Masterson Elected President-Elect of Wyoming State Bar

CHEYENNE – The Wyoming State Bar is pleased to announce that John A. Masterson, an attorney from Casper, Wyoming, has been elected President-Elect of its organization and will serve as President in 2016-2017.

The 2015/2016 Election of Officers was held according to Article II, Section 1 and Article VI of the Bylaws of the Wyoming State Bar.  The results of the election were announced last week in Jackson, Wyoming, at the Bar’s Annual Business Meeting.

Masterson succeeds Devon O’Connell of Laramie, Wyoming, who is now the President of the Bar.

Beginning with a return to his hometown of Casper after graduation from the University of

Wyoming’s College of Law, Mr. Masterson worked for County and District Courts in Natrona County, performing legal research for judges, drafting opinions and decision letters and assisting the court in hearings and jury trials. Following this one-year term, Mr. Masterson began three years of private practice focusing on oil and gas law, criminal defense and domestic relations.

In 1990, Mr. Masterson became an Assistant District Attorney in Casper, with extensive experience in the prosecution of narcotics cases, domestic violence offenses, sexual assault and child exploitation. 1995 found Mr. Masterson in the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Wyoming, primarily responsible for the enforcement of computer crimes and crimes against children. In addition to these matters, Mr. Masterson prosecuted federal criminal offenses from large, multi-defendant narcotics conspiracies, to gun crimes and bank robberies to immigration offenses and wildlife crimes – including the largest poaching case ever prosecuted in Wyoming.

In 2003, Mr. Masterson was tapped by Wyoming’s newly elected Governor, Dave Freudenthal, to be the legal counsel and federal/state relations coordinator within the Governor’s Office. For two and a half years, Mr. Masterson performed the daily legal work for the Governor and his office, participated in policy making, and, for approximately six months, served as an Interim Director of the Governor’s Planning Office. During this time, Mr. Masterson also served as the Governor’s representative for state, regional and national organizations including the Western Governors Association, the National Governors Association and the University of Wyoming Board of Trustees. In these positions, Mr. Masterson worked with numerous state and federal agencies in Wyoming, as well as numerous governor’s offices throughout the nation, and testified twice on Wyoming’s behalf before the United States House of Representatives.

In his final months of service to the state, Mr. Masterson was the Deputy Director of Wyoming’s Office of State Lands and Investments, participating directly in policy making, oversight and administration of over 3.5 million acres of state surface lands and 4.2 million acres of minerals. This role led Mr. Masterson to directly participate in negotiating, legal review and contract drafting of precedent setting state land transactions.

Mr. Masterson served on the transition team for current Governor Matt Mead and as recently as 2011, served as Governor Mead’s Legislative Liaison.

Mr. Masterson returned to Casper in 2006, joining Former Wyoming Governor and US Ambassador to Ireland Mike Sullivan in private practice.  Mr. Masterson now practices in the Casper office of Welborn Sullivan Meck and Tooley, P.C.

In his capacity as President-Elect, Masterson will serve as a member-at-large of the Board of Commissioners and a member of the Executive Committee.  He will temporarily perform duties of the president in the event of temporary absence or disability of the president.

Masterson will serve the next term as President of the Wyoming State Bar (2016-2017).

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