Quality of life and community involvement influenced the newest Rock County assistant attorney to step away from a prestigious law firm to join the two-attorney firm of Klosterbuer and Haubrich in Luverne.
Rock County commissioners recently approved David Owens to assist County Attorney Jeff Haubrich. Don Klosterbuer had been filling the position due to a recent vacancy.
Owens spent four years working for the Traynor Law Firm in Devils Lake, North Dakota. He was one of five attorneys working at the firm.
During his time there, one partner was named a judge to the district court bench and President Trump appointed another partner as a federal judge.
Owens said he wasn’t interested in following his colleagues’ footsteps.
“The bigger firms seem glamorous to most attorneys, but the ‘billable’ requirements can be oppressive and can cut into time where you can actually join friends and family,” he said.
“I was more or less fully autonomous in my last position, and I didn’t want to give that up.”
After leaving the Traynor firm earlier this year, Owens and his fiancée Nicole moved to Brandon, where they purchased a house they share with their two rescue dogs.
Owens spent the majority of his childhood in Grand Forks, North Dakota, where his now-retired military father was last stationed.
Both of his parents were from Alabama, which influenced Owens’ selection of the University of North Alabama in Florence after high school.
He graduated with a degree in choral music/performance/composition.
Pursuing a law career was not originally planned.
“Frankly it was sort of an impulsive decision,” he said. “After graduating with a music degree I had no idea what to do.”
While in college, Owens assisted a small law firm with social security disability claims. That and an interest in American history (Owens is an avid reader) seeded the idea of becoming a lawyer.
After taking the LSAT, he chose to return to Grand Forks and attend the University of North Dakota School of Law.
“UND was the most cost-effective, and everyone takes the same bar exam anyway,” Owens said.
He was hired by the Traynor Law Firm in 2016 and worked a variety of cases. But two areas, adoptions and aiding vulnerable adults, quickly became his favorite cases.
“(They) were the most fulfilling by far. Adoptions are one of the only types of cases where everyone leaves the courtroom happy — at least on a state level,” he said.
In Rock County Owens will also handle a variety of cases with focus on child protection, juvenile delinquency, child support and adult mental health commitments.
He will also assist with adult criminal matters and provide legal assistance to the county’s small cities when assigned.
He settled into the new county position in early March and set out learning the nuances of the Minnesota courtroom. He was ready to step into the new role just as the coronavirus began postponing court appointments.
“It was business as usual until it wasn’t,” he said. “It has been difficult, but I think it has been for everybody.”
For the past three months court hearings have been delayed, and the courthouse itself is less accessible to attorneys.
Zoom meetings and emails replaced most in-person hearings, but as new coronavirus precautions are put into place, in-person hearings are being rescheduled.
Owens said he’s ready to embrace his new position as more face-to-face meetings are completed.
“I view the position as one of public service and occasionally one of an educator,” he said. “There is definitely the traditional role of ‘enforcing law and order’ efficiently and effectively through prosecution and close work with law enforcement, but also by the utilization of the legal system to facilitate appropriate community interventions and development.”
Those interactions can include revisions of ordinances or codes and safeguarding an individual’s rights when handling placement cases.
“My role is to assist in the preservation of and participation in the process meant to safeguard those rights,” he said.
Owens also sets time aside for his love of music by attending local as well as regional events and concerts. His move to South Dakota and acceptance of a job in Luverne means less time on the road to get to events when compared to living in North Dakota.
“(I) don’t have to spend two days in a vehicle to do so,” he said. “I enjoy my windshield time, but there are limits.”
Owens joined the Luverne Rotary and will soon transfer his membership to the local Masonic Lodge.
“I am excited and look forward to being a part of this community,” he said.