John Fossum

John Fossum brings thirty years of extensive experience leading, conducting, and supporting all phases of litigation in federal and state courts. He is recognized as a legal leader, subject matter expert, and influential advisor. John has provided advice and counsel on a variety of legal aspects combining the highest standards of integrity with responsiveness and compassion to deliver remarkable results.

John has practiced law in Minnesota since 1993, and has a background in criminal defense, prosecution and civil law. He spent 15 years teaching business law, criminal law, and ethics online and in-person. From 2007 to 2008, John functioned as a Criminal Justice Advisor for the Justice Sector Support Program in Afghanistan. He educated the Afghan police and prosecutors in the use of Afghan criminal law, constitutional law, and criminal procedures.

In 2015-2022, John served as the elected County Attorney for Rice County. embarked on a new journey serving as the elected Attorney and General Counsel for Rice County. He served as Chief Prosecutor for the county leading all prosecutions ranging from speeding tickets to murder cases.

John holds a Juris Doctorate in Law from William Mitchell College of Law and a Bachelor of Arts in Speech and Communications from Macalester College. He is also an MSBA Board Certified Criminal Law Specialist and was selected to the list of Super Lawyers for Criminal Defense. John holds numerous Bar Admissions including the Supreme Court of Minnesota, 1993, the United States District Court, District of Minnesota, 1993, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, 1996, United States Supreme Court, 2005, and Special Tribunal for Lebanon, The Hague, Netherlands, 2010. He was a member of the Northfield School Board from 2011 to 2014. John is a member of the MSBA Criminal Certification Board.