A Wyoming Law Firm

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 Preeminent rating by Martindale Hubbell – signifying that his peers rank him at the highest level of professional excellence. 

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, 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.

Reported Cases

George E. Powers, Jr.

Having recently “retired” from the full-time practice of law, Mr. Powers is now Special Counsel to the firm. He will continue to consult with and assist the firm’s active attorneys as needed and will also be available to work as a mediator. Mr. Powers 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.

For forty years, Mr. Powers’ practice primarily focused 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 and the Laramie County Bar Association. 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.”

Reported Cases

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. He has developed extensive experience defending companies in personal injury cases arising out of accidents in the trucking, oil and gas, refining, construction and railroad industries. Likewise, in the regulatory world, he has successfully guided clients through regulatory inspections covering OSHA Health and Safety, the National Emphasis Program (NEP), and the Risk Management Program (RMP) under the Clean Air Act. He is a member of the Wyoming State Bar, Laramie County Bar Association, Defense Research Institute, National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel, Trucking Industry Defense Association, and the Wyoming Trial Lawyers Association. He has received an AV rating by Martindale-Hubbell. He is also listed in Chamber USA, “The Best Lawyers in America,” and in “Mountain States Super Lawyers,” in the field of personal injury defense.

Paul has two daughters and is an active member of the community. He is an avid outdoorsman and particularly enjoys spending time “tinkering” at his cabin in the Laramie Range west of Cheyenne.

Reported Cases

Ray 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.

Reported Cases

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.

Reported Cases

Jane M. France

Jane grew up in Rawlins, Wyoming. She attended the University of Wyoming and graduated with a degree in history and minor in Spanish in 2008. As an undergraduate, she spent a summer studying abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

She attended the University of Wyoming College of Law and graduated in 2011. While in law school, she participated in the UW Legal Services Program and was a member of the Natural Resources and Environmental Law Club.

She joined the firm in 2011 and became a partner in 2017. She is admitted to practice before all Wyoming state courts and the United States District Court for the District of Wyoming.

Jane’s practice primarily focuses on civil trial and appellate litigation and includes a large amount of personal injury defense. Other areas of interest include defending medical malpractice claims, commercial and business litigation, public utility regulation and administrative law. She is also active in the construction field, representing many entities, including owners, contractors and suppliers regarding a variety of issues ranging from construction defects and contractual claims to liens. 

In her spare time, she enjoys spending time outside. She is an avid hunter and enjoys floating the North Platte and Encampment Rivers. She is a licensed pilot and also tries to find time to golf and cook.

Reported Cases

Patrick Brady

Patrick was born in Colorado, but has grown up all over the country. After graduating high school, Patrick served eight years in the U.S. Army and U.S. Army reserve, deploying to Iraq twice with the 1st Infantry Division as a human intelligence collector and team leader.

While still in the reserves Patrick attended Colorado State University and graduated with a degree in political science and philosophy. He graduated with distinction from University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law in 2014. While in law school he interned with the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, the Colorado Attorney General’s Office, and the Colorado Office of Legislative Legal Services. He also served as an associate articles editor with the McGeorge Global Business & Development Law Journal and was a founding member of the McGeorge Space Law Society.

Patrick joined the firm in 2014 and is admitted to practice in Wyoming state and federal courts as well as Colorado state and federal courts.

In his spare time, Patrick enjoys volunteering, traveling, hiking, fishing, camping, reading, and spending time with his seven nieces and two nephews.

Reported Cases

Andrew F. Sears

Andy grew up in Midwest, WY, a small oilfield community approximately 45 miles north of Casper. He attended Casper College for three years before graduating from the University of Wyoming with a degree in political science.

Following his graduation from the University of Wyoming College of Law, Andy served two years as law clerk for the First Judicial District Court in Cheyenne, WY. He joined Murane & Bostwick in Casper as an associate attorney in 2011 and then as a partner in 2016. Murane & Bostwick closed at the end of 2018, leading Andy to join the Denver based firm of Hall & Evans. Andy decided to return to his Wyoming roots and joined our firm at the beginning of 2021.

Andy has spent his career defending clients in wide variety of cases including automobile accidents, premise liability claims, medical malpractice claims, personal injury claims involving recreational activities, and insurance bad faith. He spent the early part of his career representing employers and employees in workers’ compensation cases. As lead counsel, he has tried multiple medical malpractice and other types of personal injury lawsuits to defense verdicts before Wyoming juries. He has also successfully represented clients numerous times before the Wyoming Supreme Court.

Reported Cases

Meggan Hathaway

Meggan was born and raised in Greeley, Colorado. She attended University of Colorado at Boulder and graduated with a B.S. degree in Sociology. As an undergraduate, Meggan rode for CU’s equestrian team.

Meggan received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Wyoming College of law in 2011. While in law school, she participated in the UW Family Law Clinic and was a member of women’s law forum. 

Meggan is admitted to practice in Wyoming, Colorado, the U.S. District for District of Wyoming, the U.S. District for District of Colorado, and the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. Meggan began her career at Murane & Bostwick as an associate in 2012 before serving as a staff attorney for the Honorable Thomas Campbell in the First Judicial District for several years. Meggan joined her family law firm of Nicholas & Tangeman in Laramie, Wyoming before moving back to Cheyenne and joining Sundahl, Powers, Kapp & Martin in 2022.

Meggan has spent her career defending clients in a wide variety of cases including personal injury defense, employment law and workers’ compensation. Meggan has tried cases in Wyoming and Colorado state court as well as Federal Court and has argued before the Wyoming Supreme Court.

In her free time, Meggan enjoys spending time with her family, competitively showing quarter horses, camping, and hiking.