Legal Services & Lawyers

Mark Ekse - Registered Patent Attorney and Member of the State Bar of South Dakota.


Mark founded the Ekse Law Firm as South Dakota's own intellectual property law resource. Prior to founding the firm he worked in a variety of engineering and business development roles for Rockwell-Collins, in advanced technology development for Motorola, was in private practice specializing in intellectual property law, and most recently was the Chief Technology Officer and In-House Counsel for Communication Service for the Deaf, Inc.

Education:
BSEE, South Dakota State University, 1988
MBA, St. Ambrose University, 1998
JD, University of South Dakota School of Law, 2002 Sterling Honors

Teaching:
Adjunct Professor, University of South Dakota School of Law
Patent Law: Fall 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008
Intellectual Property Law: Spring 2007, 2009 (scheduled)

Memberships:
American Bar Association, ABA Intellectual Property Section, American Intellectual Property Law Association, IEEE


Presentations and Interviews:
Copyright and Fair Use: USD Center for Instructional Development and Delivery 2002
Copyright in Education: USD Center for Instructional Development and Delivery 2004
Fundamentals of Intellectual Property: American Society of Mechanical Engineers (Omaha) 2004
Real ROI: A Sign of the Times: CRM Monthly 2006
Uniform Numbering Systems for VRS : FCC & North American Numbering Counsel 2006
E911 Solutions for Internet Protocol Relay: Federal Communications Commission 2006
Telecommunications Solutions - VRS Numbering: Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions 2006

Daniel Brendtro grew up in rural South Dakota on his family's farm that produced purebred hogs. During his law education Daniel received many honors and was at the top of his class. Since his education he has focused his legal career on commercial and general civil cases.

Dan resides in Sioux Falls with his wife Jennifer, where they have three children and an assortment of animal life including the loving family dog. Dan is a committed fan to Hoyas Basketball and participates in many activities including carpentry, running, hiking, reading, managing his fantasy football team, coaching, and playing cards.

Dan also pens a weekly column on current legal issues for readers of the South Dakota newspapers.

Growing up on a farm Jeff Cole understood how hard it was to be a farmer so he decided he wanted to fight for farmers to get their fair share in our legal system and became a lawyer. Since he decided to become a lawyer he has a diverse career but now mainly focuses on trials and litigation. He has tried 7 cases to the South Dakota Supreme Court and one case to the US Court of Appeals. He has even won a US Supreme Court Case where he was trial counsel.

Born and raised in Parker, South Dakota lawyer Drew Duncan graduated from Parker High School in 1994. From there he went to the University of Nebraska in Lincoln and then got his law degree from the University of South Dakota School of Law. After a year as a clerk for the 5th circuit judges of South Dakota he joined Zimmer, Duncan and Cole. At Zimmer, Duncan and Cole he has specialized in governmental affairs law and civil litigation.

Drew is married to his beautiful wife Carrie and they have two children together Olivia and Bennett. Drew loves outdoor activities and being a member of his community.

Bret Merkle has been representing injured people since 1991. Bret is a trial attorney specializing in the area of bodily injury and insurance claims. He graduated with a law degree and an MBA degree, and is a staff instructor with the Gerry Spence Trial Lawyers College. Bret has obtained justice for his clients through negotiated settlements, mediation, arbitration, court trials and jury trials for hundreds of people over the years. Bret and his staff are personable and easy to work relieving the stress from tragic accidents and losses.