Zenas Baer is the 9th of 15 children of Allan Baer and Edna
Baer, Old Order Mennonites, who converted to Hutterites, then left the communal movement
in 1960, to become capitalists. Zenas has 10 brothers and 3 sisters living, one sister
deceased. He graduated from Lake Park High School, Lake Park, MN in 1969, served three
years in the Alternate Service from 1969 to 1972, and obtained his discharge from
Selective Service in 1972.
He earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree in German and
Political Science from the University of Minnesota Minneapolis, with a cumulative GPA of
3.54, studying one year at the University of Erlangen Nuernberg, Bavaria, Germany. He
graduated in the upper 13 percentile of the Hamline University School of Law, St. Paul,
MN, Class of 1980, where he received his Juris Doctorate Degree.
Immediately after graduation, he began practicing with Magnus Wefald, who had began
practicing in Hawley, Minnesota, since 1929. Zenas Baer is the principal owner of Zenas
Baer and Associates, which consists of a 3-attorney practice, Hawley, Minnesota. Zenas
Baer is admitted to the State of Minnesota Supreme Court, North Dakota Supreme Court,
United States District Court for the District of Minnesota, United States Claims Court,
United States District Court District of North Dakota, United States Court of Appeals for
the Federal Circuit, United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, United States
Supreme Court, White Earth Tribal Court.
Zenas Baer was elected to the City Council of the City of
Hawley in 1981, and re-elected in 1985. He did not seek a third term, and became City
Attorney, a post which he has held since 1990. Zenas was appointed Clay County Examiner of
Titles in 1984, a post which he still holds, charged with the responsibility of reviewing
torrens title documents and responding to any inquiries from the Registrar of Titles
concerning legal procedure for registered title property.
Zenas has built a reputation in the legal community as being
a very strong and forceful advocate for his clients and represents a group of people who
otherwise would not have access to the courthouse. Zenas has filed claims against all
governments from townships, cities, counties, school districts, watershed districts, State
of Minnesota, State of North Dakota, and the U. S. government.
Zenas was the General Counsel for the White Earth Band of
Chippewa Indians, a post which he held from 1996 to 2001. As General Counsel to the White
Earth Band of Chippewa Indians, he was involved in giving legal advice to a government
which owns and operates the Shooting Star Casino, which has 1,100 employees, and the White
Earth Reservation Business Committee, which has approximately 350 employees. The duties
included representation of the White Earth Band in Federal and State Courts and
administrative proceedings, and giving day to day advice on matters concerning government
to government relations with the White Earth Band of Chippewa Indians.
Interests outside of the practice of law include
biking, tennis, racquetball, painting (abstract), and most of
all, spending time with his three young boys, Harrison, Mack and Benno.
Zenas holds membership in a number of bar associations,
including the Minnesota State Bar Association, American Bar Association, Minnesota Trial
Lawyers Association, American Bar Association, and is past president of the Clay County
Bar Association. Zenas is a sustaining member of Minnesota Public Radio.
He contributes
substantial amounts of time to ending the barbaric practice of routine infant male circumcision worldwide, insuring genital integrity for all citizens of the world.
"Bring Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their journey
diligently, That nothing shall be wanting onto them" Titus 3:13
