UND Law -
Serving the Public and Shaping State and Local Government Graduates of the UND School of Law can be found at every level of state and local government in North Dakota. Like North Dakota, UND School of Law has a rich tradition of encouraging public service. The dedicated service of our alumni in the public sector is one of the most significant contributions that the law school makes to the well-being of our citizens. “Lawyers are uniquely trained and qualified” to serve in every level of government, said North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem, “and it is the duty of the legal profession to encourage involvement in elected positions.” As Justice VandeWalle noted, UND law graduates have held and continue to hold leadership positions in each of the state’s three branches of government.
The Judicial Branch UND law graduates form the core of North Dakota’s justice system: 4 out of 5 North Dakota Supreme Court Justices are graduates of UND School of Law, as are 36 of the 42 district judges throughout the state.
Photo: Gail Hagerty, Chief Judge of the South Central Judicial District, is a 1978 graduate of the UND School of Law.
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Gail Hagerty, Chief Judge of the South Central Judicial District, became interested in public service while still in law school, and has pursued that interest throughout her career. “As a law student, I had the opportunity to intern in both the Grand Forks and Burleigh County State’s Attorneys offices. That experience allowed me to discover an interest in trial work and criminal law. I had an opportunity to work in Bismarck during a legislative session, and learned a great deal about the legislative process. Those experiences, coupled with my academic work at