Stephen F. Rufer is certified as a Civil Trial Specialist by the Minnesota State Bar Association as well as by the National Board of Trial Advocacy.

He joined the law firm in 1974 and has been a partner since 1977. He is a graduate of Fergus Falls High School, was awarded a National Merit Scholarship to attended Macalester College, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and graduated Cum Laude in 1974 from the University of Minnesota Law School. He has been selected numerous times as a Super Lawyer by his peers through the Minnesota Law and Politics magazine survey, and has been named as a leading Minnesota attorney by American Research Institute.

Steve's practice is general, but his chief area of practice is civil litigation. He has tried a wide variety of cases, involving both personal injury and commercial, property, and other disputes. He has achieved settlements for clients in excess of one million dollars on several occasions. He has been involved in a variety of legal areas, including probate, estates and wills; construction; real estate; public utility law; municipal corporations (with a focus of townships and schools), corporation and partnership law, business and employment litigation, and aviation and transportation law. He served from 1992 to 1999 on the Governing Council of the MSBA Section on Civil Litigation, and In 1996-97 served as Chair of the section. He served on the MSBA Civil Litigation Jury Task force from 1994 to 1996. He has served as the publications committee co-chair for the Minnesota Trial Lawyers Association. He was served on the MTLA Board of Governors from 1996 - 2006. He is a member of the Academy of Certified Trial Lawyers of Minnesota and was elected to its Board of Governors in 1996, where he also continues to serve.

He serves as a neutral for both arbitration and mediation, and is on the panel of arbitrators of the American Arbitration Association. He was selected to serve on the panel of arbitrators for the Prudential Insurance mass litigation appeals process, deciding dozens of appeals by policyholders. He serves as a panel member of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association legal services plan. Steve is board chair of Lake Region Hospital Corporation and director and past president of Communicating for America, Inc., a rural advocacy group. Steve is past president of the Otter Tail County Historical Society and the Otter Tail County Bar Association and is a member of the Minnesota State Bar Association, American Bar Association, Lawyer/Pilots Bar Association, Minnesota Trial Lawyers Association, American Trial Lawyers Association, and Academy of Certified Trial Lawyers of Minnesota. He is an Eagle Scout and is involved in Boy Scouts (where he currently serves as District Finance Chair), Peace United Methodist Church, and Kiwanis (past president), and has served on the Fergus Area College Foundation board and the regional board of KCCM-Minnesota Public Radio and on the board of Pioneer Public TV. He is past-president and current board member of Fergus Falls Center for the Arts. He is a trustee of the Roger and Agnes Dell Charitable Trust.

Steve is a licensed commercial pilot and certified flight instructor. He holds these FAA pilot ratings: Commercial pilot, single and multi-engine land, single-engine sea, and instruments; Certified flight instructor, single and multi-engine and instruments; Ground instructor. Steve¹s hobbies include travel, bicycling, and camping. He is married to Sandy Rufer, an American Sign Language interpreter, and has three grown children. Steve has testified before the U.S. House Ways and Means committee on rural health care issues, and he has served on the Region 3 Minnesota Health Care Coordinating Board. He has been a regular Continuing Education Lecturer.

1. Civil Trial Specialist both by the Minnesota State Bar Association, 1994.

2. Civil Trial Specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocacy, 1995.

Oct. 25, 2000 "Expert Witnesses: How to Select and Use Them," Minnesota Continuing Legal Education, Minneapolis

January 28, 1999 "Town Contracting Procedures" Minnesota. Assn. of Townships Legal Seminar and Annual Town Officers Seminar, St. Paul

December 4, 1998 "Mistakes Mediators Make," panel, Minnesota Institute of Legal Education, Minneapolis

May 19, 1998 "How to Evaluate a Personal Injury Case," Minnesota Continuing Legal Education, Minneapolis

April 20, 1998 "Expert Witnesses: How to Select and Use Them," Minnesota Continuing Legal Education, Minneapolis

January 23, 1998 "Attorney-Client Relationships: Conflict of Interest," Minnesota. Assn. of Townships Legal Seminar and Annual Town Officers Seminar, Alexandria

