Attorneys
 JOHN A. SUNDAHL
John Sundahl has practiced law with this firm and its predecessor (Godfrey and Sundahl ) since 1973. He has extensive trial experience, handling a variety of disputes in both the judicial and administrative arenas. Mr. Sundahl has been chosen by his peers each year since 1995 as one of the top Personal Injury Litigation attorneys as listed in "The Best Lawyers in America”. He has been named as one of the "Rocky Mountain Super Lawyers", and he is a charter member of the American Board of Trial Advocates. Mr. Sundahl has been given an AV rating by Martindale Hubbell -- which is the highest designation rating granted by that publication.
He specializes in complex litigation, and has lectured extensively on subjects of jury selection, defense of damages, and discovery disputes. He is published in the field of discovery in brain injury cases.
Although much of his practice is devoted to defense of personal injury and medical malpractice cases, he is also actively involved in the fields of insurance disputes, bad faith, environmental litigation, public utilities, oil and gas, railroads, land disputes, condemnation, industrial and wind permitting, employment and banking. In addition to practicing in all courts throughout the State of Wyoming, Mr. Sundahl also regularly appears before numerous administrative agencies, including the Wyoming Public Service Commission, the Environmental Quality Council, Industrial Siting Council, the State Board of Equalization, and the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, among others.
John is married to Harriet Hageman. He is an avid golfer and together they enjoy cooking and traveling in their spare time.
Education:
University of Wyoming, B.A., 1970
University of Wyoming, J.D., 1972
Admission to Practice:
Wyoming, 1972
United States District Court, District of Wyoming, 1972
Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, 1973
United States Supreme Court, 1976
Associations and Honors:
Land and Water Law Review
Wyoming State Bar Association
American Board of Trial Advocates
Defense Research Institute
Best Lawyers in America
Rocky Mountain Super Lawyers
Chambers and Partners, USA
 GEORGE E. POWERS, JR.
George grew up in Maine and graduated from Yale University, before coming west to prospect for uranium in the summer of 1975. After several years of roaming the Rocky Mountains and the desert southwest, George decided to settle down in Wyoming and enrolled at the University of Wyoming College of Law, where he graduated with honors in 1982. He moved to Cheyenne and joined the firm (then known as Godfrey & Sundahl), becoming a partner in 1986. George is admitted to practice before all Wyoming state courts, the United States District Court for the District of Wyoming and the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.
George’s practice primarily focuses on civil trial and appellate litigation throughout the State of Wyoming with areas of special interest including medical malpractice, insurance claims and railroad litigation. He is a member of the Wyoming State Bar, the Laramie County Bar Association, the Defense Research Institute, the National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel and the Ewing T. Kerr Chapter of the American Inns of Court. George has lectured and participated in panel discussions relating to insurance law and civil litigation at meetings of the Wyoming State Bar and at the University of Wyoming Law School. He has received Martindale-Hubbell’s highest AV rating and has been recognized by his peers for inclusion in “The Best Lawyers in America” and in “Super Lawyers.”
George is married to Marguerite Herman. They have three children. George and Marguerite are actively involved in the Wyoming High School Mock Trial program. George has been the attorney-coach for the Cheyenne East High School Mock Trial team since 2001. He has also been an instructor at the People’s Law School, a program providing members of the public with information about the judicial system. In his spare time George enjoys hiking, reading, touring Civil War battlefields and gardening.
Education:
Yale University, B.A., 1975
University of Wyoming, J.D., with honors, 1982
Admission to Practice:
Wyoming, 1982
United States District Court, District of Wyoming, 1982
Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, 1984
Associations and Honors:
Land and Water Law Review
Wyoming State Bar Association
National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel
Defense Research Institute
Best Lawyers in America
Rocky Mountain Super Lawyers
Chambers and Partners, USA
 PAUL KAPP
Paul grew up amid the oilfields surrounding Casper, Wyoming. After high school he served in the U.S. Army with the 2d Ranger Battalion until 1977. In 1981 he graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Wyoming with a B.S. in geology. He went on to attend the University of Wyoming College of Law, graduating in 1984.
Paul joined the firm in 1984, becoming a partner in 1986. He is admitted to practice before all Wyoming state courts, the United States District Court for the District of Wyoming and the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Paul’s practice covers the entire spectrum of civil personal injury defense litigation. Particular areas of interest include trucking, products liability and railroad litigation. He is a member of the Wyoming State Bar, Phi Beta Kappa, Laramie County Bar Association, Defense Research Institute, National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel, Trucking Industry Defense Association, Ewing T. Kerr Chapter of the American Inns of Court and the Wyoming Trial Lawyers Association. He has received an AV rating by Martindale-Hubbell, and is listed in “The Best Lawyers in America.”
