Alayna A. Holmstrom
Alayna A. Holmstrom
South Dakota Litigation Attorney
My Story
Alayna Holmstrom is a South Dakota commercial litigation attorney at Davenport Evans. Originally from Rapid City, South Dakota, Alayna joined the firm in 2020. She practices in the areas of Commercial and Complex Litigation, Plaintiff’s Litigation, Insurance Litigation, Employment Litigation, Trust Litigation, Labor and Employment, Bankruptcy and Creditors’ Rights, and Family Law. Alayna also serves as a Criminal Justice Act attorney for the United States District Court for the District of South Dakota. These federal criminal cases come through appointment by the Court under the Criminal Justice Act.
Alayna assists both large and small businesses, as well as individuals, with claims arising out of commercial transactions. Alayna has helped businesses assert and defend their contractual rights in commercial disputes in both state and federal court. Alayna also has substantial experience representing clients in trust and estate litigation.
Alayna graduated from the honors program at the University of South Dakota in 2015. She received her J.D. from the University of South Dakota School of Law in 2018, graduating with Sterling Honors, summa cum laude. During law school, Alayna was the recipient of numerous awards and scholarships, including the graduation award given to the graduate who has been determined to best represent a combination of scholarship and leadership. Alayna also served as a staff writer of the South Dakota Law Review, co-president of Trial Team, and research assistant to Associate Dean of Academic Affairs Tiffany Graham. Following graduation, Alayna served as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Karen E. Schreier of the U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota.
Outside of work, Alayna volunteers as a mentor through the Sioux52 Mentoring Initiative and the Bartlett Foundation, and serves as a member of the Sioux Falls Civil Service Board. She is also an active member of the South Dakota Bar Association, serving on the Federal Practice Committee and Indian Law Committee. She enjoys traveling, hiking, sports, and spending time with her family and friends.
Position: Associate
Direct: (605) 357-1253
Email: [email protected]
Practice Areas
Highlights
Religious Accommodations — What Employers Need to Know After Groff v. DeJoy
A recent United States Supreme Court case, Groff v. DeJoy, “clarified” the standard governing religious accommodation requests by altering the “undue hardship” framework. This landmark decision has broad implications for employers and employees alike. It is important...
Why Should Employers Review Their Website Accessibility?
Employers are often familiar with Title I of the American with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in employment. But many are not as familiar with Title III of the ADA, which prohibits discrimination in places of...
Holmstrom in SiouxFalls.Business: New Lawyer Embraces Importance of Mentoring
Davenport Evans Estate Planning lawyer Alayna A. Holmstrom was recently featured in the SiouxFalls.Business Up-And-Comer Column. This week’s Up-and-Comer is Alayna Holmstrom, an associate attorney at Davenport, Evans, Hurwitz & Smith LLP. Name: Alayna Holmstrom...
The Honorable Judge Schreier and Davenport Evans Lawyer Alayna Holmstrom Share Mentoring
The following is a story from Sam Wright of Dakota News Now, discussing mentoring with the Honorable Judge Karen E. Schreier and Davenport Evans lawyer Alayna A. Holmstrom. SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - The Honorable Judge Karen Schreier was the first woman...
Davenport Evans Welcomes Alayna A. Holmstrom
Davenport, Evans, Hurwitz & Smith, LLP is pleased to announce the addition of a new attorney, Alayna A. Holmstrom, to the firm. A native of Rapid City, South Dakota, Alayna Homstrom joined the firm as an associate attorney in September 2020. She is a graduate of the...
Professional Experience
Davenport, Evans, Hurwitz & Smith, LLP
Associate: 2020 – present
Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable Karen E. Schreier, U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota: 2018-2020
Education
University of South Dakota
(B.S., Honors Program, magna cum laude, 2015)
University of South Dakota School of Law
(J.D., Sterling Honors Graduate, summa cum laude, 2018)
Professional Memberships
State Bar of South Dakota
Licensure
Admitted to Practice (State):
South Dakota, 2019
Admitted to Practice (Federal):
United States District Court, District of South Dakota, 2020
Accomplishments
Award Recipient: ALI-CLE Graduation Award given to the graduate who has been determined to best represent a combination of scholarship and leadership (2018);
Lawrence & Catherine Piersol Award for 1st place in the South Dakota Law Review Write-On Competition (2017); South Dakota Trial Lawyers Association Award for demonstrating consistent excellence in trial advocacy at the University of South Dakota School of Law (2018).
Dean’s Certificate for Outstanding Performance/CALI Awards: Evidence, Criminal Procedure, Trial Techniques, Discovery Practice, Indian Law, Modern Real Estate, Antitrust Law, Advanced Criminal Procedure, Tribal Courts and Tribal Law, Nonprofit Organizations, and Bar Exam Preparation.
Author: Big Brother Isn’t Watching: How State v. Jones Transformed What One Can See with a Naked Eye Into a Fourth Amendment Search, 63 South Dakota Law Review 450 (2018).
Scholarship Recipient: Dave Curington Criminal Procedure Award; Donald R. Shultz Award; Fred & Luzella Cozad Award; Gayla Gull Worthington Award for integrity and outstanding service to USD School of Law.
Staff Writer, South Dakota Law Review, Volume 63 (2017-2018)
Co-President, USD School of Law Trial Team (2017-2018)
Research Assistant to Associate Dean of Academic Affairs Tiffany Graham, (2016-2018)
Protecting what you’ve built.
Phone Numbers
Direct: (605) 357-1253
DEHS: (605) 336-2880
Driving Directions
Davenport Evans, Hurwitz & Smith, LLP
206 West 14th Street
P.O. Box 1030
Sioux Falls, SD 57101-1030