Fellows of the South Dakota Bar Foundation

ƒ›‘—–Šƒ‘–ƒŽƒ™›‡”•Šƒ˜‡”‹•‡–‘–Š‡…ŠƒŽŽ‡‰‡‘ˆƒ‹‰–Š‡ƒ” ‘—†ƒ–‹‘ƒˆƒ˜‘”‹–‡…Šƒ”‹–›Ǥ—…Š‰‡‡”‘•‹–› deserves public acknowledgement. Therefore, the Bar Foundation Board of Directors has created a “Fellows” program to not ‘Ž›ƒ‡•—…Šƒ…‘™Ž‡†‰‡‡–ǡ„—–ƒŽ•‘–‘’”‘˜‹†‡ƒ‘’’‘”–—‹–›ˆ‘”‘”‡‘ˆ‘—”‡„‡”•–‘’ƒ”–‹…‹’ƒ–‡ƒ††‡–‡”‹‡ –Š‡‹”’‡”•‘ƒŽŽ‡˜‡Ž‘ˆ’”‘ˆ‡••‹‘ƒŽ’Š‹Žƒ–Š”‘’›Ǥƒ”–‹…‹’ƒ–‹‘…ƒ„‡‘ƒƒ—ƒŽ„ƒ•‹•‘”„›’Ž‡†‰‡™‹–Š’ƒ›‡–•‘˜‡”ƒ ’‡”‹‘†‘ˆ–‹‡ǤŽŽ…‘–ributions made to the “Fellows” program will be deposited in the Foundation’s endowment account ƒƒ‰‡†„›–Š‡‘—‹–› ‘—†ƒ–‹‘–ˆƒ‘—•ˆ‘”Ž‘™ƒƒ‰‡‡–ˆ‡‡•ƒ†‡š…‡ŽŽ‡–‹˜‡•–‡–”‡–—”•Ǥ‘ƒ–‹‘• –‘–Š‡‡†‘™‡–ƒ”‡–ƒš†‡†—…–‹„Ž‡ƒ†ƒ’‡”’‡–—ƒŽ‰‹ˆ––‘‘—”’”‘ˆ‡••‹‘ƒ†–Š‡‡†—…ƒ–‹‘ƒŽƒ†…Šƒ”‹–‹‡•–Š‡ ‘—†ƒ–‹‘ •—’’‘”–•Ǥ

ȋ…——Žƒ–‹˜‡ǡ‹…Ž—†‹‰’Ž‡†‰‡•Ƭ–‡•–ƒ‡–ƒ”›‰‹ˆ–•Ȍ  ”‡†Ƭ—‡ŽŽƒ‘œƒ†

ȋ…——Žƒ–‹˜‡ǡ‹…Ž—†‹‰’Ž‡†‰‡•Ƭ–‡•–ƒ‡–ƒ”›‰‹ˆ–•Ȍ  Š‘ƒ•Ǥƒ”‡––ǡ ”Ǥ  ‘„‡”–Ǥƒ›‡•

(cumulative, including pledge)

 ‹…Šƒ”†Ǥ—–Ž‡”  ‹ŽŽ‹ƒ Ǥƒ›ǡ ”Ǥ  Ǥƒ‹‡Ž‘‘Š—‡  ƒƒ Ǥ ”‘ŠŽ‹‰  ‹…Šƒ”†Ǥ‘Ž‡”

ȋ…——Žƒ–‹˜‡ǡ‹…Ž—†‹‰’Ž‡†‰‡•Ƭ–‡•–ƒ‡–ƒ”›‰‹ˆ–•Ȍ  ”ƒǤ ƒ””ƒ”

ȋ…——Žƒ–‹˜‡ǡ‹…Ž—†‹‰’Ž‡†‰‡•Ƭ–‡•–ƒ‡–ƒ”›‰‹ˆ–•Ȍ  ‘Ǥ‹…Šƒ”†Ǥƒ––‡›  ‘Ǥ ‘ŠǤ ‘‡•  …‘––Ǥ‘•‡•  Šƒ”Ž‡•Ǥ‹–‡”  ‹ŽŽ‹ƒ’‹”›  ‘Ǥ ƒ…Ǥ‘ƒŽ†

(per year)

‹„‡”Ž‡›Ǥ‘”–‡•‘ ‹ŽŽ‹ƒǤ ƒ””› ‹‘–Š› Ǥ‡•…Š ƒ‡•Ǥ‹–Š

‘ŠǤŽƒ…„—” ‹…Šƒ”†Ǥƒ•‡› ‘Ǥ‹…Šƒ‡Žƒ› ‘„‡”–Ǥ ”‹‡„‡”‰ Š‘ƒ•Ǥ ”‹‡„‡”‰ ƒ˜‹†Ǥ ‡”†‡• ‘Ǥƒ˜‹†Ǥ ‹‡ƒ’’ ƒ–”‹… Ǥ ‘‡–œ‹‰‡” Ǥ‡”‡ ‘‘†•‡ŽŽ ‘„‡”–Ǥƒ›‡• ‡””›Ǥ‘ˆ‡” –‡˜‡Ǥ—ˆˆ ‘ǤŠƒ”Ž‡•Ǥ‘”ƒ

(per year)

