John Ryan

John Ryan served for more than five years as a prosecutor with the Yellowstone County Attorney's Office, where he handled a challenging caseload of high-profile felony cases. In a span of three and a half years, he prosecuted 17 major felony cases to jury trial, most involving sexual abuse or homicide, and obtained 16 convictions. He was a member of the Special Victims Unit and served two years as the lead crash attorney for Yellowstone County. A fifth-generation Montana native, John put himself through college and law school. He earned his bachelor's degree from Sacramento State University and received a scholarship to the University of Minnesota Law School, where he graduated in 2014. He made the Dean's List, participated in moot court, and was a student representative to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Doha, Qatar. After law school, he worked as an advocate for ranchers and farmers with the Western Organization of Resource Councils, and clerked for the Hon. Donald L. Harris of the Montana 13th Judicial District Court from 2019 to 2020 before joining Heenan & Cook.