Parsons Behle & Latimer (Parsons) is pleased to announce that William P. Schwartz who practices in the firm's Jackson, Wyoming office, has been elected to membership in the American Law Institute (ALI), the leading independent organization in the United States producing scholarly work to clarify, modernize and improve the law.
“This came as a welcome surprise and honor,” Schwartz says. “I am grateful to my Wyoming colleagues who placed my name in nomination.”
Founded in 1923, membership to ALI is highly competitive and by nomination only, drawing judges, practicing lawyers and legal scholars from across the country who are selected for their professional achievement and demonstrated interest in improving the law. ALI members contribute to the ALI’s work on Restatements of the Law, model codes and other projects that shape the development of American law.
Schwartz brings more than four decades of broad civil litigation and appellate experience to ALI. After starting his litigation and appeals practice in 1984 in Salt Lake City, he returned to Wyoming in 1990 to found and lead the Jackson law firm of Ranck & Schwartz, LLC for more than 30 years until joining Parsons in January 2024.
Earlier in his career, Schwartz clerked for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. He holds a law degree from the University of Wyoming and an undergraduate degree in American Studies from Stanford University. A third-generation Wyoming native, Schwartz built his practice around resolving disputes across a broad spectrum of subject areas, skills which he has also deployed outside the courtroom where he has been instrumental in the creation and development of a number of community facilities and initiatives in Jackson Hole and elsewhere in Wyoming. He intends to focus his work with ALI in the field of election law, an area which he believes has been neglected in Wyoming..
“Bill’s election to the American Law Institute is a well-deserved recognition of the experience, judgment and thoughtful approach he has brought to the practice of law throughout his career,” says Shawn C. Ferrin, Parsons’ CEO and chairman. “We are proud to see him receive this distinction and know his perspective will be a valuable contribution to ALI’s important work.”
