Stermer & Sellner, Chtd. Continues Solid Tradition of Legal Service to Community

“The time was right to join forces,“ said Stermer who will be assuming management responsibilities for the newly reorganized firm.  “It is great to have such a good working relationship with highly respected attorneys like John Sellner and Don Maland who have done so much for this community,” he added.

Stermer said the new firm is committed to carrying on the same “solid, quality representation” offered by Don Maland, who is now officially retiring from the practice of law.  A native of Blue Earth, Minnesota, Maland practiced law for 56 years. He received his B.A. cum laude from St. Olaf College in 1952 and his J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1955. He was admitted to the bar in Minnesota in 1957 after serving in the United States Army. He joined Prindle, Maland, Sellner in 1959 where he specialized in the areas of Real Estate Law, Estate Planning, Wills/Trusts, Probate, and Business Law.

We have some new attorneys that can help carry on Don Maland’s ethic of hard work and diligent service to clients and the community, “ Stermer said.  “We are excited to be bringing  attorneys Andrew Hodny and Krystal Lynne together to carry on the traditions he embodied.”   Andrew Hodny practices in the areas of criminal law, family law, business law and contracts, real estate and probate. Krystal Lynne, a Montevideo native, practices in the areas of criminal law, bankruptcy law, family law, and civil litigation in both state and federal court.

John Sellner will continue to work at the firm and bring the same steady hand he has brought to the practice since he first joined more than 39 years ago. Sellner is a 1972 graduate of St. John’s University (B.A. cum laude in Philosophy) and a 1976 graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School (J.D. magna cum laude).  He fell in love with Montevideo after he was offered a job at the firm shortly after graduating from law school and he has dedicated his life to the community ever since, serving on the school board for 21 years and as one of the founding members of the Montevideo Foundation board of directors.  “It is great to have new energy in the firm and to be able to help things evolve in this positive way,” said Sellner. John Sellner is a certified real property specialist, and maintains a busy probate & estate practice, together with handling business matters for his clients.

Stermer has worked in western Minnesota as an attorney for the past 24 years after graduating with distinction from Hamline University in 1991.  Stermer has tried cases at both the Minnesota Supreme Court and the Minnesota Court of Appeals and he has been  appointed as a United States Chapter 7 Panel Bankruptcy Trustee for the District of Minnesota.  After working with Sellner for several years, Stermer left to create his own firm, Stermer Law, in 2010.  “It is great to come full circle back to the place where I started in Montevideo,” Stermer said.