Our Attorneys
Steve Haugaard
Steve Haugaard was raised on a small farm near Madison, South Dakota. He attended South Dakota State University earning his Bachelor of Science degree. At SDSU he studied Engineering, Sociology, Psychology, Criminal Justice, and Political Science.
After graduation, Steve was employed at various mental health facilities and operated a small business before entering law school. He attended law school at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington where he earned his Juris Doctor degree in the spring of 1983.
Later in 1983, Steve and his family returned to Sioux Falls and began his law practice. He has maintained a general practice with a mix of in-office client services as well as litigation spanning the range of civil to criminal along with administrative practice as well.
Steve is a member of the United States Supreme Court Bar, Federal District Court Bar, and the State Bar of South Dakota. He has practiced before the Circuit Courts of South Dakota, United States District Court for South Dakota, the United States Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, United States Bankruptcy Court, and the Supreme Court of South Dakota as well as Administrative Courts for both South Dakota and the United States including the South Dakota Board of Pardons and Paroles, South Dakota Real Estate Commission, various state administrative agencies, the Social Security Administration in regard to Disabilities and Appeals, and the United States Immigration Court.
Steve has served as a hearing officer for both Minnehaha County and the City of Sioux Falls. He has presided over thousands of hearings for Minnehaha County over the past twenty-five years. Steve has also served as an Adjunct Faculty Professor for the University of Sioux Falls.
Steve Haugaard was elected to the South Dakota House of Representatives in 2014 and reelected in 2016, 2018, and 2020. He was elected by the members of the House to serve as Speaker Pro Tem in 2017 and the Speaker of the House in 2018. He has held over 25 positions in the House including chairman of many committees within the South Dakota Legislature.
He has also held leadership positions in various community organizations and in his church.
Steve and his wife, Mary, have been married since 1977. They enjoy travel and love being with their 8 adult children and their 29 grandchildren.
Elise Rasmussen
Elise started out with Haugaard Law in 2011 as a Legal Office Assistant and worked her way up to Paralegal where she assisted with all aspects of the office for nearly 8 years before deciding to attend law school.
In 2014 Elise began her undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice at the University of Sioux Falls, while continuing to work at Haugaard Law and also working part time as a Direct Support Professional at Lifescape Children’s Hospital. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in History and Political Science from USF and then attended USD Knudson School of Law, graduating in 2022.
During her time as a Law Student, Elise also worked for 2 years as an intern at the City of Sioux Falls Human Relations / ADA Department. She gained experience with cases brought under federal and state discrimination and disability laws against local businesses. In addition, Elise worked in multiple law school clinics doing estate planning for SD tribal members and represented low-income individuals in federal income tax matters brought against them.
She was active in the Federalist Society and the Christian Legal Society (CLS) during law school and became a 2020 Fellow of the CLS organization.
After receiving her SD Bar License, Elise worked as a Deputy State’s Attorney (DSA) at the Minnehaha County State's Attorney's Office until February, 2025 when she joined Haugaard Law Office. Her work in criminal law included both adult and juvenile prosecution and spanned thousands of cases, ranging from minor traffic violations to violent felonies. She represented the State in that capacity through every stage of criminal procedure, including successfully litigating a number of cases at Jury Trial.
Outside of work, Elise and her husband, Reid, enjoy spending time with family, traveling, tackling home improvement projects, and staying engaged in their local community and church in Canton.