Barrister eBrief - Fall 2023
Dear Alumni and Friends,
It is with great enthusiasm and pride that I begin my first year serving as Dean to the Alexander Blewett III School of Law.
This year, Montana’s law school welcomes a class of 96 first year students. It is our most diverse class ever. We have students from 21 different states and 60 different undergraduate institutions. Our strong placement rates (94.5% of students find jobs on graduation) coupled with our consistently strong bar passage rates (97% passing within two years of graduation) allow us to attract an excellent community of students. We are pleased to be ranked as a top 100 law school by U.S. News and World Report.
The law school continues its tradition of hosting CLE programs and Symposia for alumni and students. This Fall we look forward to the 71st Montana Tax Institute, October 13-14 and the 40th Public Lands and Resources Law Review Symposium “Gathering Wisdom: Building on 40 Years of Public Land Discourse,” October 26-27. The Law School’s NALSA chapter is excited to host the National NALSA Moot Court Competition in February, 2024.
I very much hope you will join us for our many events and look forward to visiting with you.
Warm regards,
Elaine Gagliardi
Dean of the Alexander Blewett III School of Law
From Cops to Courts: Police Officers Earn UM Law Degrees
University of Montana law students come from a wide variety of backgrounds, and it’s these differences that make for robust classroom conversations and, ultimately, better lawyers.
Recent discussions have taken on a particularly novel bent with five former law enforcement officers attending Montana’s Alexander Blewett School of Law. Each is lending their knowledge of the streets and providing valuable insights to those entering the legal system, while gaining the skills to impact the community as attorneys and advocates.
“Ultimately, I want to continue providing service to my community,” said Nolan Gibbs, a former patrol deputy and coroner for the Judith Basin and Custer County sheriff departments. “Now I'll just be doing it in a courtroom as an attorney.”
Gibbs, who grew up on a ranch near Jordan, enjoyed his time working in law enforcement but wanted to find more work-life balance with his career.
“There is so much you can do (with a law degree) to help people,” said Gibbs. “I want to move into agriculture law to be an advocate and to help my friends and neighbors.”
In the classroom, Gibbs is learning a lot about what happens once a patrol officer’s work is done.
UM Law Student Helps Coordinate Mining Between Nation States
Within three days of taking his final test as a University of Montana first-year law student, Noah Gipson found himself sitting in a brasserie in Paris, about to start an internship with the International Energy Agency. He was there to work for the Office of the Legal Counsel, drafting energy policy around mining of critical minerals for countries around the world.
“I was looking for a job for the summer and came across this interesting internship through the Baucus Institute,” said Gipson. “They helped me with the connection, and I was set for a summer of adventure.”
Gipson was selected as a Baucus Climate Scholar, part of the Baucus Leaders program. This program furthers the Max S. Baucus Institute’s mission of bipartisan environmental and natural resource policy. The institute is affiliated with UM’s Alexander Blewett III School of Law.
Although he was nervous about only having completed one year of law school, the energy agency put Gipson to work right away.
“I spent the first week learning about mining throughout the world,” Gipson said. “Within two weeks, I was writing briefs and recommendations for IEA’s member countries, helping them come to an agreement around their mining policies.”
UM 4+1 Program Fast Tracks Students to Careers
With a few seductive chords plucked on her web, the female Sierra Dome spider (Neriene litigiosa) hijacks the neuro response of potential suitors and makes them go into a trance. As she strums her love song, potential partners start battling to be her next groupie.
This exotic arachnid courtship never fails to intrigue University of Montana student Sebastian Driver, who has spent the past two summers at UM’s Flathead Lake Biological Station studying an array of different species.
“I’ve always been interested in behavioral ecology,” Driver said while observing the Sierra Dome dance. “I enjoy studying the natural behaviors of animals. You really get to know them.”
The biological station is an ecological research and education center in Northwest Montana. For over 100 years, students from a variety of academic backgrounds have come to the station to conduct research and take courses focused on the Crown of the Continent ecosystem. This ecosystem encompasses the Rocky Mountain region of Montana, British Columbia and Alberta.
