Faculty Highlight: Tara Righetti

Professor Tara Righetti recently presented a paper at the Energy Policy Research Conference (EPRC) which took place September 10-11 in Denver. The paper entitled “The Impact of Social Cost of Carbon Analyses in the Development of Western Region Energy Projects,” was co-authored by Professor Temple Stoellinger of the University of Wyoming Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, and Kipp Coddington of the Carbon Management Institute. 

Their research explores the use of the federal social cost of carbon in National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) documentation for western energy projects. The SCC is a metric which was designed for use in the rulemaking context; However, environmental advocates have been pushing to require inclusion of the SCC in NEPA analyses. Inclusion of the SCC could mandate that agencies not only disclose GHG emissions estimates but also make a quantitative estimate of the economic impacts related to climate change. .The paper explains the SCC and how it has been used thus far, reviews the formal and draft agency guidance on the subject as well as the few cases that have directly addressed the question, and discusses how inclusion will impact the development of energy projects on public lands in the West. 

“This is an important issue for Wyoming,” says Righetti. “This tactic is being used in legal challenges to coal and oil & gas permits on federal lands, which could have far reaching impacts on our state.” 

The annual Energy Policy Research Conference (EPRC) is hosted by the Energy Policy Institute. EPRC is the premier energy policy research conference held in the Western United States and is targeted toward academic and professional energy policy researchers.

Alumni Highlight: Champions of Justice for Legal Services Awards

The Wyoming State Bar announced that Stuart Day (J.D. ’84), an attorney from Casper, and Jodie Ann Thompson (J.D. ’93), an attorney from Cody, are the recipients of this years Champion of Justice for Legal Services Awards. The Champion of Justice for Legal Services Award is announced at the annual Wyoming State Bar Association Meeting and is awarded to attorneys that have provided distinguished service and leadership in pro bono work throughout Wyoming.

Stuart Day has served on the volunteer Equal Justice Wyoming Board of Commissioners since it was created in 2011.  In that capacity he has helped navigate the growth of statewide legal services and pro bono work in Wyoming. He has established pro bono work as a significant part of his firms’ culture and instilled this in his daughters, who also regularly undertake pro bono cases.  Day routinely accepts pro bono cases from Equal Justice Wyoming.  He has been a supporter and voice for access to justice in the state and also serves on the Wyoming Access to Justice Commission where he chairs one of the working groups.  In addition, Day helped establish the Equal Justice Wyoming Foundation and currently serves as the Foundation’s inaugural President.

Day is a shareholder at the Casper Firm of Williams, Porter, Day & Neville, P.C. He has served as the President of the Natrona County Bar Association and Chairman of the Wyoming Bar Board of Continuing Legal Education and the Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee.  He was also President of the Wyoming State Bar Foundation.  Day is currently a member of the Equal Justice Wyoming Board of Directors and is President of the Equal Justice Wyoming Foundation, as well as a member of the University of Wyoming College of Law Dean’s Advisory Board.

Jodie Thompson is a Wyoming Special Assistant Attorney General and the executive director of Basin Authority, the Fifth Judicial District Child Support Authority in Cody, Wyoming. She has represented the State of Wyoming in child support issues since 1995. During her 20 years of experience, Thompson has served on the Wyoming Child Support Enforcement document committee and continues to serve on the legislative and policy committees.

In addition to her duties in Wyoming, Thompson donates much of her spare time to philanthropic needs and is a member of P.E.O., Park County Republican Women officer, Cody High School Booster Club officer, and volunteer for many groups including assisting with reading and math at Livingston Elementary School. She served as a Park County Republican precinct committeewoman for many years and chaired the Patron’s Ball for the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. She is also a past president of the University of Wyoming College of Law Alumni Association and a life-time member of the UW Alumni Association. Thompson believes strongly in helping those in need, and her pro bono work is primarily in mediation and domestic relations.

The College of Law congratulates our outstanding alumni on this well deserved award!

Alumni Highlight: Young-Jun Roh

Young-Jun Roh (J.D. ’05), has been selected to receive the prestigious Sandra Day O’Connor Award for Professional Service by the American Inns of Court. The award will be presented at the 2015 American Inns of Court Celebration of Excellence at the Supreme Court of the United States in October; the event will be hosted by Associate Justice Elena Kagan.

