It's been almost 25 years since he graduated from law school, and Bismarck trial lawyer Lawrence Klemin is ready to share the tools he's developed in the practice of law. Klemin has spent more than five years updating a comprehensive set of materials for use in the practice of civil law in North Dakota.
The three-volume set of forms and checklists for lawyers and legal assistants is geared to a civil practice and includes materials on a wide range of actions. Civil Practice in North Dakota was originally published by Leonard H. Bucklin in 1975 as a single volume. Klemin found it a useful tool as he began his practice, and tailored forms and checklists to meet his practice. From that experience, he moved to a revision and updating of the work, which was expanded to three volumes.
"This is the practical guide for things you didn't learn in law school," Klemin said. He said the volumes would assist new lawyers opening a practice and would be a good starting point for the development of forms tailored to a specific practice. Because of the number of areas covered, the volumes would be especially helpful to lawyers with a general practice, but are also useful to all lawyers with a civil trial practice.
Materials provided in the new three-volume set include forms and checklists for pleadings, discovery and case management. The work includes more than 700 pages of forms.
The volumes will be updated on an annual basis, said Klemin. The volumes are published by Litigation Services, Inc., a corporation set up by Klemin for that purpose.
Klemin is a State Representative, representing District 47 in Bismarck. Before attending law school in the 1970's, he was an unemployment insurance appeals referee with the North Dakota Employment Security Bureau, now Job Service North Dakota, and held several thousand appeal hearings.
Further information on the books can be found on Klemin's website – www.bkmpc.com/ls/. He can be contacted at (701) 258-8988 or LitigationServices@bkmpc.com.
November 22, 2002