Attorneys of the Year: Peter J. Rademacher

St. Paul attorney Peter Rademacher’s impact on Minnesota’s legal profession is turning out to be a boon for tribal courts within the state.

This past September, the Minnesota Supreme Court amended Rule 10 of General Rules of Practice, which clarifies the procedures for District Courts to recognize tribal court orders and judgments. And Rademacher, who practices Indian law at Hogen Adams PLC, spearheaded the campaign — helping win the changes nearly 15 years after the state Supreme Court first adopted a version that gave district courts significant discretion but limited guidance, causing confusion and delays in the recognition process.

In 2015, a year after graduating from William Mitchell College of Law; Rademacher began helping draft the latest proposal and eventually got more than three dozen district court judges and other entities on board supporting the Rule 10 amendments, said Jeffrey Bryan, a Ramsey County district judge and a member with Rademacher on the Minnesota Tribal Court/ State Court Forum. “Without his work, the Supreme Court would not have amended Rule 10.”

The Rule 10 amendments are expected to, among other things, enable Minnesota state courts to better protect tribal sovereignty and due process of law, Bryan said.

Rademacher said it was a team effort in winning the Rule 10 amendments. “It was time to adopt a more robust rule for tribal courts,” he said. “We supported that with testimony on how well the tribal courts are run. I see it [the amended Rule 10] as a victory for all of Indian country and the state of Minnesota.”