91ÊÓƵ

Season's Greetings

It’s hard to believe we’re already closing out another semester at Montana’s Law School. As I look back on the past few months, I’m struck by the same feeling I hear from so many of you: deep pride in this community and the work we’re doing together.

This fall, our veteran and active-duty students have especially inspired us. From the classroom to clinic work and community service, they continue lives of service in new ways. We’ve shared several of their stories this semester, and each one is a reminder that our mission as a public law school is intertwined with their commitment to country, to community, and to improving the legal system. If you haven’t had a chance to read those profiles yet, I encourage you to do so—they capture the best of who we are.

We are looking forward to our Advanced Trial Advocacy School, which brings together skilled practitioners, judges, and early-career attorneys for intensive, hands-on training here in Missoula. It’s a powerful example of how the law school serves the broader bar in Montana and beyond, and how our faculty, alumni, and friends invest in the next generation of trial lawyers.

Our faculty continue to distinguish themselves through scholarship and service. Over the semester, they have published articles, testified on key issues, and contributed their expertise to important conversations in Montana and across the country. Their work not only shapes the law, it enriches the education our students receive every day.

Looking ahead, I’m delighted to share that we are opening registration for our upcoming Ireland CLE. This program will combine high-quality continuing legal education with an opportunity to explore one of the world’s most beautiful and historic legal landscapes. I hope many of you will consider joining us—both for the learning and for the chance to build deeper connections with fellow members of our legal community.

Thank you for all the ways you support our students, our faculty, and our shared mission. I’m grateful to be on this journey with you and excited for what the coming year will bring.

With warm regards,
Elaine Gagliardi
Dean, Alexander Blewett III School of Law

Register Today

Can the Cats Food Drive

Can the Cats Food Drive Shatters Expectations

This year’s Student Bar Association food drive delivered big results, with students collecting 4,021 food items for Can the Cats. Classes competed for the top spot, earning “Canned Immunity” by donating items to skip being called on in class.

The 1L class led the way with more than 1,900 donations, earning a celebratory pizza party courtesy of Dean Gagliardi.

Special thanks to 2L Gerald Giebink for organizing and leading this year’s successful competition.

From Pre-Law to JAG: UM Grad Finds Path Through Public Service

After serving in the 3rd Army Ranger Battalion right out of high school, Alex Butler of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, wasn’t sure what would come next. He used his GI Bill benefits to attend the 91ÊÓƵ, but hadn’t yet settled on a career path.       

Butler immersed himself in campus life while continuing to serve in the National Guard. He also served as president of the Associated Students of UM Senate.

“I was really busy in undergrad,” Butler said. “But that was from everything else I was doing outside of the classroom.”

He majored in philosophy, which connected him with Professor Soazig Le Bihan, UM’s Pre-Law Program manager.

“Soazig and I would meet all the time to discuss philosophy,” Butler said. “I joined Pre-Law because I enjoyed my time with her and wanted to learn as much as I could.”

Although Butler’s father was an attorney, he initially dismissed a legal career.

“I spent most of my time engaging with her about how I didn’t want to become a lawyer,” he said. “I thought I would end up going for my doctorate in philosophy.”

Conversations with Dr. Le Bihan eventually led him to consider public service through law. Click Here to Read More

Supreme Court Ruling Opens Door for Veterans at UM Law

A U.S. Supreme Court decision expanding GI Bill benefits is helping more veterans pursue law school at the 91ÊÓƵ, where a growing student-led group supports the transition from the combat zone to the courtroom.

Disabled Veterans and former non-commissioned officers, Remington Prochaska, of Everett, Washington, and David Ley, of Missoula, recently founded the Veterans Law Group at the Alexander Blewett III School of Law.

“We’re building a network of veterans bound by shared experience,” Ley said. “The nation has already invested in shaping us into capable, caring leaders. Now we’re putting that investment to work by strengthening and uplifting our communities.”

The Veterans Law Group is an active and ambitious student organization. Their initial efforts have centered on fundraising and laying the groundwork for larger goals:

• Tackling veteran accessibility issues through policy reform, legislation and public awareness.
• Creating statewide legal assistance services for veterans.
• Offering skill-building opportunities that prepare members to engage in lobbying and the legislative process.
• Representing veterans in Washington, D.C., by 2026.

The Army’s leadership actions of influence, operate and improve are a driving force in steering of the Veterans Law Group.

“I feel like I have soldiers again,” said Prochaska, who served eight years in the Army, including tours in Italy, Ukraine, Estonia and Africa. “My goal is to create something we can use as support now, and we are building something future veterans will continue to use after we leave.”

Ley, who served nine years on active duty, including two years leading soldiers in Afghanistan, recalled the difficulty of pursuing education while on active duty.

“I started college in a tent in Afghanistan, sneaking away to finish assignments after missions,” Ley said. “I would study flashcards in the bunker during rocket attacks.” Click Here to Read More

Faculty Scholarship and Media

Anna Conley

Associate Professor; Cliff Edwards Professor of Excellence in Trial Advocacy

• Navigating Personal Jurisdiction Based on Social Media Activity - Tips for Practitioners, 12 Belmont Law Review 405 (2025)
• The Inevitability of Adaptability - Comparative Contributions to Understanding Originalism, 39 Emory Int'l L. Rev. 467 (2025)

Sandi Zellmer

Professor

• Co-Author, Legal Control of Water Resources: Cases and Materials (7th Ed. 2025)  
• Conservation as Multiple Use, 66 Ariz. L. Rev. 467 (2024); republished in Land Use & Environmental Journal 2025 (top ten environmental law articles published in 2024)
• Co-Author, Legal Control of Water Resources: Cases and Materials (7th Ed. 2025)  
• Co-Author, Property Clause Power Play: The BLM’s Conservation Rule and Loper Bright, 45 Pub. L. Resources L. Rev. 1 (2025) 

 

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