Paul has two daughters and is an active member of the community. He has served on the Board of Directors of Community Action of Laramie County. He is an avid outdoorsman and particularly enjoys spending time at his cabin in the Laramie Range west of Cheyenne.
Education:
University of Wyoming, B.S., with honors, 1981
University of Wyoming, J.D., 1984
Admission to Practice:
Wyoming 1984
Nebraska 1999 (inactive)
United States District Court, District of Wyoming 1984
Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals 1984
Associations and Honors:
Phi Beta Kappa
Wyoming State Bar Association
National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel
Trucking Industry Defense Association
Defense Research Institute
Wyoming Trial Lawyers Association
 RAYMOND W. MARTIN
Ray was born and raised in South Dakota, and moved to Longmont, Colorado where he graduated from high school in 1972. He became a partner in a small Colorado construction company at the age of twenty, and started his own company three years later. Ray continued with his construction company while attending the University of Wyoming and graduating Phi Beta Kappa with an international studies degree in 1983, and from the College of Law in 1986.
Ray and his family moved to Cheyenne after law school, and he has continued to practice with the firm in which he became a partner in 1991. He is admitted to practice before all Wyoming state courts, the United States District Court for the District of Wyoming and the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. Ray has received Martindale-Hubbell’s highest AV rating, and is listed in “Best Lawyers in America” and in “Super Lawyers.” Ray has a state wide litigation practice, including the areas of construction, commercial litigation, personal injury defense and railroad law.
Ray has authored the Wyoming Chapter of LienlawOnline.com, and assisted with the drafting and comments to the Wyoming Department of Transportation’s administrative rules regarding railroad crossing, right-of-way and fireguard matters. Ray has lectured before insurance conferences and a national veterinarian group associated with the American Endurance Ride Conference, provided mediation and arbitration services to members of the Wyoming State Bar and has served as an expert witness in the legal malpractice setting.
Recreational pursuits include wilderness horse pack trips, hunting, whitewater rafting and woodworking.
Education:
University of Wyoming, B.A., with honors, 1983
University of Wyoming, J.D., 1986
Admission to Practice:
Wyoming 1986
Colorado 1986 (inactive)
United States District Court, District of Wyoming 1986
Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals 1986
Associations and Honors:
Phi Beta Kappa
Wyoming State Bar Association
American Bar Association
Defense Research Institute
Best Lawyers in America
Rocky Mountain Super Lawyers
 KAY LYNN BESTOL
Kay Lynn was raised on a cattle ranch in the Sandhills of north central Nebraska. She graduated from Doane College in 1987 with a degree in social science and a teaching endorsement. After studying for a year at Christian Albrechts Universitat in Kiel, Germany, on a Fulbright scholarship, she attended the University of Texas Law School in Austin. She graduated with honors in 1991, then clerked for a year for Judge John T. Grant of the Nebraska Supreme Court. She moved to Cheyenne in 1992 to join the current firm, becoming a partner in 2001. She is admitted to practice before all Wyoming state courts, the United States District Court for the District of Wyoming and the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Kay Lynn works primarily in the area of civil personal injury defense litigation, but also handles insurance coverage, professional malpractice, eminent domain, and civil rights matters. She is a Past Chair of the Wyoming Board of Law Examiners, and has served as President of United Way of Laramie County, the Defense Lawyers Association of Wyoming, and the Laramie County Bar Association. She is a member of the Wyoming State Bar, the Laramie County Bar Association, the Defense Research Institute, and the Ewing T. Kerr Chapter of the American Inns of Court. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, riding horseback, reading, and spending time at the family ranch.
