About Us
Our Dedicated Team of Attorneys
Steven D. Mottinger
Steven D. Mottinger is a partner with Johnson Mottinger & Greenwood. He concentrates his legal practice in the area of criminal defense. For over 35 years, he has handled every type of criminal case, from lower level misdemeanor cases all the way to murder cases. In addition to his private practice, Steve has been a contract indigent defense attorney in Cass County, ND in several different capacities since 1983. In the past 35 years, he has handled numerous jury trials in both state and federal court. Steve lives in Casselton, North Dakota. In his spare time, he enjoys hunting and fishing.
Education
- St. John’s University (B.A. 1974)
- William Mitchell College of Law (J.D. 1979)
Professional Experience
- Associate with W.L. Eckes, Beach, North Dakota (1979-1980)
- Montana Legal Services, Staff Attorney, Wolf Point, Montana (1980-1981)
- Kraemer Law Firm, Fargo, North Dakota (1981-1983)
- Mottinger Law Office, Fargo, North Dakota (1983-2001)
- Johnson Mottinger & Greenwood PLLP, Fargo, North Dakota (Since 2001)
Jay Greenwood
Practice Areas
After law school, Jay moved back to Dickinson and worked as Law Clerk for Judges Schmalenberger, Hilden and Anderson of the Southwest Judicial District. Then, when North Dakota opened the doors to its first Public Defender’s Offices in 2006, Jay began with that entity in its Dickinson office. He practiced there until moving to West Fargo in 2013.
Jay continues to receive criminal and juvenile contract cases from the Commission to date. His primary practice areas include Criminal Defense, Child Custody, Guardianship, Mental Health and Juvenile Law. He is admitted to practice in North Dakota and Minnesota as well as the United States District Court, District of North Dakota.
Jay is a member of the North Dakota Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. He serves on the Caseflow Management Committee and Caseflow Management Workgroup as well. Jay and his wife, Shanna, live in West Fargo with their three children, Max, Lucy, and Ollie and their bulldog Gwen. During the warmer months, you can find them camping, fishing, exercising or spending time with friends and family.
Throughout the law school, Jared was an intern at the Hubbard County (Minnesota) Attorney’s Office, as well as the Cass and Grand Forks County State’s Attorney’s Offices. Following law school, Jared spent one year as a judicial law clerk for nine judges of North Dakota’s East Central Judicial District in Fargo, where he researched various legal issues, prepared memorandums, and drafted orders for judges on a daily basis.
Jared served as the Fargo City Prosecutor and Assistant City Attorney before joining the firm as an associate in March 2015. He has extensive knowledge in a wide variety of legal services but handles the majority of the firm’s domestic law including:
- Divorce
- Adoption
- Child support
- Child custody
Jared is contracted to handle all of the mental health and chemical dependency commitment cases throughout Cass County. He is licensed to practice law in both North Dakota and Minnesota. Jared lives in Moorhead with his wife, Tracy, and their golden retriever, Maya.