Pete Heidepriem - Sioux Falls, SD
Attorney at Heidepriem, Purtell, Siegel & Hinrichs, LLP
Personal Injury Lawyers in Sioux Falls, SD
101 West 69th Street Suite 105A Sioux Falls, SD 57108
- Free Consultation
Sioux Falls Personal Injury Lawyer
Updated: 03/10/2026
Reviews
Customer Reviews for Pete Heidepriem
Highlights
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5.0 Value
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5.0 Quality of Service
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5.0 Professional Competence
Read reviews that mention:
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Verified ClientHired Attorney 2024-2025I was involved in an automobile accident back on February 11th 2024 which started me on my crazy experience with insurance companies. This was my first time having to deal with anything like this and I was totally unprepared to cope with the chaos. On a recommendation I met with Pete and all I can say is, "Man did I get an education" on what to do and what not to do! He explained things in such relatable terms and how by doing things a certain it would be better for me in the long term. I had not planned to do anything at this first meeting but by the time it was done I knew signing on and having Pete and his team, (Grace, she was amazing) take over was the only option for me. They handled it all and their communication was excellent. Even as things dragged on and on, they always listened to and answered any concerns I had. Just the peace of mind made my experience with it all. I highly recommend Pete and his firm to anyone how needs help with this kind of situation. Oh, and all the staff there even ones you're not directly dealing with are the best! (Deb you know I'm talking about you) along with everyone else. A HUGE thank you to Pete and Grace for taking such good care of me!
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Verified ClientHired Attorney 2025Pete is awesome!! I had a contract issues and his expert knowledge on how contracts are written and my situation was resolved quickly and painless. I highly recommend Pete.
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Verified ClientHired Attorney 2024Pete solved my legal problems quickly and efficiently. I could not have hoped for a better result. So thankful for all that he was able to help me with!
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Verified ClientHired Attorney 2023-2024We worked directly with Pete and his paralegal, Grace. They were both extremely responsive, made themselves available to us, and communicated our case clearly and precisely. This was our first time working through the legal system and Pete simplified the information, helping us understand the process and potential outcomes. We sincerely hope others do not find themselves in a situation that requires an attorney, but if they do we would recommend Pete, Grace, and their office.
Areas of Practice
- Personal Injury
- American Indian Law
- Civil Rights
- Appeals
Attorney Information
Overview
Pete is a trial lawyer practicing in the federal, tribal, and state courts of South Dakota. His personal injury work ranges from farm and ranch injuries to car accidents. Pete also represents people vindicating their civil rights in claims based on racial discrimination or other constitutional violations. He has a track record of representing clients in personal injury cases where they achieve significant results:
- $2.5 millionâworkplace injury, loss of leg
- $2.1 millionâcar crash, wrongful death of two individuals
- $1.6 millionâATV rollover crash
- $1.25 millionâcar crash, wrongful death
- $1.1 millionâwrongful death in farm accident
- $1 millionâmedical negligence, failure to diagnose disease
Peteâs appellate experience covers state and federal courts. In front of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, he argued on behalf of a driver in a traffic stop who claimed his constitutional rights were violatedâthe result was a unanimous decision in his clientâs favor. He has appealed fraud and probate claims to the Supreme Court of South Dakota, achieving a unanimous decision for his client. Before the U.S. Supreme Court, he filed an amicus brief regarding tribal sovereignty on behalf of American Indian tribes, and the Court ruled unanimously in favor of the party supported in the brief.
Pete is passionate about advocacy that supports tribal governments and communities. From 2023 to 2024, the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe named him General Counsel. In that role, Pete served as the chief legal advisor to the Tribal Council and provided legal advice to all levels of the tribal government and members of the Tribe. During 2020 to 2021, Pete served as a tribal prosecutor for the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, where he was lead counsel in a court trial and managed complex prosecutions involving violent crimes and drug offenses. He also has served as counsel to a tribal judge of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate.
In addition to private practice, Pete maintains a focus on academic work. Since 2022, he has served as an adjunct professor of law at the University of South Dakota Knudson School of Law, teaching a seminar on appellate advocacy and federal Indian law. During fall 2021, he was a Joachim Herz Fellow and visiting scholar at Bucerius Law School in Germany, where he conducted research on international investment law and the rights of Indigenous peoples. Bucerius featured Pete in an article about his fellowship, and you can access it here.
Education
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Legal Education
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Georgetown University Law Center,
Washington,
District of Columbia, 2016
J.D.
Honors: Dean's List, Moot court, Graduation commencement speaker, Georgetown Immigration Law Journal -
Bucerius Law School,
Hamburg,
Germany, 2015
International and comparative business law
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Georgetown University Law Center,
Washington,
District of Columbia, 2016
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Non Legal Education
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Arizona State University,
Tempe,
Arizona, 2013
B.A.
Honors: magna cum laude
Honors: Phi Beta Kappa
Major: Philosophy and Political Science -
London School of Economics,
London,
United Kingdom, 2011
Economics and political theory
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Arizona State University,
Tempe,
Arizona, 2013
Current Employment Position(s)
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Partner
Past Positions
- Environment and Natural Resources Division, U.S. Department of Justice, Appellate section intern
- Chambers of Judge Tanya S. Chutkan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Judicial intern
- South Dakota U.S. Attorneyâs Office, Legal intern
- Chambers of Chief Judge Jeffrey L. Viken of the U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota, Law clerk
- Chambers of Magistrate Judge Patricia A. Sullivan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island, Law clerk
Published Works
Articles
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Indigenous Rights, Investor-State Disputes, and Canadian Law, S.D. L. Rev. (2023)
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Recalibrate Revocations of Supervised Release, 51 U. Balt. L. Rev. 329 (2022)
âĸCited in the Yale Law Journal -
Tribal Remedies, Exhaustion, and State Courts, 44 Am. Indian L. Rev. 241 (2020) âĸCited in the first ever Restatement of the Law of American Indians, section 59 of Chapter 4 on Tribal Economic Development
âĸChosen as one of the âSelected Law Review Articlesâ in the American Indian Law Deskbook 2021 Edition by the Conference of Western Attorneys General âĸCited in an American Law Reports annotation on the tribal exhaustion doctrine requirement, 72 A.L.R -
Fresh Fears of Deportation for Cubans in the U.S., 29 Geo. Immigr. L.J. 305 (2015)
âĸ Cited in the Suffolk University Law Review -
The Tohono Oâodham Nation and the United States-Mexico Border, 4 Am. Indian L.J. 107 (2015)
âĸ Cited by the court in M.F. v. V.S., 2023 WL 1196627, *15 n.9 (Cal. Ct. App. Jan. 31, 2023) âĸ Cited in the California Law Review and American Indian Law Review
Bar Admissions
- South Dakota, 2016
- U.S. District Court District of South Dakota, 2016
- Lower Brule Sioux Tribal Court, 2020
- U.S. Supreme Court, 2020
- U.S. Court of Appeals 8th Circuit, 2022
Photo
Contact
101 West 69th Street
Suite 105A
Sioux Falls, SD 57108
Phone: 605-252-9277
Fax: 605-679-4379
Email: Send a message
Hours: M-F: 8am â 5pm
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