‘Ǥ ‘Šƒ•–‹ƒ ‘Ǥ ‘ŠǤ”‘™ ƒ”› ƒ‡Ž‡ƒ”› †”‡™Ǥ ‡”‰‡Ž ”ƒ‹‰Ǥ‡‡†› ‘„‘””‹• Š‘ƒ• Ǥ‹…Š‘Ž•‘ ƒ”› Ǥƒ•Š„› –‡’Šƒ‹‡Ǥ‘…Š‘’ ‡‡†Ǥƒ•—••‡ ƒ‡ŽƒǤ‡‹–‡” ‘„‡”–Ǥ‹–‡”ǡ ”Ǥ ”‹…Ǥ…Š—Ž–‡ ‡ˆˆ”‡›Ǥ˜‡‡ Šƒ”Ž‡•ǤŠ‘’•‘ ‹…Šƒ”†Ǥ”ƒ˜‹• Š‘ƒ• Ǥ‡Ž ‡””› Ǥ‡•–‡”‰ƒ”†

‘Ǥ‘„„‹ƒ ‘„‡”–Ǥ‹–‡”ǡ ”Ǥ Š‘ƒ•—‰‡‡‹‘• ƒ•‘Ǥ Ǥ—––‘ ƒ””›Ǥ‹…”‡›

Dean’s List: News from the Law School of the students attending in person and half watching lawyers to be are our future. worked creatively to leverage our scholarship dollars later LSAT administrations and others being uncertain by video each day and reversing their roles the next day. by: Neil Fulton With social distancing our largest room can hold about 35 students. So about 70 students is perfect to facilitate Dean this accommodation. USD School of Law Student credentials remain strong. The median LSAT score is 150. That is one point lower than the record high for the class of 2020, but still very strong. The dip was

Mdriven in part by our admission of five students through ore than most years, 2020 has produced a conditional admission program. These students have things that are hard to believe. Add to that slightly lower numeric credentials but other compelling list the reality that the class of 2023 is about circumstances and will participate in a mandatory to arrive at the Law School to begin 1L year. That seems “jump start" program before orientation and in an hard to believe for a couple of reasons. academic excellence program during the semester as a First, you must wrap your mind around the fact that none of us can be reduced to simply our numbers and the class of 2023 is on campus. I was just getting over numbers don't guarantee success. This pilot seeks to worrying about Y2K. Unless you graduated within the identify students who have an opportunity to compete last several years yourself, you do not want to do the and prove themselves with some additional support. I math on when these students were born. Trust me. It's believe that many of these students, if given a chance, painful. But, ready or not, here they come and these can become exceptional lawyers. Second, it is hard to believe that with everything going South Dakota. 65% of the class comes from South on in the world it was possible to assemble a class. Dakota. The 35% not from South Dakota plummets to Please join me in giving an enormous tip of the cap to 9% when you take out those students from adjacent states our Director of Admissions Liz Taggart and Matthew like Iowa, Minnesota, and Nebraska. The reality remains Colbert, who joined the law school as her assistant that we recruit most of our students from within South midway through this recruiting cycle. They worked Dakota or from other states but within an hour or two through the cancellation of both the March and April from Vermillion. We are a regional law school and we LSAT, the uncertainty of how classes will be delivered are proud of that. We provide an excellent education for in the fall, and the decision of many students to defer students looking to build their careers in the Midwest, their attendance to put together a great class. They even as we send graduates across the country. to maximum effect, to answer many student questions In line with most hometowns being in South Dakota, that lacked clear answers, and to convey to applicants most students also go to college in South Dakota. USD the real opportunity that a USD school of law education and SDSU remain the two most common undergraduate presents. I hope I'm not tempting fate to say that I cannot alma maters. Dakota Wesleyan, Northern, Black Hills, imagine a more difficult recruiting environment, but and USF are all represented. We have one tribal college Liz and Matthew met the challenge brilliantly. graduate. There are also graduates of many universities Let me tell you a little bit about the Class of 2023. As of Nebraska, Drake, Southwest Minnesota State, I write, we have 70 incoming students. That number Minnesota State University Mankato, Iowa, Iowa State, always fluctuates until orientation, and even more and the University of Minnesota (Ski-u-mah, Row the so this year due to a lot of students being forced into Boat, Go Gophers). pilot. While numbers are critical to admission decisions, It remains true that most of our students come from near South Dakota of such as Wayne State, University about coming to campus in the fall. Under the These are the things we know today about the Class circumstances, this is a great number. To accommodate of 2023. It is an exciting group to welcome to campus. social distancing, we will section most classes with half But at least as exciting is all that we do not yet know 12

about them. It will be exciting to get to know these students as individuals and watch them learn and grow in coming years. It is exciting to realize that sitting in the courtroom during orientation are future leaders in practice, innovators in business, state legislators, judges and Supreme Court Justices, and individuals who will change their world in ways that we do not yet know. In my speech welcoming the Class of 2023 I told them that it was imperative for them to realize, if nothing else, that with each passing day the future “will depend a bit more on your generation at a bit less on mine." That is true. These students are our future. How they engage the world is lawyers on a daily basis can make the world little bit better, or little bit worse. Everyone at USD is excited to begin the work of giving them the tools and the inclination to make it a little bit better. There is work to be done in the world, and the Class of 2023 is starting to assemble the tools to do it.

Welcome home Class of 2023, let's get to work!

Statewide Swearing-In Ceremony

The State Bar of South Dakota Young Lawyers Section requests the honor of your presence at the Statewide Swearing-In Ceremony for new South Dakota attorneys

3:00 P.M. Friday, November 6

Please RSVP by October 23rd to Caroline.Srstka@state.sd.us Or (605) 367-5883