Monday, April 13, 2015

Mon, 13 Apr 2015
Dave Thompson

For Nate Hibben, being a lawyer is a calling. Being a competent lawyer is a higher calling.
 
The 2009 Liberty University School of Law graduate started his own practice in Torrington, Wyo., in 2011, and has been serving a population of about 6,800 since, covering almost every law except federal litigation and bankruptcy.
 
Hibben, along with his law partner, Herbert Doby, recently filed an amicus brief with the United States Supreme Court.
 
The brief was filed on behalf of Wyoming legislators, arguing that states should not be forced to recognize marriages from other states that are contrary to that state’s policy (whether same-sex or otherwise).
 
In the underlying case, a same-sex couple is asking the Supreme Court if it is constitutional for the state of Ohio to refuse to recognize their Maryland marriage.
 
Hibben and Doby argue in the brief that forcing states to recognize other states’ marriage licenses would not foster “the states’ freedom to experiment with different approaches to difficult social questions,” but would end up “nationalizing the marriage policy of the most inventive state.”
 
Oral arguments are set in that case for April 28.
 
Hibben also spoke on Friday of his motivation for staying in such a small town that’s 30 miles from the nearest Walmart and 80 miles from Cheyenne, the most populous city in Wyoming with a population of a little over 62,000.
 
“The motivating factor was that there was a need. In our little corner of the world there was a need for attorneys,” he said.
 
He added his wife and four children love the area, and he plans to continue serving the community that welcomed him in.
 
“I see the practice of law as a calling, and I believe that we have an obligation to give good advice and good counsel to our neighbors, and I see the people here as my neighbors.”
 
Hibben praised his education at Liberty, and the level of competency it gave him as an attorney. And he encouraged graduates or new attorneys not to let the challenges of striking out to an unknown place deter them.
 
“I never thought the opportunity for me would be in a small town in a corner of Wyoming,” he said.
 
“Don’t be afraid to seize an opportunity and maybe even an adventure that presents itself.”