Alaska Injury Law Blog
Two attorneys with the Alaska Personal Injury Law Group, W. Michael Moody and Richard E. Vollertsen, were selected to be listed in Alaska Super Lawyers 2009, a publication of Thomson Reuters.
Mr. Moody received his law degree from the University of Arizona in 1972 where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review and received the academic award of Order of the Coif. He served as a law clerk to Judges Thomas Stewart and Victor Carlson in Juneau before moving to Anchorage. Mr. Moody has practiced law in Alaska since 1975 specializing in representing those injured by negligence or defective products, and claims against insurance companies for fraud and bad faith conduct against their policyholders.
Mr. Vollertsen was also selected as an Alaska Super Lawyer. Mr. Vollertsen has been a member of the Atkinson, Conway & Gagnon law firm since 1982. His practice includes complex litigation matters primarily involving products liability, wrongful death, and personal injury. He served as Law Clerk to Chief Justice Edmund Burke of the Alaska Supreme Court. Mr. Vollertsen was also editor-in-chief of University of San Francisco Law Review, 1980-81, and contributing editor to Alaska Court Review, 1983-2000. Mr. Vollertsen was also named by Best Lawyers in America as Alaska’s “Personal Injury Lawyer of the Year” for 2009.
The rigorous merit-based process used for Super Lawyers selection includes an evaluation of each candidate based on 12 indicators of peer recognition and professional achievement: verdicts and settlements; transactions; representative clients; experience; honors and awards; special licenses and certifications; position within law firm; bar and or other professional activity; pro bono and community service as a lawyer; scholarly lectures and writings; education and employment background; and other outstanding achievements. This ranking is then followed by a peer evaluation from other Alaskan attorneys in the practice area. The final candidates selected were those with the highest point totals from each category, and included only five (5) percent of all attorneys in Alaska.
Mr. Moody and Mr. Vollertsen are also all AV rated by Martindale Hubbell, the highest national rating for legal ability and ethics, and have been listed in the Best Lawyers in America for over 10 years.
Bruce Gagnon, Robert Dickson, Patrick Gilmore and Jerry Juday, also with the Atkinson, Conway & Gagnon law firm, were also selected as Alaska Super Lawyers in their respective areas of practice.