Worrall changes focus of legal practice after county service

WORLAND – Washakie County Attorney John Worrall has officially retired as of Jan. 3 when former Deputy Attorney Anthony Barton was sworn in to the position.

Worrall served as County Attorney for eight years, and practiced law in Worland for 36 years prior to his time in office. He said that although he is retiring from his elected position, he will continue to hold his law license for as long as he wants to practice law; he won't be stopping altogether, but he will be slowing down, he said.

Worrall has upcoming plans for mediation work as well as helping with legislative summaries during the Wyoming Legislature's General Session that starts Jan. 10.

Worrall was the president of the Wyoming Association of Prosecuting Attorneys for two and a half years, ending September of last year, during which he closely followed legislation. He said that he supposed his work with legislation this year would be more relaxed than while he was President. He said "I'm not lobbying or anything, it's just informational for all the county attorneys. We have a way that we take positions on things so they can be fully advised on what they want to do. When I was president I certainly drove that bus but now I'm just gonna give them information."

Worrall said his days of court work are over, though; having done it for so long he said he is tired of it. "That's for people with more time and energy than what I want to put into being a lawyer" he said. "I certainly want to be a lawyer, just not every day all day."

When asked about what he has coming up besides more work, Worrall said "I'm actually really excited. I've got a lot of projects planned, I've got people I haven't seen in a long time that I think I'm gonna go see, and I've got a lot of things around the house that I've never been able to tend to; also, a lot of fishing."

Worrall is also looking forward to a family vacation in Mexico in February, where he said he will try his hand at ocean fishing for the first time.

MEMORIES

Of his eight years in office as county attorney, Worrall said that the situation that the COVID-19 pandemic caused for his job stands out in his memory. He said it "changed everything."

In the midst of mask mandates, social distancing practices and vaccination being mandated for some businesses, Worrall said that the pushback did not escape his sight. He remembered looking out his window and seeing protesters marching from the courthouse to the hospital to protest vaccination requirements of hospital workers. He said "It changed from being an uncomfortable situation and a burdensome situation to people identifying that it was taking of their freedoms."

One positive thing that he thinks came out of the situation was the advent of video conferencing, which has become the new standard for some court proceedings that do not require an in-person setting. He stated that the technology saves time, is flexible, and that individuals going through the court process can hire counsel from anywhere in the state.

Worrall took office after the lease for the Washakie Medical Center had been signed with Banner Health, but he became involved in the $24.1 million renovation project. He did construction litigation, bond agreements, and was in charge of ensuring that the project was completed within the budget, which he was successful in. He said of the hospital "it's a wonderful facility; instead of a little local hospital it's kind of a central hub for the southern Big Horn Basin, and that's kind of nice."

A fond memory of his was the process of getting the new county library in Worland. He said that at the time, the late Commissioner Fred Frandson was passionate about the project and contacted Worrall frequently to discuss it.

Worrall said of his time as county attorney, "I've been very fortunate in this job." He spoke highly of all of his staff at the courthouse, and said that he will miss working with them dearly. He also said he would miss working with his fellow retirees Steve Rakness, former county sheriff, and Mary Grace Strauch, former county clerk.

Worrall said that the office of County Attorney will be in good hands with Anthony Barton, saying Barton would serve the community just as well as him, if not better. Worrall will miss his arguments with Barton; the two would often challenge one another's ideas and Worrall said "Tony isn't afraid to speak his mind, which is what you need in this business."

Worrall will also miss the way his job allowed him to get to know people. He said "I know the directors of all the agencies in the state by first name. You need to make those contacts, become friends with those people and get to know them as a person too. Then when you call, there's a connection there and you can get some business done if you need to."

As a closing message, Worrall said to the community "I want to thank them for giving me the opportunity to serve them for the last eight years. It's been extraordinarily rewarding for me."

To his family, he said, "I want to thank my wife and kids for putting up with me being tied up or gone, or not being able to leave or do things very often, because I had my job to tend to."

To his staff, he said "I want to thank my staff for being so supportive of me, and making my job easy. I thank everyone here in the courthouse for listening to me, and for being appreciative of what I did for them or disagreeing with me when I needed disagreed with."