Overfield to fill judicial vacancy

With the retirement of Fifth Judicial District Court Honorable Judge Robert E. Skar in October, a decision was made by Governor Matthew Mead to appoint attorney Bobbi Overfield to the fill the vacancy.

Born and raised in Riverton, Overfield grew up on the farm owned by her family, the Carlsons. She attended the University of Wyoming, completing her undergraduate work in 1999 with a degree in Rangeland Ecology and Watershed Management, then earning her JD at the UW College of Law in 2002. She took a job the same year with Corthell and King, a law firm in Laramie, as the city prosecutor. She explained the firm had a general practice and was contracted to do the city’s prosecution, similar to what is done in Thermopolis.

After three years with Corthell and King, her husband Heath was offered a position managing the Engineering Associates office in Thermopolis in 2005. She began her work here the same year, alongside attorneys Mike Messenger and Ron Jurovich; Jurovich left the practice in 2012, and she and Messenger remained as partners. She has previously served as prosecutor, public defender and Circuit Court Magistrate.

Overfield has been certified as a mediator through the State of Wyoming Ag and Natural Resources Program. She has served as a mediator and Guardian Ad Litem (GAL) in numerous family law situations. She is a member of both the Wyoming and Colorado State Bar, the American Bar Association and is a Board Member of the Wyoming Trial Lawyers Association (WTLA). She served on the Executive Board for the WTLA last year and also writes the criminal law summaries for the WTLA publication the Coffeehouse.

Outside of her work she is active in the community, previously serving as the President of the Thermopolis Rotary, she participated in Leadership Hot Springs County and served two years as a facilitator for the Parent Leadership Training Institute in Thermopolis and actively volunteers with 4-H. She enjoys spending time with family — her husband Heath, from Cody, and two children.

As for her interest in becoming a judge, Overfield said she attended a National Drug Court conference in Houston this past spring, and she’s always been interested in creative or alternative opportunities to help people. She further explained drug court is something of a supervisory process that allows more intense supervision to defendants and families. Instead of just giving a consequence and sending people back to the same situation, she said, there is opportunity to remedy the situation — hopefully forever — through sobriety and having people become productive members of society.

There is no drug court program in Thermopolis, Overfield said, though there is an effort to get one here, but the resources such as time and money to commit to such an intensive program are not available. Part of her inspiration to work toward the bench, she said, is to see if there is opportunity from that side to see if there are some more collaborative processes.

She was also inspired through attending the commemoration for the first female district court judge Elizabeth “Betty” Kail. Overfield said it was very inspiring to see and to know there is opportunity for women in the judicial field just like there is in the legal field.

As for her first day, Overfield said she will visit with Judge Skar and see when she is needed to take the bench. With her current practice, she noted, they have a lot of clients and she will work to make sure they are all covered and she’s not sending out letters simply telling people to find new lawyers.

The Fifth Judicial District includes Hot Springs, Park, Big Horn and Washakie counties, currently covered by Judge Skar — who works Washakie, Hot Springs and part of Big Horn — and Judge William Simpson — who works the other part of Big Horn and all of Park.

With 13 years of practice, Overfield said she’s familiar with the courts here as well as in Worland and Basin. She’s excited to work with all of the court clerks and have the opportunity to meet even more people in the Basin.

Overfield also explained the steps to get a new judge begin with the Judicial Nominating Commission, currently made up of three attorneys — Richard H. Honaker of Rock Springs, Professor John M. Burman of Laramie, and Gay Woodhouse of Cheyenne — three laypeople — Rosie Berger of Big Horn, Lori A. Emmert of Douglas and Paul Scherbel of Afton — and the chief justice of the Wyoming Supreme Court.

The Wyoming State Bar that includes every attorney in the state elects the three attorneys, Overfield explained. The governor appoints the laypeople. The chief justice is a non-voting member, but oversees the process.

When judges are preparing to leave the bench or retire, they send a notice to the Wyoming Supreme Court, which then sends a notice to the public and Wyoming State Bar. Anyone who has an interest in the opening can send a letter of interest through the Supreme Court website, and the Judicial Nomination Commission reviews candidates and decide who they want to interview. Following interviews, the commission forwards three candidates to the governor, who then has 30 days to review applications and set up his own interviews if he chooses, prior to making his decision.

Overfield said people might think judges are elected, though in Wyoming judges are specifically forbidden from campaigning under the Rules of Judicial Conduct.

Messenger, Overfield’s partner, said she’s been great to work with. “It’s been a great pleasure to have her as my partner,” he said, and he has mixed emotions to see her move on with her career. “I know she’ll be one of the finest judges the Fifth Judicial District has ever seen.”