April 17, 1997 "Jury Questionnaires," Minnesota Institute of Legal Education, Medical Malpractice Seminar, Minneapolis

March 31, 1997 "Town Road Issues," Township Officers Short Course, Detroit Lakes

January, 1997 "Special Assessment Procedures, " Minnesota Assn. of Townships Legal Seminar and Annual Town Officers Seminar, St. Paul

November 22, 1996 "Litigating Arbitration Issues," Annual Civil Litigation Institute, Minnesota Continuing Legal Education, Minneapolis

June 12, 1996 "Evidence Destruction and Restoration," Minnesota CLE seminar on CyberDiscovery, Minneapolis

April 1, 1996 "Cartway and Fence Law," Township Officers Short Course, Detroit Lakes

January, 1996 "Land Use Planning," Minnesota Assn. of Townships Legal Seminar and Annual Town Officers Seminar, St. Paul

November, 1995 "Land Use Planning," Minnesota Assn. of Townships Annual Meeting and Educational Conference, St. Paul

January, 1995 "Attorney-Client Conflict of Interest," Minnesota Assn. Of Townships Legal Seminar and Annual Town Officers Seminar, St. Paul

December, 1994 "Alternative Dispute Resolution," Annual Civil Litigation Institute, Minnesota Continuing Legal Education, Minneapolis

March , 1994 " Town Road Issues," Township Officers Short Course

January, 1994 "Administering and Enforcing Zoning Ordinances," Minnesota Assn. of Townships Legal Seminar and Annual Town Officers Seminar

March, 1993 "Open Meeting Law," Township Officers Short Course

July, 1992 "Open Meeting Law," Minnesota Hospital Association Trustee Conference

March, 1992 "Municipal Contract Law," Township Officers Short Course

January, 1992 "Town Fire Contracts; Fair Labor Standards Act," Minnesota Assn. of Townships Legal Seminar and Annual Town Officers Seminar

January, 1992 "Pesticide Damage Litigation," Minnesota Continuing Legal Education Agricultural Law Seminar

January, 1991 "Land Use Law Special Use Permits," Minnesota Assn. of Townships Legal Seminar

1. Hellermann v. Sunderman, 1992 WL 350289 (Minn.App., Dec. 1, 1992)(NO. C8-92-821)

2. Maroney v. Peterson, 1992 WL 15577 (Minn.App., Feb. 4, 1992) (NO. C2-91-1386)

3. Hough Transit, Ltd. v. National Farmers Organization, 472 N.W.2d 358, 1991-1 Trade Cases P 69,469 (Minn.App., Jun 25, 1991) (NO. C1-90-2700)

4. Hegerle v. Hegerle, 355 N.W.2d 726 (Minn.App., Sep 18, 1984) (NO. C5-84-97)

5. Alexandria Lake Coalition Inc. v. Douglas County, 348 N.W.2d 369 (Minn.App., May 15, 1984) (NO. C1-83-1222)

6. Koons v. National Family Ins. Co., 301 N.W.2d 550 (Minn., Jan 09, 1981) (NO. 50884)

7. P.M.B. v. Anderson et al, 61 Fed 3d 908 (8th Cir. 1995).

8. Storm v. Swike, 1995 WL 365368 (Minn.App. 1995)

9. Lindquist v. Liebl, 1996 WL 162565 (Minn.App. 1996)

10. D.E.M. v. North Star, 555 N.W.2d 596 (N.D. 1996)

11. Hindt v. Hindt, 1998 W.L. 799167 (Minn.App. 1998)

12. Jenson v. Dept. of Econ. Security, 617 N.W.2d 627 (Minn.App.2000)

13. Westrom v. MN Dept. of Labor and Industry, 686 N.W.2d 27 (2004)

14. Anderson v. State, Dept. of Natural Resources, 693 N.W.2d 181 (2005)

1. "ADR in Minnesota." Minnesota Bench and Bar, February, 1995

2. "Crossing the Red: Minnesota Trial Lawyer magazine, Fall, 1995.