Student Receives Favorable Opinion from Wyoming Supreme Court

Ingrid Bent received a favorable opinion on December 27, 2023, from the Wyoming Supreme Court. Bent wrote the brief and crafted the arguments for Kessel v State (2023 WY 59) as an intern with the Wyoming Attorney General’s Office. She presented the arguments before the Court on September 12, 2023, during her last semester at the University of Wyoming College of Law.

At issue in the appeal was whether Ms. Kessel’s proposed jury instruction asserted a proper theory of defense and whether the District Court abused its discretion when it denied the proposed jury instruction.

Bent worked on the State’s case with Kristen Jones, Senior Assistant Attorney General of the Attorney General Criminal Department. At the same time, Bent served in the UW College of Law’s Prosecution Assistance Program. There, Bent practiced her presentation in a moot setting with fellow students. Bent further polished the presentation with AG’s Office.

Darrell Jackson, Faculty Director of the Prosecution Assistance Program, says the University of Wyoming is among the few law schools where students appear before their State Supreme Court. The justices in Wyoming routinely note the preparation and professionalism of the UW College of Law students, he says.

Bent graduated in December and will enter the next phase of her legal career as a Deputy District Attorney at the Weld County, Colo., District Attorney’s Office in the 19th Judicial District.