Paul Forster is a Partner in the Bismarck office and a member of the Commercial and Natural Resources Litigation Practice Group. Paul’s practice focuses on energy law, with an emphasis on natural resources litigation and commercial litigation. He regularly advocates for the firm’s energy clients before federal, state, and tribal courts, and also advises clients regarding their business practices and risk mitigation strategies. Paul has handled numerous civil jury trials and bench trials in federal, state, and tribal court, as well as numerous appeals before the North Dakota Supreme Court and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. Areas of significant experience include royalty litigation and defense of class actions; mineral and leasehold title disputes; issues arising under operating agreements, development agreements, and purchase and sale agreements; condemnations and surface damage disputes; energy facility construction disputes; and other complex civil litigation involving the energy industry. Paul also serves as the chair of North Dakota’s Judicial Nominating Committee and represents the state bar association on the Trustees Council of the Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law (formerly the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation).
Prior to joining the firm, Paul, a Bismarck native, completed a clerkship for the Honorable Morton Denlow, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, and also worked in the litigation department of a leading corporate law firm. Paul graduated top in his class from Chicago-Kent College of Law in 2010. He attended college at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, where he earned degrees in mathematics and history.