Biography
Originally from Wyoming, Ryan was born in Cheyenne and raised on a cattle ranch in Granite Canon. He moved to Spearfish, South Dakota, in 2011. While in high school, Ryan began his time at Kinney Law archiving closed files and volunteering as a defense attorney for the Lawrence County Teen Court. Active in Speech and Debate, he graduated from Spearfish High School in 2015 as an All-American Debater. He attended the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where he double majored in Political Science and History, graduating with honors in 2019. Ryan completed his education at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law in 2022 where he received the Scholastic Excellence Award for Evidence Practicum and Criminal Law Practice Lab. He interned with the Arapahoe County Public Defender's Office handling over 100 cases and second-chairing multiple jury trials. Upon returning to Spearfish, Ryan accompanied Matt Kinney as an intern attending court in the Fourth and Seventh Circuits, writing legal memoranda, and assisted in a successful South Dakota Supreme Court appeal. After entering the firm as a staff member and successfully passing the South Dakota Bar Exam, Ryan became an Associate Attorney practicing criminal law at Kinney Law in May 2023.
Education
- University of Denver Sturm College of Law, Denver, Colorado
- Juris Doctor - 2022
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
- B.A., Bachelor of Arts - 2019
- Major: Political Science and History
Bar Admissions
- South Dakota