Mark Ostrem

Mark A. Ostrem is the Olmsted County Attorney.  Mark was elected to this position in 2006 and assumed his duties in January 2007.  Mark was re-elected in 2010, 2014 and again in 2018.  His term of office is 4 years. 

As the Olmsted County Attorney Mark is the chief prosecutor for the jurisdiction.  His office prosecutes all felony cases that occur in Olmsted County along with all lower level crimes outside the City of Rochester and other crimes within the city that the Rochester City Attorney does not prosecute.  The responsibility of prosecution includes providing support and assistance to victims of crimes. 

Mark is also the chief civil advisor for Olmsted County and his office represents the county in a host of other civil areas of practice.  A significant role of the County Attorney is to represent Community Services (Social Services) in numerous legal matters including the following legal actions:  to protect abused and neglected children and vulnerable adults; to involuntarily commit for treatment people who are mentally ill, chemically dependent or severely mentally handicapped; to obtain or enforce child support obligations; and to establish the paternity of a child. 

Mark was elected to the Minnesota County Attorney Association Board of Directors in January 2009.  Mark was a member of the MCAA Executive Committee from 2013-2017 and served as President of the MCAA in 2016.  Mark also served as President of the Minnesota Urban County Attorney Association from 2010-2014.  Mark is a member of the National District Attorneys Association and is the MCAA representative to the NDAA Board of Directors.  Mark has served on numerous statewide committees and task forces.

Mark has 23 assistant attorneys in his office, a compliment of support staff and employs up to 4 student attorneys each summer.

Mark has a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in Business Administration and is a 1997 graduate of William Mitchell College of Law.  Following graduation Mark clerked for Judge Agerter in Dodge County, enjoyed private practice as an associate attorney with a local firm and from 2001-2006 was in private practice in his own firm.