Justin Hagel is an associate attorney in our Bismarck office. His main practice areas are municipal law, collections and commercial litigation. He currently serves as the City Attorney for the City of Lincoln, North Dakota and the City of Glen Ullin, North Dakota. As City Attorney, Justin has defended municipalities from civil claims, revised employee manuals and created and updated employment policies, participated in employment investigations, and drafted multiple resolutions and ordinances, including the adopted Home Rule Charter of the City of Lincoln. Justin has broad experience on legal issues related to city governance including taxation, employment law, civil litigation, contract review, and compliance with North Dakota open meetings and open records laws.

Justin is a 2014 magna cum laude graduate of the University of North Dakota School of Law and earned the distinction of being elected to the Order of the Coif. While there, Justin served as the editor in chief of the North Dakota Law Review and served as a legislative intern for both the North Dakota Senate Finance and Taxation Committee and Senate Transportation Committee. He previously interned in the office of Justice Ralph Erickson of the United States District Court of North Dakota. After graduation, he served as the law clerk to Chief Justice Gerald W. VandeWalle of the North Dakota Supreme Court.

Before attending law school, Justin graduated magna cum laude from the University of North Dakota with a bachelor of arts degree in political science and honors studies. His work experience includes an internship with the U.S.D.A.’s Foreign Agriculture Service Office located in Shanghai, China, constituent legislative correspondent for Senator Byron Dorgan in Washington, DC, and later served as a legislative aide for both Congresswoman Nancy Boyda (KS-02) and Congressman Bart Stupak (MI-01).

Justin is originally from Napoleon, North Dakota, and spends his spare time in Bismarck curling, brewing and perfecting his culinary skills.

Admitted to Practice

• North Dakota
• Montana
• U.S. District Court District of North Dakota
• Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals