ABST Law

What ABST Law does

ABST Law (legal name: Anderson, Bottrell, Sanden & Thompson, P.C.) is a Fargo, North Dakota-based full-service law firm founded in 1981 by Richard P. Anderson. The firm delivers legal services across 18 distinct practice areas spanning commercial litigation, banking, bankruptcy, construction litigation, corporate and commercial transactions, real estate, agriculture, family law, estate planning and probate, trust and estate litigation, labor and employment, insurance, landlord-tenant, transportation, debtor-creditor, contract law, and general civil litigation.

The firm serves a heterogeneous client base of businesses and individuals throughout North Dakota, Minnesota, and South Dakota, with attorneys licensed in both state and federal courts across all three jurisdictions. Its core technology stack is minimal — there is no proprietary software platform, and the only technology product is a SOC 2 Type 1-certified third-party payment portal (secure.lawpay.com) used for client invoicing. Service delivery is built on individual attorney expertise and credentials, including multiple AV Preeminent-rated attorneys, Super Lawyers designations, and former judicial clerkships.

ABST Law operates a traditional professional services revenue model based on hourly billing for legal counsel, with monthly invoicing cadence and quote-based engagement terms. Go-to-market is sales-led via direct attorney-client engagement, professional referrals, and bar association community presence rather than marketing-led acquisition. The firm employs approximately 14+ attorneys (shareholders and associates) plus paralegals and administrative staff, and maintains active hiring pipelines for associate and paralegal roles, suggesting ongoing organic capacity expansion.

Name

ABST Law

Legal name

Anderson, Bottrell, Sanden & Thompson, P.C.

Website

https://abstlaw.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Short description

ABST Law is a Fargo, North Dakota-based full-service law firm founded in 1981, delivering legal services across 18 practice areas to businesses and individuals throughout North Dakota, Minnesota, and South Dakota via traditional hourly billing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Offices of Lawyers (54111), Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Real Estate & Construction Law (BPAHAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Bankruptcy, Restructuring & Insolvency Law (BPAHAAAH), Employment & Labor Law (BPAHAAAD), Collections, Arrears Management & Debt Enforcement (BPAIADAD)

Keywords

• Commercial litigation
• Family law services
• Estate planning
• Corporate legal counsel
• Agricultural law

Headquarters

HQ city

Fargo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Hourly Billing: Traditional law firm billing model based on hourly rates for legal services including consultation, representation, document preparation, litigation, and transactions. Clients include businesses and individuals seeking legal counsel in various practice areas.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

ABST Law is a Fargo, North Dakota-based full-service law firm providing legal counsel across 18 practice areas, including commercial litigation, banking, bankruptcy, construction litigation, corporate law, family law, estate planning and probate, real estate, agriculture law, labor and employment, and trust and estate litigation. The firm represents businesses of all sizes, financial institutions, agricultural operators, and individuals/families throughout North Dakota, Minnesota, and South Dakota.

