Alan W. Mortensen

Salt Lake City, UT Directions

Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2011

Awarded Practice Areas

Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs

*Named the "Lawyer of the Year" in this practice area in the 2026 edition in Salt Lake City.

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Awarded Practice Areas

Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs

*Named the "Lawyer of the Year" in this practice area in the 2026 edition in Salt Lake City.

Works at

Mortensen & Milne

2 Best Lawyers awards

Biography

Alan W. Mortensen is a trial attorney at Mortensen & Milne in Salt Lake City, Utah. His practice focuses on Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs, representing individuals and families in complex cases involving catastrophic injuries, wrongful death, aviation accidents, trucking collisions, product liability, and insurance bad faith.

Throughout his career, Alan has handled high‑stakes litigation in both state and federal courts. His work has included cases involving aviation disasters and mine catastrophes, as well as other serious injury and wrongful death matters. He is known for thorough case investigation, detailed trial preparation, and presenting complex technical and scientific evidence to juries.

Alan represents plaintiffs facing significant harm caused by negligent corporations, transportation companies, manufacturers, and insurers. His approach centers on careful case development, strategic litigation planning, and advocating for accountability through the civil justice system.

Alan earned degrees from Brigham Young University, the University of Utah, and the University of Wyoming College of Law. He is admitted to practice in multiple jurisdictions and federal courts. His work in personal injury litigation has been recognized by Utah’s Legal Elite and other trial lawyer organizations.

Based in Salt Lake City, Alan continues to represent plaintiffs across Utah and in complex cases throughout the United States through his work with Mortensen & Milne.

Locations

Salt Lake City, Utah

801-521-4444

68 South Main Street, Floor Seven
Salt Lake City, UT 84101

Education

University of Wyoming, J.D., graduated 1993

Bar Admissions

Colorado, Colorado Bar Association, 1994
Wyoming, Wyoming State Bar , 1994
Utah, Utah State Bar, 1993

Court Admissions

Admitted Pro Hac Vice in Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California, Alabama, Ohio, Florida.
Admitted to United States Supreme Court
Admitted 10th Circuit Court of Appeals

Affiliations

The National Trial Lawyers - Member
American Association of Justice - Member
David K. Watkiss-Sutherland II American Inns of Court - Barrister
Wyoming Trial Lawyers Association - Member
Order of Certus - Advocate
Order of Centurions - Barrister
Diversity Law Institute - Member
Trial Law Institute - Member
Litigation Counsel of America - Member
Utah Association for Justice - 2017 President

Client Testimonials

Awards & Focus

Named "Lawyer of the Year" by Best Lawyers^® for:

Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs, Salt Lake City (2026)

Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America^® 2026 for work in:

Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs

Additional Areas of Practice:

Personal Injury Litigation

Special Focus:

Bad Faith
Medical Malpractice
Wrongful Death

Insights

Can You Sue a Youth Treatment Center for Abuse in Utah? Legal Options for Families

Across Utah and throughout the United States, residential treatment programs, therapeutic boarding schools, and behavioral health facilities often present themselves as safe environments designed to help struggling teenagers. Families send their children to these programs believing they will receive professional care, counseling, and structured support.

Alan W.

Mortensen

What’s the Average Settlement for a Truck Accident in Utah?

Truck accidents are among the most devastating traffic collisions on Utah roads. When a fully loaded commercial truck weighing up to 80,000 pounds collides with a passenger vehicle, the consequences are often catastrophic. Victims frequently suffer traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, permanent disabilities, or wrongful death.

Alan W.

Mortensen

Who Is Liable for a Gas Explosion or Defective Product Injury in the United States?

Gas explosions and defective product accidents can cause catastrophic injuries in homes, workplaces, and public spaces across the United States. These incidents often occur without warning and may result in devastating burns, traumatic brain injuries, structural collapses, or fatalities.

Alan W.

Mortensen

Additional Information

Presentations

SMU Air Law Symposium, Journal of Air Law and Commerce, 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? March 30-31st, 2017, Dallas, Texas.

Utah Association for Justice, Objective Before and After Witnesses from Social Services, February 26, 2016, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Utah State Bar Mid-Year Convention, Is Facebook Your Friend? Using Social Media to Build Your Case, March 2014, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Utah Association for Justice, What the NFL and Helmet Litigation has Taught Us About Handling Brain Injury Cases Involving Repeated Concussions, March 9, 2014, Salt Lake City, Utah.

National Business Institute, Judicial Forum of Advanced Discovery and Trial Practice, May 11, 2012, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Utah Association for Justice, Ten Myths About the TBI Case, March 5, 2010 Salt Lake City, Utah.

Utah Association for Justice, Focus Groups on a Dime, April 10, 2009, Salt Lake City, Utah.

National Business Institute, Utah Bad Faith Primer, May, 2009, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Utah Association for Justice, Preparing the Mild to Moderate TBI Case Using Lay Witnesses, March 21, 2008, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Utah Association for Justice, Using Effective Medical Evidence in Court, December 11, 2008, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Utah Association for Justice, Preparing the Mild to Moderate TBI Case, March 9, 2007, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Utah Association for Justice, Finding Expert Witnesses for the Brain Injury Case, March 7, 2006, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Utah Association for Justice, Preparing the Mild to Moderate TBI Case, November 29th-30th, 2007, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Utah Association for Justice, How To Successfully Resolve Automobile Injury Cases, November 29-30, 2006, Salt Lake City, Utah.

National Business Institute, Trucking Litigation and DOT Regulations In Utah, March 2006, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Utah Association for Justice, Brain Injury in the Medical Malpractice Case with Ruth Renlund, March 9, 2007, Salt Lake City, Utah.

National Business Institute, Basics of a Medical Malpractice Case in Utah, March 2003, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Utah Association for Justice, Getting the Most Value for the Least Dollar – Focus Groups, September 17, 1999, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Utah Association for Justice, Trial Lawyers University, “Window Blind Strangulation”, Salt Lake City, Utah, March 17, 2022.

Utah Association for Justice, Auto-Spectacular Mid-Year Seminar, “Anchors Aweigh – Not Anchoring Down Your General Damage Case”, Salt Lake City, Utah, April 22, 2022.

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).

Published Decisions

MJ v. Wisan, 371 P.3d 21 (Utah 2016).

Fire Insurance v. Blacker, 285 P.3d 802 (Utah App. 2012).

Nielson v City of South Salt Lake, 2009 WL 3562081 (D. Utah 2009).

Allstate Ins. Co. v. Worthington, 46 F.3d 1005 (10th Cir. 1995).

State of Utah v. $73,130, 31 P.3d 514 (Utah 2001).

Lieber v. ITT Hartford Ins. Center, Inc., 15 P.3d 1030 (Utah 2000).

Significant Cases

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

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