Friends of the Bar, 0419 WYBJ, Vol. 42 No. 3. 54

PositionVol. 42 3 Pg. 54

Friends of the Bar

Vol. 42 No. 3 Pg. 54

Wyoming Bar Journal

April, 2019

Scott

Ortiz Bar Number: 5-2550 Law School: University of Wyoming

College of Law

Basic

Bio: Scott is a double-graduate of the University of Wyoming,

earning his J.D. with honors in 1988 and his B.A. in History

in 1985. He has been practicing law for over 30 years. He

began his career at a local firm in Scottsbluff, Nebraska,

but soon got a chance to move back to his hometown of Casper

in 1990, where he joined Williams, Porter, Day, &

Neville, PC. He became a shareholder in 1993. Scott is a

trial lawyer specializing in professional liability claims,

defense of transportation carriers, complex litigation, and

labor and employment law with large energy-related employers.

He has tried over 60 jury trials and more than 150

arbitrations and contested case hearings. Scott has served

the Wyoming Bar by working on numerous committees, including

the Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee and the Civil

Pattern Jury Instruction Committee. He will soon be finishing

his 6th and final year on the Commission on

Judicial Conduct and Ethics.

After

30 plus years of practice, the best advice I have for new

lawyers is: (1) There is no substitute for good preparation.

(2) Be yourself and develop your own style. (3) Always keep

your sense of humor and never demonize your opponents (even

if they deserve it!). And, (4) keep in mind that Wyoming is a

small state and the Bar is tight knit; karma will come back

to bite you if you are not civil and courteous to others.

A funny

story at happened to me while practicing: When I was a young

lawyer, I lost my temper with an out-of-state opponent. While

we were waiting in the courtroom, I told him,

“Let’s go outside so I can kick your ass.”

He looked at me and said, “Oh, so we are going to

settle this the old ‘Cowboy Way.’” It made

me laugh so hard I was able to come to my senses.

After

three decades of practice, the most rewarding part is

spending days or weeks with a client in a substantial trial

and getting a good result. The worst part is litigating cases

involving horrific tragedies through which people have had to

suffer.

I

admire the following attorneys: Dick Day, Frank Neville, and

Barry Williams. They taught me about the law, but more

importantly, they also taught me about life, family and

friendship.

During

my free time, I like to exercise, snowmobile, golf, wake

surf, gamble, and spend time with family and friends.

When...

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