Product overview

ABST Law is a full-service law firm offering comprehensive legal services through 18 distinct practice areas. The firm's service portfolio includes core litigation services (commercial, construction, civil, trust and estate litigation) alongside transactional practices (banking, bankruptcy, commercial transactions, corporate law, real estate). The firm also provides specialized practice areas covering family law, estate planning and probate, labor and employment, landlord-tenant law, agriculture law, insurance law, transportation law, contract law, and debtor-creditor law. The firm serves clients throughout North Dakota, Minnesota, and South Dakota with attorneys licensed in state and federal courts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Agriculture Law Legal services for farmers, ranchers, and agricultural businesses covering Farm Service Agency issues, crop insurance disputes, farm estate planning, labor and employment, real estate transactions, and grain contract disputes.
• Banking Law Legal services for financial institutions covering loan documentation, secured transactions, mortgage foreclosure, and repossession matters in North Dakota and Minnesota.
• Bankruptcy Legal representation for debtors and creditors in bankruptcy proceedings, including Chapter 7, 11, 12, and 13 filings, as well as state collection activities.
• Commercial Litigation Legal representation in commercial disputes including Uniform Commercial Code issues, contracts, business dissolutions, mergers and acquisitions, shareholder disputes, employment agreements, and financial transactions.
• Commercial Transactions Legal services for commercial transactions including loan documentation, secured transactions, real estate transactions, equipment purchases, shareholder agreements, and debt structuring.
• Construction Litigation Legal representation for parties involved in construction disputes, including negotiations, arbitrations, lawsuits, and performance/payment bond claims.
• Contract Law Legal services for drafting, reviewing, and litigating various types of commercial and business contracts.
• Corporate Law Legal services for business organization including corporations, limited liability companies, limited partnerships, and nonprofit corporations. Covers entity formations, business sales, tax-free reorganizations, and corporate governance.
• Debtor Creditor Law Legal representation for creditors and debtors in collections and bankruptcy, including preference claims, fraudulent transfer claims, lien avoidance, and judgment execution.
• Estate Planning and Probate Legal services for estate planning including wills, powers of attorney, health care directives, business and farm succession planning, and probate administration.
• Family Law Legal representation in family law matters including adoption, alimony, child custody and visitation, child support, divorce, domestic abuse orders, guardianship, mediation, and paternity.
• Insurance Law Legal representation for insured individuals and businesses disputing insurance claims, as well as insurance companies in coverage disputes and subrogation claims.
• Labor and Employment Legal counsel for employers covering employment law, human resources counseling, personnel matters, discrimination claims, wage and hour laws, and labor union disputes.
• Landlord-Tenant Law Legal representation for property owners and management companies in commercial and residential landlord-tenant matters including lease agreements, fair housing issues, and evictions.
• Real Estate Legal services for real estate transactions including purchase/sales, title work, Section 1031 exchanges, landlord-tenant representation, mortgage foreclosures, and construction contracts.
• Trust and Estate Litigation Legal representation in disputes involving trusts, estates, and probate including breach of fiduciary duty claims, beneficiary disputes, will contests, and guardianship/conservatorship matters.
• General/Civil Litigation Legal representation in general and civil litigation matters in state and federal courts, including bench and jury trials.
• Transportation Law Legal services for motor carriers, bus lines, property brokers, and shippers covering operating authority applications, freight claims, regulatory compliance, and transportation-related document drafting.

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• State Bar Association of North DakotaminorOthersFirm attorneys maintain membership and leadership positions in the State Bar Association of North Dakota, participating in professional development and networking activities.
• Cass County Bar AssociationminorOthersLocal bar association membership providing professional networking and community engagement for firm attorneys.
• Minnesota State Bar AssociationminorOthersState bar association membership enabling practice across Minnesota jurisdiction.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Vogel Law Firm: Full-service Fargo, ND-based law firm with overlapping practice areas in business, litigation, real estate, banking, and family law, and a comparable tri-state regional footprint in North Dakota, Minnesota, and South Dakota.
• Jeffries Olson Flom & Bullis, P.A. Fargo, ND-based law firm that is both a peer and a feeder of talent to ABST (Donarski, Knoll, and Miller all previously worked there). Competes in insurance, commercial, and litigation practice areas across the same tri-state region.
• Nilles Law Firm: Fargo, ND-based full-service regional law firm offering business, litigation, estate, family, and banking law services with a comparable geographic footprint and client overlap to ABST.
• Ohnstad Twichell, P.C. West Fargo-based regional law firm practicing in family law, estate planning, real estate, and litigation — directly competing with ABST for the same Fargo-Moorhead client base. Tatiana Hackman moved to ABST from this firm in 2024, underscoring direct competition.
• Severson Wogsland & Liebl, P.C. Fargo, ND-based litigation and family law firm that is a direct competitor for ABST's family law and civil litigation practice; Jennifer Jensen joined ABST from this firm in 2018, illustrating direct talent and client overlap.

Others

• Eide Bailly LLP: Upper Midwest-based accounting and advisory firm that provides adjacent legal-adjacent services (trust, estate, business consulting); competes for the same business-owner clients ABST serves in the Fargo-Moorhead area.

Broad incumbents

• Fredrikson & Byron, P.A. Large Upper Midwest-based law firm with substantially broader geographic reach and deeper practice depth in banking, real estate, litigation, and corporate law; competes with ABST for higher-end regional matters and in-bound referrals from the Fargo market.
• Dorsey & Whitney LLP: Large Minneapolis-founded full-service law firm with broad regional and national reach that competes with ABST for Upper Midwest corporate, banking, and litigation work; ABST's tri-state licensing overlaps with Dorsey's core footprint.

Emerging players

• Uptime Legal: ALSP/legal operations provider serving small and mid-sized law firms; represents the type of tech-enabled alternative that could pressure traditional full-service firms like ABST on efficiency and pricing in coming years.

Regional players

• Larson Latham Howlett & Gann LLP: Minot, ND-headquartered regional law firm with comparable business, banking, and litigation practices serving western North Dakota; partial geographic overlap and practice-area competition with ABST.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/abstlaw

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ABST Law