I felt more prepared [for law school] thanks to Jamestown and getting a well-rounded liberal arts education that allowed for a lot of back and forth in discussion.”

Being a lawyer is great, because…

“I love litigating legal issues, especially criminal specific. I like defending the little guy and helping people. A lot of good people make bad decisions, but they aren’t bad people. They are in a criminal courtroom, and we’re just trying to do what’s best for them and for society.”