Operating the only law office in Saratoga, Attorney at Law Jonathan Schnal is keeping busy with clients and making his presence known well here in the Platte Valley.
Schnal said his office officially got up and running full-time at its 217 N. First Street location in Saratoga in January. He still has a practice in Loomis, Calif., near Sacramento, where he used to work before moving to Saratoga and making his office in town his principal one.
“My focus is here, but I still pick up the slack out there,” Schnal said. “It’s my office out there, so I have to oversee the books and all that stuff and make sure things are getting done right. Wyoming and the Saratoga office are my focuses now, and now I travel to California as infrequently as I possibly can. I have had quite a few clients since I started in Saratoga in January.”
Schnal graduated from law school from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Ore., in 2003, and received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Humboldt State University in Arcata, Calif.
In addition to working near Sacramento, Schnal has worked in Seattle, Plumas County, Calif., and Rawlins before settling down in Saratoga.
“In my 20s, Carbon County recruited me out here to be the planning and economic development director for the county,” Schnal said. “I spent three or four years working for the county and living in Rawlins and a friend of mine suggested I think about going to law school. I decided to go and packed up from Rawlins and headed off to Portland for law school.”
After moving from the bustling Sacramento metropolitan area, Schnal said he was happy to return to Carbon County for its slower, more peaceful way of life.
“I really liked the Platte Valley and knew that Saratoga didn’t have an attorney,” he said. “I’m still the only one in Saratoga, and I think I’m the only attorney in the county outside of Rawlins.
Schnal said the diversity of his practice is what keeps his job interesting, and he has witnessed cases one might not see in more largely populated or urban areas of the country.
“In those areas there are several attorneys who work in specialized areas, and they become experts in labor law or whatever they practice,” he said. “What’s nice with being in a small community is you get to use your whole quiver of skills that you picked up in law school. In the morning some client may walk in with a business dispute, and in the afternoon you may have a rancher come with an issue with water rights. You kind of get the whole crux of it, which means you’re always learning something.”
As the only law office in Saratoga, Schnal said he deals with everything except for criminal defense and certain family law cases.
“I haven’t had anyone come in and ask about criminal defense, but we do help people out with certain family law issues, depending on what the matter is,” he said. “The community has been very supportive, and I have been overwhelmed and appreciate of how much support I’ve gotten from people in Saratoga, Encampment and other surrounding places.”
Because of the reach of the internet, Schnal said he has also been able to work with clients from all regions of Wyoming.
“I’ve worked with clients from all over the state, whether its LaBarge, Sundance or Cody,” he said. “With modern technology you can pretty much practice with anyone anywhere, and I can even do court appearances in California from my desk here. I don’t think that without the internet and modern technology we could even have a going practice in Saratoga.”
In addition to serving people from varying needs and locations, Schnal added that he has seen people of all ages come into his office so far.
“We’ve had everyone from a young couple starting a business to an older family with an established business, or a young couple needing planning help to an older couple wanting a review of their wills or trusts,” he said. “It really varies. Everyone has the same needs in all times of their lives, and we’ve had a surprisingly fair amount of people.”
Schnal said his former career as a land use planner, which he began at age 22 and worked for 10 years before attending law school, and position as Carbon County director of planning and economic development both helped him gain an interest in law as a profession. He also credited the several attorneys in his family as having a positive influence on him.
“I’ve had great past experience to have for a legal career, because I have become acquainted so intimately with land issues affecting people and various codes and regulations,” he said. “My father practiced law for 45 years, and I have cousins, aunts and uncles who are lawyers too. The lifestyle and livelihood of an attorney has been very familiar to me, and I always wanted to learn more about the law.”
With an office still fairly new in town, Schnal said he will see how his practice develops over time before major future decisions are made.
“This office turned out real well and I’m real comfortable here, and the clients seem to like it,” he said. “If we’re fortunate enough to get into a position where we have to grow, it would be nice to bring on more attorneys and staff and find a new larger location.”
As a fisherman, hunter and lover of small-town life, Schnal also plans to stay in Saratoga for as long as he can.
“I’m not an urbanite and never have been, and I enjoy the slower pace of life and friendlier people here,” he said. “I can’t stand crowds, but I love the outdoors and being right there close to it all. In Sacramento you had to plan a vacation to trout fish, but here you can sleep in on Saturday, grab your rod and go down near your home. Something that people pay thousands of dollars and plan a year ahead to do, I can do on a Saturday morning before I mow the lawn.”
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