Ward Taleff

Peter was born in Trondheim, Norway in 1963. After immigrating to United States as a child, he lived in New York. His family finally settled in Seattle, Washington, where he attended the University of Washington, receiving a degree in History in 1985. He received his law degree from Willamette University in 1989 and worked in the Civil Trial Division of the Oregon Department of Justice. As a prosecuting attorney in Seattle for six years, Peter prosecuted approximately 50 jury trials along wit...

Christian advises clients on real estate transactions, laws relating to land conservation and tax-exempt organizations, and related areas. He specializes in conservation easement transactions. Before co-founding Neilson, Swanson, Dietrich, Smith, PLLC, Christian served as General Counsel for the Montana Land Reliance, one of the nation's preeminent land trusts. In addition to the interpretation and defense of a million-plus-acre conservation easement portfolio at MLR, he successfully advised ...

Paul Odegaard, a North Dakota native, came to Montana in 1999 to begin his legal career in private practice. Prior to earning his law degree from the University of North Dakota School of Law in 1998, Paul graduated with honors from the University of Minnesota in 1994. While attending law school, he was inducted into the Order of the Coif, which reflected his achievement for graduating in the top 10% of his class. After graduating from law school, Paul served as a law clerk for the Justice Mar...

Katie is a partner at Garlington Lohn & Robinson PLLP and chair of the employment law practice group. Katie counsels her clients on employment and labor law issues and has clients representing nearly all industries in Montana. Katie also brings a broad perspective due to her experience litigating civil matters. She is admitted to practice before all Montana courts, the United States District Courts for the District of Montana, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of th...

Adam Tunning is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation, Insurance Law, Litigation - Insurance, Litigation - Municipal and Litigation - Real Estate. Adam, who practices law in Billings, Montana, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Adam is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Attorney Ben A. Snipes is a partner and shareholder with the Kovacich Snipes Johnson, P.C., law firm in Great Falls, Montana. Nationally recognized as a top trial advocate, Mr. Snipes focuses his practice primarily on plaintiff injury claims, including trucking accidents and construction injuries . He also has unique experience in toxic tort cases, such as asbestos and mesothelioma cases , and work-related injuries. In addition, he maintains an active docket of qui tam/false claims act whistl...

Shane D. Colton is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Insurance. Shane D., who practices law in Billings, Montana, has been recognized since 2015. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Shane D. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

A former law clerk for Ninth Circuit Judges Thomas G. Nelson and N. Randy Smith, Michael Manning’s practice focuses on appellate advocacy and complex litigation. He has argued multiple appeals in the Ninth Circuit, and regularly represents clients in both federal and state courts. His appellate and trial-level litigation experience covers a broad range of substantive topics, including environmental litigation, constitutional issues, intellectual property, bank bad faith and lender liabi...

Ross T. Johnson is a partner at Kovacich Snipes Johnson. Mr. Johnson grew up working on the family farm and ranch, located north of Conrad, Montana. In 2008, he graduated from Brown University with a B.A. in Economics. After graduating college, Mr. Johnson returned to Montana where he earned a J.D. from the University of Montana School of Law in 2012. Since joining the firm, Mr. Johnson has litigated a wide array of plaintiffs’ civil claims including, but not limited to: wrongful death,...

Jeff has a diverse practice that includes civil litigation, insurance defense, employment law, business law, construction law and workers' compensation. He is admitted to practice in all Montana Courts, the United States District Courts for the District of Montana and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. He is also admitted to practice in California (inactive status). Jeff enjoys advising employers on all business and litigation related matters. Jeff's honors, awards and professional associati...