Top Best Criminal Defense Lawyers | 33638 Available

Nichole earned her law degree from the University of South Dakota School of Law in 1996, and has been practicing law in the Sioux Falls area ever since. Prior to law school, Nichole attended Augustana College, where she obtained her degree in Government and International Affairs. Nichole is admitted into practice in the State Bar of South Dakota since 1996, and has represented people in cases across the State of South Dakota in matters ranging from felony drug charges to helping people gain custodial and visitation rights. She has been involved in numerous criminal and civil appeals to the South Dakota Supreme Court, and made oral argument to the South Dakota Supreme Court.. Nichole is also admitted to the United States Federal District Court, as well as the United States District Court of Appeals for the Eighth Judicial Circuit. She is also a panel criminal defense attorney for the federal court system, and has represented clients in a wide variety of criminal prosecutions, including illegal entry cases.. Nichole is an active member of the South Dakota Bar Association, where she has participated on various committees and also served as a South Dakota Bar Commissioner. She is a member of the South Dakota Trial Lawyers Association and the South Dakota Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. She is a former President of Women in Law for the Sioux Falls area and is involved in the Second Judicial Circuit Bar Association.. Nichole grew up on beautiful Lake Kampeska in Watertown, South Dakota. She currently lives in Sioux Falls with her husband, two children and three dogs. She and her family enjoy spending time at the lake, movies, and traveling together.

Ken is a South Dakota native who was raised in Rapid City and moved to Sioux Falls in 1999. Ken earned an undergraduate degree in Business Administration from the University of Kansas, and subsequently graduated from law school at KU in 1994. During law school he was selected for the Law Review, won several American Jurisprudence academic Awards, and finished in the top ten percent of his class, earning membership in the Order of the Coif.. After graduation Ken obtained valuable experience as a research attorney for the Kansas Court of Appeals, and also served as the research attorney for the Chief Justice of the Court of Appeals.  Ken returned to South Dakota, and began practicing criminal defense at the Minnehaha County Public Defender’s Office.  After two years, he entered private practice by joining Rhonda Lockwood’s office in Sioux Falls as an associate attorney.  In 2003, Ken opened his own law office, and focused on criminal defense and family law. Now, after twenty-two years working as an attorney, Ken has significant experience handling many types of legal matters.. Today Ken’s practice remains primarily family law and criminal defense.  As part of his family law practice, Ken also handles cases involving adoption and Assisted Reproductive Technology (ARTs).  he has handled many gestational surrogacy matters, including drafting surrogacy contracts and helping intended parents establish legal parentage for children born through surrogacy.  Ken is a member of the ARTs Committee of the Family Law Section of the American Bar Association, and is Of Counsel for two national ARTs groups, the Reproductive Law Center and the International Fertility Law Center.. Ken is licensed to practice in state and federal courts in South Dakota, and also holds licenses in both Kansas and Utah.  He is a member of the South Dakota Trial Lawyers Association, the Second Bar Association, the American Bar Association, and the South Dakota Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.  Ken also serves on the Family Law Committee for the State Bar of South Dakota, and previously served on the Supreme Court’s Committee to Study the Use of Interpreters and Translators in the South Dakota Court System.. Ken and his wife Lisa are the proud parents of four young daughters.

When I was growing up, like every other kid, adults always used to ask me what I wanted to do with my life. A lot of the time I didn’t know what to say or I’d just give a random response. But when I really stopped to think about that question, I knew that I wanted to do something that would help people who faced a difficult time in their life.. From a young age, I was always around law, because my dad was a lawyer. After spending some time with him in his office and talking to him about his job, I realized that I could fulfill my dream of helping people by becoming a lawyer, too.. I grew up in Florida, and became a lawyer in 2003. For a few years, I worked as a public defender in the Florida courthouses. In 2006, my dad and I became business partners.. For the next six years, we spent every day together, fighting for our clients and breaking open the tough cases. It is an incredible experience to work with someone that you love who shares your passion. But, in 2012, I was ready for a new challenge.. In 2012, I moved to Connecticut and joined the team at Ruane Attorneys. Moving away from a law firm where I was a partner and got to work with my dad every day, I didn’t know what to expect at Ruane Attorneys. But, Ruane Attorneys quickly accepted me into their “family”, and I haven’t looked back!. When I moved to Connecticut, I wanted to do more to help people outside of my work. So, I decided to get my yoga teaching certification, and I’ve been teaching yoga ever since. Yoga is a big passion of mine when I’m not working, and teaching is another passion that moving to Connecticut helped me realized.

I was born and raised in Connecticut and have lived here my entire life. I practice primarily criminal defense and personal injury law.