‘Building something new is an amazing adventure’
PAMELA D. STEINLE opened Steinle Law PLLC in her childhood home in south-central Minnesota on January 1, 2020, with an emphasis on estates, businesses, and barns. After graduating from the University of St. Thomas magna cum laude in 2011, she practiced for several years at the full-service litigation firm Bassford Remele before returning to Watonwan County. Pam currently serves as the president of the St. James Rotary club and teaches in children’s ministries at her church.
Why did you go to go law school?
I had initially pondered law school as an undergraduate at the University of Minnesota, after interning under Wy Spano and Sarah Janecek at their lobbying firm. But I wasn’t confident it was the right choice, and as a Gates Millennium Scholar I had the opportunity to pursue a Masters of Education with a generous scholarship, so I became a 5-12 grade public school teacher. But after a few years, it was apparent my strengths and skills were somewhat mismatched with my job. At the same time, the desire to go to law school remained. So I applied and enrolled at the University of St. Thomas.
You’ve chosen to build your practice in greater Minnesota. What led you there?
I grew up on a farm a few miles north of Butterfield, Minnesota, and graduated from Butterfield-Odin High School in a class of 13 (and two were foreign exchange students). During my 15-year leave of absence, I discovered I had a passion for rural life, and while I vaguely thought I might return some day, it was always a day far in the future. When my mother passed unexpectedly in October 2014, I began questioning whether the obstacles to returning to my hometown were as insurmountable as I had previously believed. Around this same time, I had the joy of connecting with Attorney Jan Zender, who was managing my mother’s estate. Through a series of events, it became clear that the only thing holding me back from becoming a small-town attorney was my fear of the unknown—and that just wasn’t a good enough reason! Over the next few years, I had the opportunity to work closely with Jan at Sunde Olson Kircher & Zender.
Within the past year you’ve started your own firm. How’s the experience been?
Creating and building something new is an amazing adventure. But, like many things in life, this new growth was preceded by significant and unexpected loss. The transition to Steinle Law PLLC was a visual representation of the new independence I had to find after three key women in my life—my mother, Sarah Janecek, and Jan Zender—died unexpectedly at about 60 years of age within a few years of each other. The process was filled with mixed emotions, because I had to leave some safe and good things behind as I moved forward.
That said, overall it has been a very positive experience. I have never been more thankful for the people in my life who have supported me along the way, including my husband Justin, and my mentor Jennifer Gilk—they believed in me on days when I had given up. I am also keenly aware of how very blessed I am to have Bernie, Buck, and Kennedy on my team here at the office. Together, we balance a strong commitment to our clients with an equally strong commitment to our own families. And we have a lot of fun in the process!
You’ve been very involved with bar organizations, including a period as president of the 6th Judicial District. What do you get out of your bar volunteer activity?
One of the biggest challenges to working in greater Minnesota versus downtown Minneapolis was the lack of opportunities to connect with other colleagues outside of my firm. I observed that greater Minnesota is more prone to the phenomenon of legal silos—law firms and lawyers who either do not engage with attorneys outside of their firm, or only engage with attorneys outside their firm who are exactly like them. Being involved with the local bar association challenges me to avoid the security of the echo chamber (the place where everyone agrees with me because they’re just like me) by inviting a diversity of legal perspectives into my practice.
What do you like to do when you’re not working?
I am in the life stage, “attorney with young children.” My husband Justin and I are parenting a six-year old and two-year old, so my nonworking hours are spent watching Fancy Nancy, playing detective, spotting children as they master the monkey bars, and rapping the alphabet with Basho & Friends.