Emily S. Madden Senior Associate
Emily is a Wyoming native who finds strength and purpose in fighting for those who have lost their ability to work, enjoyment of life, or loved one. As a legal writing enthusiast, Emily focuses on incorporating persuasive advocacy into every pre-trial filing to ensure her clients’ right to a jury trial is actualized.
Emily received her Bachelor of Arts in Business with honors from the University of Dallas where she also played Division III basketball and softball. She then worked as a policy analyst for Wyoming Governor Matthew H. Mead before starting law school at the University of Wyoming College of Law. When she was a second-year law student, a committee of Wyoming judges, lawyers, and law professors awarded Emily the Brimmer Scholarship, which honors the distinguished career of Judge Clarence A. Brimmer and rewards students who demonstrate a commitment to excellence in the law.
Throughout law school, Emily was also committed to gaining practical experience. Over the course of two years, she worked for state and federal courts at both the trial and appellate levels, including the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, the Wyoming Supreme Court, Wyoming’s District Court for the Second Judicial District, and the United States District Court for the District of Wyoming. These experiences allowed her to master the art of legal writing and to earn the honor of serving as the Editor-in-Chief of the Wyoming Law Review.
After graduating second in her class in 2019, Emily clerked for the Honorable Kelly H. Rankin, Chief Magistrate Judge for the United States District Court for the District of Wyoming, before joining The Spence Law Firm in 2020. Since joining the firm, Emily has helped to recover more than $80 million in verdicts and settlements.
Alongside her litigation work, Emily has remained deeply engaged in advancing the craft of legal writing through teaching and publication. She has taught legal writing at the University of Wyoming College of Law and in Casper College’s paralegal studies program, and she continues to teach through various CLE programs across the state. She also contributes regularly to scholarly legal writing, with publications in the Wyoming Law Review and state-wide legal magazines such as the Wyoming Lawyer and the Coffee House. Widely recognized as an exceptional legal writer, she is frequently sought out for her expertise in this area.
Emily is also recognized as a trusted voice in Wyoming’s legal community, serving in various leadership roles within the Wyoming State Bar and the Wyoming Trial Lawyers Association. Through these positions, she has worked to amplify the voices of clients and lawyers alike, and she has advanced legislative reforms where justice demanded change. Her service reflects a belief that advocacy must extend beyond individual cases to the structures that govern them.
In her free time, Emily enjoys traveling, golfing, scuba diving, spoiling her Sheepadoodle, dissecting Taylor Swift’s Easter eggs, and spending time with her family and friends.
In the News:
- Prison contractor Wellcon Inc. hit with $2 million fine after inmate death, KSLTV5.
- Bill Would Open Post-Conviction DNA Testing to More Wyoming Felons, Cowboy State Daily.
- Local graduate elected to state bar, Torrington Telegram.
- Leadership Chat: Wyoming State Bar leaders talk about wellness, helping members connect across wide open spaces.
- Jackson lawyer elected to Chair of the Young Lawyers Section, Buckrail.
- An extraordinary honor, Torrington Telegram.
Emily’s
affiliations
- Wyoming State Bar Commissioner, 7th Judicial District, 2024–Present
- Wyoming Young Lawyer Delegate to the ABA, 2025–Present
- Wyoming Trial Lawyers Association, Board Member 2020–Present
- Chair of the Wyoming State Bar Young Lawyers Section, 2021–2022
- Wyoming State Bar Civil Pattern Jury Instructions Committee, Appointed Member 2020–Present
- Wyoming State Bar CLE Committee, Appointed Member 2021–Present
- American Association for Justice, Member 2020–Present
Practice
locations
- Wyoming State Courts
- United States District Court for the District of Wyoming
- United States District Court for the District of Maryland
- United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan
- United States District Court for the District of New Mexico
- United States District Court for the District of Nebraska
- United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
- In other jurisdictions through affiliation
Emily’s
Published Works
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Recurring Contributor: Court Summaries, (Wyoming Lawyer)
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From the Courtroom to the Capitol: The Story of Eddie Magallanes and Senate File 101, (The Coffee House – May 2025)
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Unintended Consequences? How Wyoming’s Response to the Affordable Care Act Created a Constitutional Right to Abortion and Medical Aid in Dying, (24 Wyo. L. Rev. 11 – 2024)
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“Hey Siri, Should I Use ChatGPT to Write My Brief?”, (The Coffee House 9 – Dec. 2023)
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Eight Common Legal Writing Mistakes You’re Probably Making, (The Coffee House 20 – May 2023)
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When the Reasonable Value of Medical Expenses + the Collateral Source Rule = Daubert, (The Coffee House 6 – May 2023)
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Emily S. Madden, One Nation, Even in Tort Law: How States Can Preempt or Circumvent Federal Preemption of Noneconomic Damage Limitations, (18 Wyo. L. Rev. 53 – 2018)
Meet with us.
If you are struggling with a serious injury, or are fighting against seemingly impossible odds against big corporations, insurance companies or the government, call us to speak with our team of trial lawyers who will fight for you. We take no fee unless we earn it by winning your case.