Alan W. Mortensen is one of Utah’s most experienced and respected trial attorneys, known for handling high-stakes personal injury litigation involving catastrophic injuries, wrongful death, aviation disasters, trucking collisions, product liability, and insurance bad faith.
Over the course of his career, Alan has led complex cases in both state and federal courts, secured landmark verdicts, and represented clients in nationally significant litigation — including aviation disasters and mine catastrophe cases. His practice is defined by meticulous investigation, strategic trial preparation, and the ability to confront powerful corporate and institutional defendants.
Alan is widely regarded as a trial lawyer’s lawyer, trusted for his courtroom leadership, command of technical evidence, and unwavering focus on accountability and results.
He earned degrees from Brigham Young University, the University of Utah, and the University of Wyoming College of Law. Alan is admitted to practice in multiple jurisdictions and federal courts and has been repeatedly recognized among Utah’s Legal Elite and Top Trial Lawyers.
Significant Cases & Trals
- 2021 $25 MILLION JURY VERDICT: Mahe v. Century Blinds, Inc.
- 2021: $36.75 million single plaintiff settlement of a case involving a brain injured victim.
- 2017 $16 MILLION VERDICT: Wall v. Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and Warren Jeffs
- 2016 $2.75 MILLION SETTLEMENT: Wall v. United Effort Plan Trust, Appeal to Utah Supreme Court
- 2013: Peruvian Chinook Helicopter in Pucallpa, Peru, confidential settlement
- 2011: Asiana Air Flight 214 Air Disaster in San Francisco, Steering Committee, confidential settlement
- 2011 $2,009,173 VERDICT: Jefferies v. Earnshaw
- 2008: Guatemala Cessna Gran Caravan Crash, confidential settlement
- 2007 HIGHEST MINE WRONGFUL DEATH SETTLEMENT IN US HISTORY: Crandall Canyon Mine Disaster in Huntington, Utah
- 2005 $10,515,720 VERDICT: Safeway Inc. v. Alarm Control
- 2004 CONFIDENTIAL SEVEN FIGURE SETTLEMENT: John and Jane Doe v. LA Catholic Diocese Sex Abuse Scandal
Licenses & Admissions
- Admitted Utah State Bar (1993 to present).
- Admitted Wyoming State Bar (1994 to present).
- Admitted Colorado State Bar (1994 to present).
- Admitted 10th Circuit Court of Appeals (1994 to present).
- Admitted to United States Supreme Court (2013).
- Admitted Pro Hac Vice in Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California, Alabama, Ohio, Florida.
Publications
- Case Note, The Marriage of Strict Liability and Comparative Negligence Left Waiting at the Altar? XXVII Land and Water Review 223 (1992).
- Comment, Wyoming Fetal Rights — Why the Abortion Albatross is a Bird of a Different Color: The Case for Fetal Federalism XXVIII Land and Water Review 627 (1993).
- Employees Further Forced to Bear Burden of Boss’s Neglect, Utah Bar Journal (1996).
- What Every Plaintiffs Lawyer Should Know in Avoiding Workers Compensation Immunity with Public Employers, Sherwood v. Oklahoma County, 2002 WL 1472197 (10th Cir. 2002), Utah Trial Journal (2003).
- Litigating Aircraft Product Liability Cases: Avoiding the General Aviation Revitalization Act’s Statute of Repose, Utah Trial Journal, Volume 35, No. 2 (Winter 2012).
- The Case of “Jet Skis,” “Personal Watercraft, Wikepedia and the Investigator Son, Utah Trial Journal, Volume 36, No. 1 (Winter 2013).
- The Exception to the “Presence Rule” for Parents’ Recovery Under a Theory of Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress in Childhood Abuse Cases, Utah Trial Journal, Volume 38, No. 3 (Fall 2015).
- Should I Buy New Or Used? What Is a “New” Part, a “Rebuilt” Part, and a “Used Part” Under the General Aviation Revitalization Act, and Why Does it Matter? Utah Trial Journal, Volume 40, No. 4 (Fall 2017).
Honors & Awards
- Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America
- AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated Martindale-Hubbell 2006 to present.
- Best Lawyers in America 2009 to present.
- Mountain States Super Lawyer Super Lawyers 2012-18.
- Multi-Million Dollar Advocate Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum 2009 to present.
- The National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Lawyers for Utah.
- The Verdict Club for Premium Trial Lawyers.
- Legislative Titan for the Utah Association for Justice, 2013-2017.
