John Ryan

John Ryan served for more than five years as a prosecutor with the Yellowstone County Attorney’s Office. There, he handled a challenging caseload and relentlessly earned justice for victims and their families in high-profile, and serious felony cases. During one three-and-a-half-year span, John prosecuted 17 different major felony cases to jury trial, most of them sexual abuse- or homicide-related, culminating in 16 convictions and one hung jury.

While prosecuting, John was a member of the Special Victims Unit, which specializes in sexual crimes and crimes of sexual and physical violence against children. He brings the same trauma-informed, victim-focused approach in service of our clients at Heenan & Cook. John also served two years as the lead crash attorney for Yellowstone County, fielding roadside calls from crash investigators working to build cases in situations where someone had been seriously injured or killed.

A fifth-generation Montana native, John grew up in small towns across the West. He put himself through college and law school. He first worked as a newspaper reporter while moonlighting in junior college. He then earned his bachelor’s degree from Sacramento State University in California and earned a scholarship to the University of Minnesota Law School and graduated with his law degree in 2014. At Minnesota, John made the Dean’s List, participated in moot court, was a student representative to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Doha, Qatar, and won the Minnesota Bar Association’s annual environmental law writing award in 2013 for a paper on contaminated soil remediation.

After school, John worked as an advocate and organizer and spent time advocating for ranchers and farmers on a regional and national level with the Western Organization of Resource Councils. From 2019-2020, John clerked for the Hon. Donald L. Harris of the Montana 13th Judicial District Court.
John’s professional passion is standing up to bullies—and finding justice on behalf of people who have been hurt. His personal motto, imparted to him by his parents, is Character, Courage, Conviction. He brings that same ethic to our clients at Heenan & Cook. John also enjoys the outdoors, particularly hunting, hiking, and fishing. He spends his free time with his beloved wife and two children.

Notable cases in the news:
State v. Kristopher Harasymczuk
State v. Robert Morrissey
State v. Michael Voyles
State v. Eric Jaynes
State v. Gary Jones
State v. Luis Contreras-Bustillos
State v. Thomas Slevira