Courtney Presthus

Courtney is a 2010 graduate of the University of North Dakota School of Law in Grand Forks, North Dakota. At Ebeltoft . Sickler . Lawyers, Courtney concentrates her practice within the Litigation Solutions Team, where she maintains an emphasis on Insurance Defense Litigation and Medical Malpractice Defense Litigation. In addition to her litigation practice, Courtney aids clients with real property leasing, guardianship and adoption matters.

Courtney is a graduate of the International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC) Trial Academy, held at the Stanford University School of Law. The IADC Trial Academy is one of the oldest and most well-respected programs for developing trial advocacy skills. Trial Academy is an intensive program that blends faculty instruction and demonstration with student participation and mock-trial presentations. It is designed to give tomorrow's best and brightest attorneys an edge in the courtroom; and it works. Courtney has lead or assisted in several successful civil and criminal trials to jury, a greater number than many of her peers outside the firm.

Prior to her time in law school, Courtney attended college at Dickinson State University, where she graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and a minor in Leadership Studies. While a member of the DSU community, Courtney acted as Regional Barrel Racing Director for the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association and was a member of DSU’s prestigious Theodore Roosevelt Honors and Leadership Program. She currently serves as a board member for the local Domestic Violence and Rape Crisis Center and Stark County Fair Board.

In her spare time, Courtney’s passion is spending time with her horses and traveling to rodeos, which she competes in breakaway roping and barrel racing. Her love for horses began before she could walk, and she has been an active competitor since she was just two years old. Courtney’s love and knowledge for the western way of life endears her to local clients, while her experience and expertise enables her to skillfully represent clients from across the country.

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Practice Areas

Professional Awards and Distinctions
  • 2024 Best Lawyers in America®
  • Prairie Business Magazine’s Top 25 Women in Business
  • North Dakota State Leadership Award from the Defense Research Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 2018
  • Great Plains Super Lawyers® Rising Stars, 2021-2022

Professional Memberships
  • State Bar Association of North Dakota
  • Defense Research Institute
  • American Bar Association
  • North Dakota Defense Lawyers Association
  • Association of Defense Trial Attorneys
  • CLM-Claims and Litigation Management Alliance

Court Admissions
  • United States District Court - North Dakota
  • North Dakota Supreme Court
  • South Dakota Supreme Court
  • United States District Court - South Dakota

Education
  • Bachelor of Science, summa cum laude, Dickinson State University, Psychology, 2007
  • Juris Doctorate, University of North Dakota School of Law, 2010