After graduating from Wyoming Catholic College in 2016 and teaching middle school in Jackson, Wyoming, I attended Ave Maria School of Law, graduating first in my class in 2021. After completing law school, my wife (also a WCC ’16 graduate) and I moved to North Idaho, where I worked as a County Prosecutor in Shoshone County, a small county of about 13,000 residents. In this position, I was the sole misdemeanor prosecutor in Shoshone County, prosecuting everything from DUIs and possession of controlled substances to aggravated assaults and battery.

During my time with the county, I also worked as an associate attorney in a private law firm, Silver Valley Law, where I drafted gun trusts, file probates, and advised our local municipal entities on best legal practices. Then, I founded my own practice, Northern County Law, one of only two defense firms located in Shoshone County.

In my work in the field of law, I am continually reminded of the moral foundation I received during my time at Wyoming Catholic College, particularly calling to mind Shakespeare’s “Merchant of Venice” from our Junior year Humanities class. As a prosecutor, it was my duty to enforce the laws of the state of Idaho and ensure that people who do wrong and commit crimes suffer a justice consequence. But I could not forget that “mercy seasons justice;” at the end of my life, I, too, will pray for mercy.

This reality–that justice must be paired with mercy–is not an easy goal to achieve. Often, in trying to attain the one, we sacrifice the other. Trying to balance these virtues in the messy world of the particular is something that Wyoming Catholic began to teach me, but it will likely take me a lifetime to learn.

The legal profession has given me an opportunity to use my classical training in a rewarding, impactful, and profitable manner, and I would encourage any graduate from Wyoming Catholic College to consider investing their liberal arts degree in the legal field, where it can be put to noble use.