Larissa A. McCalla
Larissa McCalla received her Juris Doctor degree at Arizona State University in 1993, where she also received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English and graduated magna cum laude in 1989. She is a member of Arizona State Bar and the Wyoming State Bar, and is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States District Court for the District of Wyoming. Larissa served as Rules Attorney for the Arizona State Senate and as Assistant Editor and Staff Attorney for the Arizona Legislative Council before starting as an associate at the Spence Law Firm in 2000. She focuses on research and writing with an emphasis on appellate practice, including notable appellate successes for plaintiffs after earlier trial court summary judgment grants to defendants. Miranda v. Clark County, Nevada, 319 F.3d 465 (9th Cir. 2003) (en banc), vacating 279 F.3d 1102 (2002), cert. denied, 540 U.S. 814, 124 S. Ct. 64, 157 L.Ed.2d 28 (2003), involved a 42 U.S.C. section 1983 civil rights case that allowed the possibility of a civil remedy to those persons who have successfully negotiated the post-conviction review process and who were indigent prisoners wrongfully convicted and imprisoned through the county’s denial of the Sixth Amendment constitutional right to effective assistance of counsel caused by improperly allocated resources and inexperienced, under-trained public defenders, which resulted in a $5 million settlement for Roberto Miranda who in 1982 was improperly sentenced to death for a murder that he did not commit. United States ex rel. Bahrani v. ConAgra, Inc., 465 F.3d 1189 (10th Cir. 2006), cert. denied, 128 S. Ct. 388 (2007), a reverse false claims act qui tam action alleges multi-million dollar regulatory fraud, which is currently set for trial in 2009.
M. Kristeen Hand
Kristeen Hand started her law practice with the Spence Law Firm in 2003. Since joining the firm, she has represented clients injured or killed while working for Wyoming industries, including drilling rigs, saw mills, and pharmaceutical manufacturing plants. She also represents clients seriously injured in car, truck, and passenger bus collisions. In 2008, Kristeen successfully settled a wrongful death lawsuit against Halliburton and settled personal injury suits against Yates Petroleum Corp., Pioneer Drilling Company, Orcan Oil Field Services, and Western Wood Products, Inc. Kristeen is a fourth generation Wyomingite, born and raised in Glenrock. She graduated from the University of Wyoming in 1995 and is a 2001 honor graduate of the University of Wyoming College of Law. Prior to joining the Spence Law Firm, she served as a law clerk for judges on the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Natrona County (7th) District Court of Wyoming. Ms. Hand is admitted to the Wyoming State Bar, the United States District Courts of Wyoming and the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Tyson E. Logan
Tyson Logan was born in Portland, Oregon. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Politics & Government from the University of Puget Sound and graduated with Honors in 1999. Tyson moved out to Jackson, Wyoming after college. He then continued his education at the University of Wyoming, where he received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Wyoming College of Law in 2005. Tyson clerked for The Spence Law Firm during law school and he started working as an associate after he graduated. Since Tyson joined the Firm he has been a part of several multi-million dollar jury verdicts and settlements in Wyoming and across the country. Tyson recently tried a major burn case in Federal Court against Encana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc. for a client who suffered third degree burns in an explosion at a gas plant. The client developed reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD/CRPS) as a result of the third degree burns to his hands and arms. The case settled for a substantial sum after two weeks of trial and a 100% liability finding by the jury—the jury was deliberating over a confidential amount of punitive damages at the time of settlement. Tyson was a part of a record Wyoming jury verdict for the family of a man who was killed in a train-truck collision at a dangerous Union Pacific Railroad crossing in Wyoming. He also played a key role in obtaining a significant verdict against the manufacturer of a dangerous and defective gun. After a three-week trial the jury found the gun to be defective and awarded damages to the Plaintiff who had lost his lower leg after the gun “snap fired” (discharged) in his holster as he took off his coat. Tyson has also negotiated and obtained numerous settlements for other clients in wrongful death and personal injury cases prior to trial. Tyson’s areas of practice today primarily include wrongful death and catastrophic injury, civil rights, and railroad, industrial, and oil and gas field related incidents. He is a member of the Wyoming State Bar and the Montana State Bar, and he is currently admitted to practice before the State Courts of Wyoming, Montana, Utah, and Ohio, and the United States Federal Courts of Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, Utah, and Oregon. Tyson is a member of the Wyoming Trial Lawyers Association and the American Association for Justice. Tyson lives in Jackson, Wyoming, with his wife, Elizabeth, and his son, Liam. He loves skiing, swimming, biking, and running in the Tetons.
Mark L. Aronowitz
Mark L. Aronowitz received his Juris Doctor degree from Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon. He is a member of the Wyoming State Bar, Oregon State Bar and Wyoming Trial Lawyers Association. Mark became an associate attorney with The Spence Law Firm in 2006. Mark has already been described by peers as, “a wonderful example of a young lawyer who is truly seeking justice for the working people of this state and our nation.” Mark is currently directing our public interest law firm, Lawyers and Advocates for Wyoming, and is developing the Spence Association for Employee Rights, SAFER, a project focusing on workplace safety and Workers’ Compensation Reform.
Grant H. Lawson
Grant H. Lawson graduated law school from the University of Wyoming College of Law in 2007, where he wrote for the Wyoming Law Review, served as Dean of Delta Theta Phi and was twice elected as the College of Law Senator for the Associated Students of the University of Wyoming. He is originally from Casper, Wyoming and received his B.S. in Rangeland Ecology and Watershed Management with a minor in Environment and Natural Resources from the University of Wyoming College of Agriculture in 2002. Grant became an associate with The Spence Law Firm in 2007, after clerking with the firm during law school. Since joining the firm, he has been active in civil rights, wrongful death, medical malpractice and personal injury cases. He is currently a member of the Wyoming State Bar and the Wyoming Trial Lawyers Association.
