Friends of the Bar, 0218 WYBJ, Vol. 41 No. 1. 60

• Position: Vol. 41 1 Pg. 60

Friends of the Bar

Vol. 41 No. 1 Pg. 60

Wyoming Bar Journal

February, 2018

Maryt Fredrickson

Bar No. 7-4722 Law School: University of Wyoming College of Law

Basic Bio: I’m originally from New Mexico, but I finally found my way to Wyoming in 2001. I ran a restaurant in Jackson until 2007, when I started law school. I finished law school at the University of Wyoming in 2010. The summer after my first year I externed in the Water & Natural Resources Division of the Wyoming Attorney General’s Office. I spent the second summer at Holland & Hart’s Cheyenne office and I joined that office after law school. In 2014, I switched directions, moved back to Jackson, and started my current role as Staff Attorney for the Honorable Timothy C. Day, Ninth Judicial District Court. I also teach yoga, write a wellness column in the Wyoming Lawyer, and teach wellness and yoga workshops around the state through my side project, 307 Yoga LLC.

I became a lawyer because I wanted to do something intellectually challenging. Around the time I decided to go to law school, a debate was occurring over drilling in the Wyoming Range. I saw the triangle of opposing interests—conservationists and sportsmen (an unlikely alliance) v. energy companies v. the State and its economic interests (natural resource development provides revenue). I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do in the law, but I knew I wanted to do something within this triangle of conflict. Fortunately, I got a job after law school that included this type of work.

The thing that excites me most about my current job is the diversity of legal matters I work on during any particular day. I am exposed to a wide variety of subjects, ranging from esoteric coming-to-law issues in complex civil litigation to boots-on-the-ground, life-impacting issues that come up in family and criminal law.

The worst parts of my job are wearing lawyer clothes and sitting most of the day. Anytime a suit is needed, I find the clothes and shoes to be uncomfortable. Sitting most of the day is just bad for our health.

My best advice for new lawyers is to find a business model that works for you. The prevalent private practice model is not for everyone. Attrition rates are high in this model, particularly among women and millennials. But, fortunately, there are a variety of business models from which to choose. And, with the enhanced use of technology, our options are even...