With 30 years of experience as a lawyer, Mark's distinguished career as a litigator, serving as lead trial counsel and appellate counsel in a broad range of cases, also prepared him to become one of the State's most sought-after mediators. He has mediated over 1,000 disputes encompassing a wide range of matters, involving personal injury, professional liability, commercial, oil and gas, and other disputes. He continues to handle selected litigation matters as lead counsel. Because of his experience in complex problem solving, Mark is called upon by the Judiciary, the State Bar, and various community organizations to serve in a variety of challenging committee and special assignments. He currently serves as Counsel for the Wyoming State Bar. He is a member of the National Organization of Bar Counsel and is listed in Best Lawyers in America and Mountain States Super Lawyers.
A Wyoming native, Mark obtained an undergraduate degree in accounting from the University of Wyoming in 1978, and his law degree from Stanford University in 1981. Over the course of his career, Mark has served as lead counsel in dozens of trials in both federal and state court, litigating such diverse subjects as personal injury, oil and gas disputes, construction litigation, contract actions, civil rights and medical malpractice claims. He has held a Martindale-Hubbell "av" rating – the highest level attainable – since 1990.
After twenty years spent representing clients in courtrooms throughout Wyoming, Mark redirected his practice toward alternative dispute resolution, including mediation and arbitration. Convinced that there are better and more cost-effective ways of solving problems than to fight it out in court, Mark now spends the majority of his time as a mediator, assisting parties in resolving their differences on a mutually-agreed basis. Having successfully mediated more than 1,000 cases to date, Mark takes pride in the millions of dollars in litigation costs that have been saved in cases he has helped settle out of court, not to mention the emotional toll and anxiety avoided through the amicable resolution of disputes, whether simple or complex. A creative problem solver, Mark believes that very few disputes really need to go to trial.
Mark has been active in legal and non-legal activities, including membership on the Permanent Rules Advisory Committee (Appellate Rules Division) of the Wyoming Supreme Court (1992-1997); the Judicial Nominating Commission (2003-2007); and the State of Wyoming Environmental Quality Council (2006-2008). He has served on several civic boards, including the Central Wyoming Counseling Center, the Nicolaysen Art Museum and United Way of Natrona County. Since 2003, he has served as Disciplinary Counsel for Wyoming's Commission on Judicial Conduct & Ethics. He is the author of "The Law of Oil and Gas in Wyoming: An Overview," Land and Water Law Review, Vol. XVII, No. 2, 1982.
Martindale-Hubble Listing
MARK W. GIFFORD, (AV), born Laramie, Wyoming, November 23, 1956; admitted to bar, 1981, Wyoming. Education: University of Wyoming (B.S., with honors, 1978); Stanford University (J.D., 1981), Author: "The Law of Oil and Gas in Wyoming," Land and Water Law Review, Vol. XVII, No. 2, 1982. Mediation training, CDR Associates, Boulder, Colorado. Member, Appellate Rules Division, Permanent Rules Advisory Committee, Wyoming Supreme Court, 1992-1997. Member, Judicial Nominating Commission, 2003-2007. Member, State of Wyoming Environmental Quality Council, 2006-2008. Disciplinary Counsel, Commission on Judicial Conduct & Ethics, 2003—. Fellow, American College of Civil Trial Mediators, 2007-2010. Member: Wyoming State Bar, American Bar Association; Wyoming Trial Lawyers Association (Board Member, 1998-2002). REPORTED CASES: Capshaw v. WERCS, 28 P.3d 855 (Wyo. 2001); Scherer Const., LLC v. Hedquist Const., Inc., 18 P.3d 645 (Wyo. 2001); Roussalis v. Wyoming Medical Center, Inc., 4 P.3d 209 (Wyo. 2000); Fluor Daniel (NPOSR), Inc. v. Seward, 956 P.2d 1131 (Wyo. 1998), cert. denied—U.S.—, 119 S. Ct. 507, 142 L.Ed.2d 402 (1998); Examination Management Services, Inc. v. Kirschbaum, 927 P.2d 686 (Wyo. 1996), PRACTICE AREAS: Mediation; Complex Commercial Litigation; Personal Injury; Oil and Gas Litigation; Product and Tort Claims; Arbitration; Professional Liability Defense.
