Heather Shoemaker Wyoming: A Great Life Moment

Heather Shoemaker of Wyoming received her law degree from the University of Wyoming College of Law in Laramie. After graduating she worked as an Associate at The Law Offices of Vernon Dill for two years, before opening her own office in downtown Cheyenne in mid-2007.

"Law school at Wyoming was great," recalls Heather Shoemaker of Wyoming. "It's a beautiful campus, for starters. And it's a first-rate legal education, too."

The UW College of Law is the smallest public law school in the United States, says Heather Shoemaker of Wyoming. The small class sizes, which average a ten-to-one student to faculty ratio, promote interaction between the students and their law professors, she says, which is something you don't at bigger law schools. Most of the faculty members teach while keeping up their careers in legal research and inquiry, she adds. "And that helped me get a real insight into the realities of the day-to-day practice of law."

After receiving her degree, Heather Shoemaker of Wyoming went to work at The Law Offices of Vernon Dill, an established Cheyenne law firm.  As an associate attorney, she did a lot of legal research for Vernon Dill, but was also able to argue cases in court. "It was a fantastic experience," she says today, looking back on it. "I got incredibly valuable experience as a lawyer, both in court and out. Vernon is so great – thirty-something years of experience, and just a consummate professional." 

After two years though, Heather Shoemaker was ready to go out on her own, so she somewhat reluctantly resigned. Six months later she opened her downtown Cheyenne Office. "Heather Shoemaker, Attorney-at-Law. The first time I saw that on the door – well, it was one of those great moments in life, you know?"