For the past three decades, Rock County residents elected Don Klosterbuer as county attorney.
For more than half of those years, Jeff Haubrich served as an assistant county attorney.
On Monday, Jan. 7, the roles were reversed when District Judge Terry Vajgrt swore in Haubrich as the county’s first new county attorney in 32 years.
“I don’t expect there to be much change,” Haubrich said. “I hope to keep the work and general approach of the office fairly consistent with what it has been.”
Haubrich moved to Luverne and began a general law practice in 2001 with Klosterbuer’s firm. The two have since formed Klosterbuer and Haubrich, LLP.
“We are and always have been a part-time county attorney’s office,” Haubrich said. “There are not as many of those left as there once were, but in smaller counties it still can make sense.”
When not handling prosecution of the county’s adult and juvenile offenders, offering civil and litigation advice to county officials and initiating child protection services, Haubrich and Klosterbuer continue to operate a private general law practice.
Haubrich opened a branch office in his hometown of Pipestone, but his new county attorney duties have prompted Haubrich to close that office effective Jan. 31.
“With the difficulty of staffing attorney’s offices in Greater Minnesota, it is tough to have enough time and enough attorneys to get everything done. The work here has to be the top priority,” he said.
Klosterbuer and Haubrich are currently searching for another attorney to join the office. Previous attorney Dana Hoffman accepted a position in Sioux Falls with the public defender’s office.
Plans are to have the new attorney take over the assistant county attorney position from Klosterbuer, who was appointed by Haubrich and confirmed by commissioners at their Jan. 8 meeting.
“I’m hopeful we can add an attorney or two at the firm and carry on the practice in addition to the county attorney work,” Haubrich said.
“The biggest change is you may see some new faces in the coming years to supplement what we are doing.”
Becoming an attorney was a longtime aspiration for the Pipestone High School graduate.
After high school, he attended St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota, receiving a bachelor’s degree in government.
However, he postponed his aspirations to become a lawyer.
“I had a pre-law type idea in undergrad but I was tired of school by the end of college and wanted to go to work,” Haubrich said.
He was hired as the assistant city administrator in Red Wing and three years later began night classes at William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul.
He passed the bar in the spring of 2000, later moving to Luverne and assuming the assistant county attorney position in December 2001.
Haubrich and his wife, JoDee, have four children, Dylan, Sierra, Madeleine and Colton.