Nick focuses his practice on estate planning, pension and profit-sharing law, and taxation. Before joining the firm, he was an instructor at the Stanford University Law School. A 1965 graduate of Lawrence College, Nick received his law degree with honors from the University of Chicago in 1968. He served on the board of editors of the University of Chicago Law Review.

He is an elected member of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and has served as the group’s North Dakota chair. He has also served as president of the Red River Valley Estate Planning Council and the Cass County Bar Association. He was also a member of the Judicial Nominating Committee for the State of North Dakota. In addition, Nick frequently presents seminars on estate planning.

Nick grew up in a family of lawyers in Fargo. He and his wife, Ene, still live close to their old neighborhoods. He is involved with local cultural activities. Nick is an avid tennis player and enjoys traveling.

Honors and Distinctions

• “The Best Lawyers in America”, in Tax Law and Trusts and Estates, Woodward/White, 1989 – 2021, 2024
• “The Best Lawyers in America”, in Tax Law and Trusts and Estates, Woodward/White, 2025 
• Best Lawyers, Lawyer of the Year, in Tax Law and Trusts and Estates, Woodward/White, 2025
• Great Plains Super Lawyer®, Thomson Reuters, 2007 – 2018
• AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated from Martindale-Hubbell

Memberships

• Cass County Bar Association
• American College of Probate Counsel
• American College of Trust and Estate Counsel
• Red River Valley Estate Planning Council

Community Involvement

• Fargo-Moorhead Symphony
• Lake Agassiz Kiwanis
• Fargo Public Schools’ Foundation

Admitted to Practice

• North Dakota, 1968
• U.S. Court of Appeals 8th Circuit, 1988
• U.S. Federal Courts, 1969