Roh is an associate with the law firm of Cuddy & McCarthy in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where his practice focuses on general litigation, defending government entities and private clients in civil rights, employment, and commercial/business matters.

While at the University of Wyoming College of Law, he served as senior editor of the Wyoming Law Review and was named the Peter C. Maxfield Outstanding Third-Year Student. He also has a master of business administration from the University of Korea.

The Sandra Day O’Connor Award for Professional Service is awarded each year to honor an American Inn of Court member in practice for ten or fewer years for excellence in public interest or pro bono activities.

Read more about Young-Jun and the prestigious Sandra Day O’Connor Award for Professional Service here.

Alumni Highlights: 10th Circuit Court of Appeals

The College of Law hosted oral arguments by the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, September 10, 2015. The three Judges making up the 10th Circuit panel included The Honorable Terrence O’Brien (JD ’72), The Honorable Gregory Phillips (JD ’87), and the Honorable Harris Hartz of New Mexico.

The Court heard five oral arguments, among which a handful of Wyoming law alumni served as Counsel. Recent graduate Grant Smith (JD ’14) was one of the attorneys that made an oral argument. Smith works in the Federal Public Defender’s Office for the Districts of Colorado and Wyoming. During his time in law school, Smith worked in the Defender Aid Clinic, was a the Managing Editor of the Wyoming Law Review, was a Brimmer Scholar finalist, and was named the Peter C. Maxfield Outstanding Student for the class of 2014. 

Following the oral arguments, the Judges stayed for an hour long question and answer session with current College of Law students.

“Having access to the 10th Circuit really opens a lot of doors for UW law students,” notes 2L student Micah Christensen. “For being such a small law school, it is incredible to have such grand opportunities, and it was great to see UW alumni in action.”

The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, has graciously made appearances at the UW College of Law once every two or three years. The College of Law is thankful for the willingness of the Court to allow our students see first-hand where a law degree can take them.

UW College of Law Makes the Top 10 List of Law Schools that Leave Graduates with the Least Debt by U.S. News & World Report

The University of Wyoming College of Law is a best value law school that offers a lot of bang for your buck. With 6 clinical programs, 3 joint degree programs, a low faculty to student ratio, and an abundance of externships and experiential learning opportunities, the UW College of Law offers a unique, quality education at an affordable price.

This value for money not only provides students with a stellar education, it also allows graduates to achieve more once they are out in the field. Uninhibited by crushing debt and unmanageable student loan payments, Wyoming law grads have the flexibility to pursue different avenues in the legal profession that would otherwise not be sustainable. Additionally, graduates are less likely to be restricted in their employment decision geographically, allowing them to pursue their career anywhere they wish.

U.S. News & World Report has taken notice of Wyoming’s low average student debt, and has placed it on the short list of law schools with the least debt. Students at Wyoming graduate with significantly less debt than students elsewhere in the nation.

To read about the average student debt of a law student and see the short list, please check out the U.S. New Short List.

Faculty Highlight: Professor Michael Duff

Professor Michael Duff was nominated to become a fellow of the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers. The CWCL was established to honor those attorneys who have distinguished themselves in their practice in the field of workers’ compensation. Individuals are nominated for the outstanding traits they have developed in their practice of twenty years, or longer, representing plaintiffs, defendants, serving as judges, or acting for the benefit of all in education, overseeing agencies and developing legislation.  These individuals have to convince their peers, the bar, bench and public that they possess the highest professional qualifications and ethical standards, character, integrity, professional expertise and leadership.  They have to convince the Board of Governors of the College that they have a commitment to fostering and furthering the objectives of the College and have shown significant evidence of scholarship, teaching, lecturing, and/or distinguished published writings on Workers’ Compensation or related fields of law.

Professor Duff was nominated by a past president of the National Association of Workers’ Compensation Judiciary. Should he be selected, Professor Duff will join a very exclusive group of fellows, and will be the first ever fellow to come from Wyoming.