Driver is enrolled in UM’s “Four Plus One” program, which is designed for students to complete an undergraduate degree in wildlife biology and a Master of Public Administration in five years instead of six.
Montana Law School Breaks Into Top 100 Nationally
The latest U.S. News & World Report Best Law Schools rankings list the Alexander Blewett III School of Law at the University of Montana as a Top 100 law school and a Top 50 Environmental Law program. Montana’s flagship school ties for 96, a jump of 38 places in the last two years.
“Our law school consistently achieves excellent performance outcomes, with a 94.8% placement rate for 2022 graduates seeking employment,” said law school Dean Elaine Gagliardi. “We also have a consistently strong Montana bar passage rate above the national average.”
Gagliardi, a graduate from Montana’s law school herself, credits the continued upward trajectory of the school in national rankings to the longstanding tradition of hands-on learning and practical work experience received by its students.
“Our law school trains students for the people-oriented practice of law. Its dedicated faculty bring many years of practice experience to the classroom,” said Gagliardi. “Our students learn from national experts in their respective fields, whether it be environmental law, Indian law, veteran’s law, transactional and business law, tax and estate planning, bankruptcy law, international law, or litigation.
UM Student's Journey From River Guide to Environmental Lawyer
University of Montana law student Meridian Wappett’s connection to rapid waters goes all the way back to her preschool days.
“I’ve been rafting since I was 5 years old,” said Wappett, a native of Moscow, Idaho. “I started navigating Class IV rapids when I was 12. It’s safe to say I grew up on the river.”
Wappett’s love for the river guided her toward the sciences early in her childhood. Her high school teachers encouraged her to volunteer with state environmental organizations, where Wappett got a taste for what’s required to organize rallies, draft and pass climate change legislation, and spend days testifying at the state legislature.
When Wappett decided to attend college, she wanted to gain skillsets to help protect the rivers she grew up on. This led her to Utah State University, where Wappett pursued a degree in conservation and restoration ecology, working toward a career as a scientist.
After spending a few summers conducting undergraduate research, Wappett realized her scientific studies wouldn’t be enough to protect the environment in the way she had planned.
Inspired by the Sea: UM Law Student Forms Maritime Law Society
For both personal and professional development, the University of Montana encourages its law students to join student organizations that pertain to the fields of law they want to practice.
But what if your school doesn’t have the right club? If you’re recent graduate Henry Westesen, you simply form it yourself.
Growing up in landlocked Montana, Westesen discovered an interest in maritime law while spending his sophomore year of college in Wales. It was his first chance to spend a substantial amount of time near the ocean.
“A lot of my initial interest came from the mystique of the sea and a passion for history,” said Westesen, who was born in Billings and grew up Bozeman. “People and goods have moved over water for thousands of years, and a lot of the legal doctrine related to maritime law reflects that history.
Alumni Tailgate
Saturday, September 30th we host the Law School Alumni Tailgate. Join us at 11:00 a.m. for chili and good company. Kickoff against the Idaho State Bengals is at 2:00 pm. Game tickets can be purchased here.
Our "Athletics into Law" poster will be available at this event.
In the News
Publications
- Dr. Christina Barsky published: The Impacts of Politicization on Public Health Workers: The COVID-19 Pandemic in Oregon and Montana | Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law | Duke University Press
- Professor Cathay Smith published: Roald Dahl, Hugh Lofting, & Dr. Seuss: Exploring Copyright Implications of Revising Classic Children’s Works, CREATE BLOG (published May 5, 2023)
Awards
- Congratulations to Professor Zellmer who was honored by the Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law. Prof. Zellmer received the Clyde O. Martz Teaching Award.
"The Foundation selected Professor Zellmer because she embodies the highest qualities of a teacher and mentor to students and lawyers. She has been an outstanding teacher of public lands and natural resources law, both in the classroom and in countless presentations given at Foundation institutes and other non-profit and governmental organizations. She consistently fosters a broad and deep understanding of the law through her creative approaches to relevant and timely issues.”