Joseph T. Pates grew up as part of a military family with deep family ties to Minnesota. After obtaining his undergraduate degree in English, Joe returned to Minnesota to complete his Juris Doctorate at Mitchell Hamline School of Law. Prior to joining Deckert Law, Joe worked for firms in St. Paul, Minnesota, and Brainerd, Minnesota.

At Deckert Law, Joe focuses his practice on estate planning (wills and trusts), estate and trust administration, and real estate matters.  Joe also has extensive experience with small business issues (including formation, corporate record maintenance, selling businesses, and dissolving businesses), contract drafting and review, and civil disputes and litigation.  Joe finds great fulfillment in helping and serving others and strongly believes in the importance of approaching all legal matters with integrity, diligence, excellence, and good communication.

In his hard-earned spare time, Joe treasures each moment spent with his family at their small hobby farm in rural Pine County, Minnesota, and at the family cabin in Wisconsin.  He also enjoys reading, hiking, canoeing, kayaking, gardening, and playing banjo and guitar.

Areas of Practice

• Wills Trusts and Estates
• Probate and Trust Administration
• Business
• Real Estate
• Civil Litigation

Education

• Mitchell Hamline School of Law, St. Paul, Minnesota, J.D., 2019 cum laude
  • Honors: CALI Award Winner – Criminal Law and The American Corporation
  • Dean’s List
• Thomas Edison State College, B.A. 2015

Bar Admission

• State of Minnesota, 2019
• State of Wisconsin, 2024

Past and Present Professional Associations

• Minnesota State Bar Association
• Wisconsin State Bar Association

Representative Litigation Cases

• Hecker v. Crow Wing County Board, et al., 959 N.W.2d 215 (Minn. Ct. App. 2021.)

Publications

• Joe is the published author of Chapter 10 here (with Mark Severson):
  The Law of the Great Outdoors – Minnesota CLE (minncle.org)