Montana Lawyer June/July 2024

State Fair at the ExpoPark in case you want to stay over for that event. Because newer attorneys entering the bankruptcy practice have told us that a need exists for a “Nuts & Bolts” element, this year’s two-day seminar is devoting the entire Thursday half-day session to beginner bankruptcy topics. Friday’s full-day schedule is set up like our typical presentations have been in the past. Judge Benjamin P. Hursh will wel come Thursday’s afternoon attendees before Billings bankruptcy guru Andy Patten and his veteran paralegal, April Boucher launch our Nuts & Bolts event with their presentation on representing Debtors. From the creditor’s perspec tive, Lewis Stoddard will present next on general topics and practice pointers for creditors and their counsel. After that, Chapter 13 Trustee Robert Drummond, will deliver a primer on Chapter 13, followed by Jason Naess from the U.S. Trustee’s Office in Boise with a perspective on the bankruptcy practice from the Department of Justice’s viewpoint. The Section then hosts a lively reception before our annual dinner on-site. On Friday, we have a full day planned starting off with Judge Hursh and his former law clerk, Elliot McGill, plus his current law clerk, Seamus McCulloch, highlighting Evidence issues. After that, Jonathan Seymour, a nationally recognized law professor and scholar from the Duke University School of Law, will speak about the Termination of a Bankruptcy Estate. The rest of Friday’s program is filled with these speakers and topics: Dylan Crouse (considerations for lenders before making a loan), Professor Jon Byington with Robert Drummond and Burt Ward (Lien Perfection problems), a report from the Local Rules Committee, and advice on Effective and Persuasive Legal Writing and Oral Argument from Tim Tatarka, the U.S. Attorney’s Office Appellate Chief in Montana. Our extensive program will conclude with Judge Hursh, who always offers an nual remarks and his useful observations on the Bankruptcy Practice in Montana. Please join us for one or both days - we would love to see you in the Electric City! Daniel S. Morgan, a partner in Morgan

Law Offices (Missoula), is the 2023-24 Bankruptcy Section Chair .

Kekek Startk, Turtle Mountain Ojibwe and Bizhiw (Lynx) member and Co-Director of the UM Indian Law Program; the Margery Hunter Brown Indian Law Clinic; and the American Indian Governance and Policy Institute. He’ll address tribal co-management and co-stewardship of public lands and explore real-life examples to resource stewardship and tribal sovereignty. Is the fishpond Waters of the United States? After decades of uncertainty, “waters of the United States” under the Clean Water Act are defined by Sacket v. EPA (2023). We’ll discuss the deci sion’s impact nationally and applica tion of the Court’s 2020 Maui deci sion in National Pollution Discharge Elimination System cases in Montana. You’ll hear about the latest Constitutional developments relating to Montanans’ right to a clean and health ful environment, from updates on the youth constitutional climate case, Held v. Montana, currently on appeal before the Montana Supreme Court, to a chal lenge to the Yellowstone Generating Station, also pending before the Court. The Natural Resource Section will hold its annual meeting and election of officers. Positions are open, so you can join the leadership and direction of this critical group, watching over laws and policy of Montana’s environment. R andall A. Snyder, the founder of Snyder, Beaudry & Cook (Bigfork), is the Liason for the Natural Resources Law Section.

The NREEL Section

The Preamble to the Montana Constitution acknowledges the grandeur of our mountains, the vastness of our rolling plains, and the desire to improve the quality of our lives. Montana un doubtedly owes much of its title as “the last best place” to its people and natural resources. From the world-famous Held trial to joint tribal-federal management of public lands to energy policy, to Clean Water Act litigation, Montana truly is the epicenter of tradition and change. Join the Natural Resources, Energy, and Environmental Law section of the state bar for its annual CLE to discuss these topics and more this September 27, 2024 at the Alexander Blewett III School of Law. This year’s presentation offers broad topics and updates for all practitioners. Supreme Court Justice Laurie McKinnon (or another justice) begins with an update on state and federal legislation and litigation. She may be joined by Al Blewitt Law Professor Michelle Bryan, who grew up farming and ranching, as a UM Law student, edited the Montana Law Review and was a policy special ist for the Montana Water Center in Bozeman. Curious about how Tribal and Montana environment intersect? We welcome Al Blewitt law professor

2024

JUNE-JULY 2024

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WWW.MONTANABAR.ORG