Tracey's Bio
Tracey L. Knutson graduated from Montana State University with a B.S. in Sociology in 1983, and from the University of Minnesota Law School (J.D. granted by University of Montana) in 1989. Tracey served in the United States Peace Corps between her undergraduate and graduate training. During and following law school Tracey worked in the Missoula, Montana County Attorney’s office, in private law offices, and as a law clerk in the Alaska Court System before joining DeLisio, Moran, Geraghty & Zobel in 1992, where she became a partner. In 1998 Tracey joined Rod Sisson as a partner in Sisson & Knutson where she continued her extensive trial practice. In 2003 Tracey began the firm of Knutson and Associates and she has oriented the firm’s focus practice on recreation and adventure sports defense. Tracey has had a rich background of insurance defense litigation, defending oil field companies, native housing authorities, insurers, outdoor recreation and adventure or sports entities and a variety of other clients. She has tried numerous tort litigation style cases and regularly participates in appellate level practice. Tracey has an extensive history of charitable, community and volunteer oriented activities; she held an elected position within the Municipality of Anchorage on the Girdwood Board of Supervisors from 2003-2006.
Tracey’s personal interests have long been outdoor oriented. Throughout her youth and adult years she has been an avid resort, helicopter and back country skier, a sea kayak guide, an avid fisher-woman, hiker and camper. Tracey's interest in recreation oriented legal work began a number of years ago. She and one of her former partners successfully defended, through trial, the State of Alaska in a civil suit brought by a young man injured in a diving accident at one of the State's recreation areas. Since that time, working with the legal issues surrounding defense of public lands and recreational liabilities has become the part of her practice which she finds to be the most interesting, challenging and worthwhile. Not to mention, fun! Tracey currently represents recreation and adventure sport oriented brokers and insurance companies, trade associations, educational groups and commercial operators. Among her commercial clients are: rafting businesses, kayak tour operators, heli ski companies, lodges, hunting and fishing operators, flight seeing groups, hiking and horse trekking businesses, ski industry operators, snowmachine and ATV tour groups, commercial mountain biking companies, tandem paragliding businesses, indoor rock gyms, etc. Tracey’s clients are largely people who are hard working, conscientious and very excited about getting other folks into the outdoors. Because she believes strongly in educating herself in her client’s areas of work and because she believes strongly in personal responsibility (hence, her focus on defense work) she currently holds a number of certifications in the outdoor recreation area and continues to do some guide work herself.
Memberships: Alaska Bar Association, American Bar Association - Entertainment and Sports Industry Forum, Sport and Recreation Law Association, International Amusement and Leisure Defense Association, Sports Lawyers Association.
In April 2007 Tracey was appointed by the Secretary of Transportation, Mary Peters, to sit as a Representative on the Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC); the COMSTAC advises the Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration’s Office of Space Transportation and Congress on regulatory and safety issues in the U.S. commercial space transportation industry; Tracey sits on the Risk Management Working Group within COMSTAC.
