Personal Injury Attorney
Fred Harrison

Fred Harrison grew up in Cheyenne, Wyoming. His grandfather worked as a boilermaker in the Union Pacific round house not far from Fred’s current office in the historic Tivoli building in downtown Cheyenne. Fred’s mother was born a couple of blocks away on 16th Street, now Lincolnway.

Fred’s mother, Bessie Harrison, owned and operated the American Beauty Shop for many years. Fred’s dad, Gerald Harrison, worked for Greyhound as a bus driver.

Fred graduated from Saint Mary’s High School in the class of 1970. He attended the University of Wyoming with a full tuition trustee’s scholarship. In college Fred worked as a student assistant, executive director for activities and executive director for student housing. During the summer, Fred worked two summers as a section hand, and one summer as a rough neck.

Fred graduated from the University Wyoming in 1974 with separate degrees and high honors in Political Science and American Studies.

After college, Fred went on to the University Wyoming Law School graduating with a juris doctorate in 1977.

During law school, Fred worked for the Governor’s Planning Committee on Criminal Administration and later for the Wyoming Attorney General’s office. While still in law school, Fred argued to the Wyoming Supreme Court three cases, all three of which he won.

In 1977, Fred became a Deputy prosecuting Attorney for Carbon County, Wyoming. As a prosecuting attorney, within months of graduating from law school, Fred was trying murder cases and many other felonies.

In 1980, Fred became a deputy public defender for Carbon County, Wyoming and worked as a public defender for five years while conducting a private general law practice. Between his work as a prosecuting attorney and a public defender, Mr. Fred has handled over 1000 criminal cases to conclusion.

In 1980, Fred began representation of insurance companies in the defense of civil litigation. Over the next 15 years, Fred represented primarily insurance companies such as State Farm and Farmers Insurance Company. Fred also represented the Towns of Encampment, Wyoming for 15 years and Riverside, Wyoming for 12 years.

Fred represented a local utility, Carbon Power & Light Co., a rural electric cooperative, for 20 years.

Fred was also an arbitrator for the Panel on Insurance Litigation for the American Association of Arbitration where he participated in the arbitration of a multi-million-dollar dispute between two insurance carriers in Colorado.

In 1982, Fred was elected to the Wyoming State Legislature as a state representative from Carbon County, Wyoming. Fred served until he retired from the legislature in 1992 after 10 years of service. During his tenure, he served on the Judiciary Committee, the Management Committee, the Rules Committee and in the leadership of his party for six years. Since leaving the Legislature, Fred has served on the Wyoming State Bar Legislative and Law Reform Committee.

In 1994, Fred attended the first Trial Lawyers College conducted on Gerry Spence’s Thunderhead Ranch near Dubois, Wyoming for one month. Thereafter, his practice became completely devoted to the representation of individual citizens injured by negligence, bad faith of insurance companies, the reckless conduct of trucking companies and medical negligence. His practice has evolved into a statewide civil practice, with many cases before the Wyoming Federal District Court.

As demonstrated by his attendance at the Trial Lawyers College, Fred has consistently worked to improve his skills as a trial lawyer. All Wyoming lawyers are required to attend 15 hours of continuing legal education per year. In one single year, Fred’s continuing legal education hours exceeded 189 hours: over 12 times the required number of hours for a year. In 2005, Fred planned the annual meeting of the Wyoming Trial Lawyers and coordinated the continuing legal education program. He has made presentations to the Wyoming Trial Lawyers which have included the topics of public perception of Trial Lawyers and a seminar for continuing legal education in trucking litigation.

In 1995, Fred was asked to represent and negotiate on behalf of individuals involved with the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) of Madras, India in exploring the possibilities of an international development project. While in India, Fred was granted with his family a private audience with Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Fred has traveled widely in India and is very familiar with the country.

In 1996, Fred was elected to the Board of Directors of the Wyoming Trial Lawyers and has remained a member the Board or an officer since. He has served in the offices of Secretary/Treasurer, Vice President, and in 2005 served as President.

Fred has been nationally certified as a trial advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy based in Boston, Massachusetts since 1997. Board certification is based upon trial experience, the opinions of fellow lawyers, including opposing counsel, judges, an honorable record without any disciplinary action before the State Bar, as well as passage of a rigorous examination.

Continuing his commitment to becoming the best possible lawyer, Fred completed and graduated from the Masters program at the Keenan Trial Institute in 2018. Fred has spent hundreds of hours training with other lawyers from around the country that are committed to helping people.

Fred is a referring attorney for the Keenan Trial Institute.

Fred is an experienced and successful Wyoming Trial Lawyer. His jury verdicts include the first medical negligence case won in Wyoming Federal Court in approximately 25 years. He holds the record for the second highest verdict in a medical negligence case in Wyoming. Medical negligence cases are acknowledged by most Trial Lawyers as the most difficult cases to try and win. Fred has successfully handled large trucking cases that have resulted in multi-million-dollar settlements. He is dedicated to his clients and the highest standards of professionalism as a Trial Lawyer.

In 2016, Fred was awarded by the Wyoming Trial Lawyers with the lifetime achievement award.