HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF NEILS, FRANZ & CHIRHART, P.A.

The law firm of Neils, Franz & Chirhart, P.A. traces its history to 1974, when it was started by Jim Hoolihan. Prior to starting this firm, Jim had been working for Tom Murphy, a local attorney under whose tutelage many of the attorneys then practicing in St. Cloud had seemingly cut their teeth. Roger Neils, who had been practicing law in St. Cloud since 1973, also with Tom Murphy, joined Jim Hoolihan in 1976. In 1979, Jim and Roger, along with Bernie Boland, who was later appointed to the District Court bench, bought Tom Murphy’s law practice at our firm’s present location.

1979 was also the year when Tim Chirhart and Vicki Landwehr joined the firm as associates. Neil Franz joined the firm in the spring of 1981. The firm adopted the name of “Hoolihan and Neils, P.A.,” which it kept for another 15 years. In 1994, Vicki became the second partner from the firm to be appointed as a Minnesota District Court Judge. Three years later Jim Hoolihan was appointed as a Minnesota District Court Judge. With Jim’s departure, the firm adopted it’s present name of Neils, Franz and Chirhart, P.A. Following Jim’s departure, the firm hired Drew Hultgren as an associate, and he became a partner in 2000. In 2004, the firm hired JoAnn Evenson, who had been practicing in the St. Cloud area for seven years. She became a partner a year later. In 2005, the firm hired Julie Fisk, who had been a law clerk for Judge Hoolihan.

Over the years, our firm has had several opportunities to grow and expand into a much larger organization. We have chosen to maintain a size that is large enough to service the needs of our clients, yet small enough to develop personal relationships. By deliberately remaining small, we feel that we can offer our clients a friendly environment and provide personalized concern and attention to their legal and professional needs.

At the same time, we also value and enjoy our ability to spend time with our families and with our public service activities. Our attorneys are real people, with real lives outside of our law practice. The small size of our firm has allowed us to place a priority upon our personal and community commitments. We have volunteered much of our time and energy in a variety of organizations and causes in the St. Cloud area. Members of the firm have held leadership positions in the following organizations: St. Cloud Charter Commission, St. Cloud Zoning Board of Appeals, St. Cloud Christian School, Chamber of Commerce Leadership Program, Central Minnesota Builders Association, Sertoma, Rotary, Boy Scouts, the Stearns County Mounted Reserve, and various church leadership positions and activities, among others.