Education:
Doane College, B.A., with highest honors, 1987
Fulbright Scholar, Christian Albrechts Universitat, Kiel, Germany, 1988
University of Texas, J.D., 1991, with honors, 1991
Admission to Practice:
Wyoming 1992
United States District Court, District of Wyoming 1992
Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals 1992
Texas 1991 (inactive)
Nebraska 1992 (inactive)
Colorado 1995 (inactive)
Associations and Honors:
Texas International Law Journal, 1989-1991, Symposium Editor, 1990-1991
Judicial Clerk to the Honorable John T. Grant, Nebraska Supreme Court 1991-1992
Wyoming State Bar Association
Wyoming Board of Law Examiners 2003-2008 (Chair 2006-2008)
Defense Lawyers Association of Wyoming, President 2000-2001
Chambers and Partners, USA
Laramie County Bar Association, President 2001-2002
Ewing T. Kerr Inn of Court, 2003 – present
Law School Liason Committee, 2004-present
Defense Research Institute, State Representative, 2001-2003
 DEBORAH MUIRHEAD KELLAM
Deb was raised in Worland. She received a B.S. degree in nursing from the University of Wyoming in 1979 and practiced as a registered nurse on the orthopedic floor at Rose Medical Center in Denver, CO. She later attended Creighton University Law School where she received her J.D. in 1983, graduating cum laude. She practiced law in Denver, CO and San Antonio, TX before returning to Wyoming in 1988 with her husband, Dr. Michael Kellam, and their three children.
Once her children reached school age, Deb returned to her law practice and has primarily focused on civil trial and medical malpractice defense litigation. She has given many seminars to health professionals around Wyoming. She has also given guest lectures to the Wyoming Medical Society, where her radiologist husband is a member. Deb is licensed in WY, CO, and TX, and in the U.S. District Courts of those three states. She is a member of the Wyoming State Bar and the Laramie County Bar Association.
Deb is active in the Cheyenne Cottonwood Society and St. Mary's Church. She enjoys traveling and partaking in activities with extended family in Cheyenne and Casper.
Education:
University of Wyoming, B.S., Nursing, 1979
Creighton University, J.D., with honors, 1983
Admission to Practice:
Colorado 1983 (inactive)
Texas 1984 (inactive)
Wyoming 1989
United States District Court, District of Wyoming 1989
Associations and Honors:
Wyoming State Bar Association
 KRISTIN M. NUSS
Kristin was born in Wayne, Nebraska. She grew up in Nebraska and Colorado, and graduated from Alliance High School in Alliance, Nebraska. Kristin attended Chadron State College in Chadron, Nebraska, where she graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Legal Studies. After moving to Wyoming in 2002, she worked as a paralegal for one year before enrolling in law school. Kristin attended the University of Wyoming College of Law in Laramie, and graduated with honors in 2006. She was involved in the Women’s Law Forum and served as its vice president during her third year of law school.
The summers following her first and second years of law school, Kristin worked with the firm as a Law Clerk. Following graduation she moved to Cheyenne, where she joined the firm. Kristin is admitted to practice before all Wyoming state courts, the United States District Court for the District of Wyoming and the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Kristin is married to Allen Nuss. She enjoys golfing, snowmobiling and working on the pit crew for a USLMA stock car racing team in her spare time.
Education:
Chadron State College, B.A., summa cum laude, 2001
University of Wyoming, J.D., with honors, 2006
Admission to Practice:
Wyoming 2006
United States District Court, District of Wyoming 2006
Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals 2008
Associations and Honors:
Wyoming State Bar Association
Laramie County Bar Association
Defense Research Institute
American Bar Association
 RICHARD “DICKY” SHANOR
Dicky grew up in Cheyenne and graduated from Cheyenne Central High School in 2001. He was recruited to play Varsity Football at Yale University where he played all four years and lettered his last two. Dicky graduated in May of 2005 with a B.A. in Political Science. Following graduation he entered the University of Wyoming College of Law in the Fall of 2005. A brief stint in the United States Marine Corps ended prematurely due to a back injury and medical discharge. Despite this setback Dicky received his J.D. and was admitted to practice law in 2008. He is admitted to practice before the state courts of Wyoming and the United States District Court for the District of Wyoming. Dicky is also a member of the Ewing T. Kerr Chapter of the American Inns of Court.
Since returning to Cheyenne Dicky has been actively involved in community service. He currently serves on the executive board of Community Action of Laramie County focusing on Head Start and Early Head Start programs in Cheyenne. He is active in the Kiwanis Club of Cheyenne, Chairman of the Laramie County Republican Party, and has been involved in various other civic organizations and volunteer efforts in Cheyenne over the years. Dicky also serves on the Milward L. Simpson Award Selection Committee, which annually recognizes the top male and female high school athletes in Wyoming. Dicky was born Baytown, Texas on May 22, 1982.
Education:
Yale University, B.A., 2005
University of Wyoming, J.D., 2008
Admission to Practice:
Wyoming 2008
United States District Court, District of Wyoming 2008
Associations and Honors:
Wyoming State Bar Association
Ewing T. Kerr Inn of Court
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