BRETT KOENECKE was raised in Clear Lake, SD. His family tree is deeply rooted in South Dakota, both sides of his family having homesteaded in Deuel County prior to statehood. He is proud to be a fourth generation graduate of Clear Lake High School. He went on to South Dakota State University, where he earned a B.S., with honors, in Economics. He earned a J.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, in December 1994, and has been in private practice in Pierre since 1995.

Brett is a member of the State Bar of South Dakota and the State Bar of Wisconsin. He is admitted to practice before the courts of the State of South Dakota, the District of South Dakota, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, the State of Wisconsin, the Western District of Wisconsin, and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe.

Brett has a general practice, but focused on business affairs. His areas of practice include transactions, business and estate planning and probate matters. He is a longtime activist in the Pierre Economic Development Corporation, and has helped that organization successfully relocate several businesses to the Pierre area.

Brett's practice also includes lobbying before the South Dakota legislature. He has extensive experience in that arena, having worked on behalf of many clients to both propose and oppose legislation. His work can be found in several titles of the South Dakota code. He represents the Community Financial Services Association, the Design Professionals Coalition, and the South Dakota Nurses Association before the legislature.

Brett is a member of the South Dakota Synod Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Brett Koenecke