GOVERNOR APPOINTS MICHAEL DAVIS OF CHEYENNE DISTRICT JUDGE

CHEYENNE, Wyo. - Calling him an insightful and analytical scholar of the law, today Gov. Dave Freudenthal named Michael Davis of Cheyenne as District Judge for the First Judicial District in Laramie County.

“I am glad to be able to name Mike Davis to this seat,” Freudenthal said. “I have known Mike since we were law students together at the University of Wyoming, and I have long found him to be an intelligent and careful student of the law who delights in its intricacies. I know he will make an excellent judge.”

The Governor appointed Davis to replace Judge Nicholas Kalokathis who is retiring.

“I am deeply honored and grateful for the trust and confidence that the Governor and Judicial Nominating Commission have shown in me,” Davis said. “I believe my career as a trial lawyer has prepared me well for the many challenges which confront a district judge, and I look forward to serving the people of Laramie County and the State of Wyoming.”

Davis earned his law degree with honor from the University of Wyoming in 1980, and joined the Sheridan law firm Yonkee and Toner, LLP soon after graduation.

In 2007, he opened a branch office for the firm in Cheyenne and has since focused primarily on civil litigation, specifically medical malpractice and employment cases. He also has broad experience with a variety of civil matters, including complex civil rights cases for both plaintiffs and defendants, insurance bad faith claims, coalbed methane surface damage claims, and construction litigation in both the state and federal court systems. In addition, he has defended felony criminal cases and has handled numerous appeals before the Wyoming Supreme Court and the Tenth Federal Circuit Court of Appeals

Before becoming a lawyer, Davis worked in a broad variety of trades and occupations and served three years in the U.S. Army.

He is a member of the Wyoming State Bar, the Sheridan County Bar Association, the Laramie County Bar Association and the Wyoming Peer Review Panel. He served on the Wyoming Board of Professional Responsibility for six years, including one year as its chairman. He is also a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and a member of the group’s Federal Rules of Evidence Committee.


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