Lee Schoenbeck
Lee is certified as a Civil Trial Specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Only about 25 attorneys in South Dakota have achieved this designation. To be certified in this specialty, the attorney must meet rigorous requirements for jury trial experience, pass a written exam, and pass a peer review, which is done by confidential references from other attorneys and from judges within the state.
Lee grew up in Webster, South Dakota. He practices primarily in the areas of personal injury litigation, insurance litigation, commercial litigation, and professional negligence. In March of 2002, in a personal injury case involving a back injury, Lee obtained a verdict of $300,000 from a Day County, South Dakota jury. In 1997, in an insurance fraud case, Lee obtained a verdict of $559,507.20 from a Roberts County, South Dakota jury. In 1998, in an underinsurance suit, Lee obtained a verdict of $600,000 from a Marshall Country jury. All three verdicts were the largest in the history of each county.
Lee is a 1980 Augustana College graduate and a 1984 graduate of the University of South Dakota School of Law. He was the States Attorney for Day County from 1985-1989. In 1995, Lee was elected to a two year term in the State Senate representing three and one-half counties in northeast South Dakota. Lee also served in the South Dakota State Senate from 2003 through 2006, serving as a leader of the state senate the last two years.
Lee is licensed to practice in the State of South Dakota, the Federal District Court for the District of South Dakota, and the Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribal Court. He is a member of the South Dakota Trial Lawyers Association (SDTLA) and the American Association for Justice (AAJ).
Lee is active in Knights of Columbus, Scouting, and many activities geared toward youth. He is also a member of Rotary, Ducks Unlimited, South Dakota Right to Life, National Rifle Association, Elks, Dakota Sportsmen, and the Izaak Walton League.
Lee is a regular guest lecturer for the Insurance Law class at the University of South Dakota School of Law. His lectures focus on the intricacies of insurance litigation, and how to prepare and handle those cases.
Because of Schoenbeck Law's reputation for representing people who have been injured, in September of 2003, Attorney Schoenbeck and his paralegal, Dixie Riter, were selected to be presenters at the South Dakota Trial Lawyers Association Fall Seminar. The theme for the seminar was "Subrogation and Reimbursement Issues: Alleviating the Insurer's Windfall and Protecting the Rights of the Client/Insured".