Thursday, September 20, 2012

Prof. Fortson receives the Ben Walters Distinguished Service Award from the Anchorage Bar Association

L to r: Anchorage Bar President Elizabeth Apostola and
Prof. Ryan Fortson.
Photo by Jolene Hotho, Anchorage Bar Association
Prof. Ryan Fortson, Justice faculty, was presented the Ben Walters Distinguished Service Award from  the Anchorage Bar Association by Anchorage Bar president Elizabeth Apostola in May. The award is given to an attorney in recognition of outstanding contributions to the Anchorage legal community.

Prof. Fortson served on the board of the Anchorage Bar Association including a term as president, was  Chair of the Alaska High School Mock Trial Competition from 2003-2010, and is a member of the Alaska Bar Association Law-Related Education (LRE) Committee which is responsible for presenting programs and producing publications to aid the public in understanding the law and the legal system.

Until his appointment to the UAA Justice faculty, Prof. Fortson was a partner of the Northern Justice Project, the only private civil rights law firm in Alaska. He also worked for Alaska Legal Services Corporation (ALSC) as a staff attorney dealing primarily with family law, landlord/tenant relations, and public benefits cases. Prior to his ALSC work, Prof. Fortson was a senior associate with the law firm of Dorsey & Whitney LLP. His legal experience there included regulation of public utilities.

Prof. Fortson received a J.D. from Stanford Law School, and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities.