Alexander Blewett III School of Law

Big Things are Happening at Montana's Law School

As we begin a new academic year at Montana’s law school, we are proud to share stories that reflect the strength and reach of our community—from graduates expanding access to justice across Montana to students preparing for careers in public service and leadership. The semester also brings several opportunities to reconnect with the law school, including the Browning Symposium on Sept. 11, the jointly presented Mansfield and Dean Robert E. Sullivan Lecture on Sept. 28, and the 74th annual Montana Tax Institute on Oct. 9-10. We hope you will join us on campus or online, celebrate the accomplishments of our students and alumni, and remain connected to the work taking place at your law school.

With Warmest Wishes

Elaine Gagliardi

Dean, Alexander Blewett III School of Law

UM Grad: Master of Public Administration Degree Builds Confidence, Career Skills

Roni Hecker once worried her liberal arts background might limit her career options. Today, she manages business development and supports community outreach and financial education for Horizon Credit Union in Missoula.

Hecker credits the University of Montana’s Master of Public Administration program with helping her launch broad academic interests into practical leadership skills and a career that allows her to make a difference in her community.

“My MPA opened the door and introduced me to people I wouldn’t have met before,” Hecker said. “It feels great to be taken seriously and have an important role.”

Hecker grew up in Billings and earned undergraduate degrees at UM in literature and history, along with a minor in gender studies. Her education taught her to think critically and communicate effectively. Then she eyed developing other practical skills that would translate directly to the workplace.

She considered earning a Master of Business Administration but worried her lack of undergraduate business coursework would make that path longer.

“I felt like an MBA would take too long because I didn’t have a background in business in my undergrad,” Hecker said. “The Master of Public Administration gave me the well-rounded education I needed to be successful in any career I would choose.”

The flexible format of the University’s MPA program allowed Hecker to 

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UM Law Graduate Earns Right to Practice in Every Montana Tribal Court

Less than a year after graduating from the University of Montana’s Alexander Blewett III School of Law, Ericka Camposan earned admission to practice in every tribal court in Montana.

It’s a rare professional achievement that many attorneys never complete.

Camposan said the law school’s Indian law curriculum, faculty connections and professional network gave her the foundation to serve tribal communities immediately after graduation. Her admission to each tribal court also expands access to legal help in rural communities where few attorneys are available to practice.

A 2025 UM graduate from Billings and an enrolled member of the Crow Tribe, Camposan completed five tribal bar examinations and the additional admission requirements for each court. She recently passed the Fort Peck Tribal Court bar exam, finishing a process that required extensive travel, persistence and knowledge of several legal systems. She is now able to practice law in each of the seven tribal nations in Montana.

She completed the admissions while beginning her career as a tribal law staff attorney with Read More

UM Law Student Preps Community-Service Career After Battle With Cancer

Cathy Grott spent decades teaching students to never give up on their goals.

Now, after overcoming cancer while attending law school, the University of Montana student is preparing to begin a new chapter of her own – after she graduates Saturday, May 16, from the Alexander Blewett III School of Law .

A nontraditional student, Grott came to law school after a career in education that included serving as a professor at Montana State University Billings.

Her decision to pursue a law degree began during conversations around the family dinner table during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We were all sitting at the dinner table one day talking about politics,” Grott said. “We decided that someone needs to go to law school to learn the rules and the way things work.”

She only expected one of her children to take on the challenge, but they both elected to attend law school out of state. Grott surprised herself by deciding to go back to school as well, but closer to home at UM.

“This whole law school thing has been Read More

Fight for the Rights: UM Law Grad Takes on Water Master Role

As Western states grapple with water scarcity and competing demands, a graduating law student at the University of Montana will step into a role that sits at the center of it all.

Lori Blumenthal, who graduates May 16 from the Alexander Blewett III School of Law, has been appointed as a water master, a quasi-judicial position responsible for helping adjudicate water rights claims across Montana.

The appointment reflects both Blumenthal’s focus on environmental and natural resources law and a broader trend of UM law graduates securing meaningful, in-demand positions across the region.

“I’m looking forward to developing a deep understanding of water law,” Blumenthal said. “This will serve me into the future as Western water law continues to evolve.”

Blumenthal’s role traces back to the Read More

UM Pre-Law Program Achieves Two Years of 100% Law School Placement

The University of Montana’s Pre-Law Program recently recorded two consecutive years in which 100% of participating students who applied to law school were admitted.

Program staff members say the results come from early engagement, steady preparation and one-on-one mentoring. Those elements are reflected in the experience of Gillian O’Neil, now a third-year student at UM’s Alexander Blewett III School of Law who will graduate this spring with a job already secured.

O’Neil began working with Pre-Law Program Manager Soazig Le Bihan as an undergraduate who transferred to UM to focus on academics. O’Neil said that guidance helped her navigate the law school admissions process and later prepare for employment.

“Pre-law advising is about preparation and consistency,” Le Bihan said. “Students who engage early and stay focused tend to do well.”

O’Neil, who grew up in Oswego, Illinois, first attended Clarke University in Iowa, where she played college basketball. She later transferred to UM and majored in political science, choosing to step away from athletics to concentrate on her academic goals.

She said her time as a student-athlete shaped habits that 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) 

Upcoming Events

The Alexander Blewett III School of Law and the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center at the University of Montana invite you to attend the jointly presented Mansfield Lecture and Dean Robert E. Sullivan Lecture with the Honorable James E. “Jeb” Boasberg, Chief Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The lecture will take place Monday, Sept. 28, at 7 p.m. in the ALI Auditorium at the Phyllis J. Washington College of Education. University of Montana.

Chief Judge James E. Boasberg has served on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia since 2011 and as its chief judge since 2023. Chief Judge Boasberg also served a seven-year term on the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court beginning in 2014 and as its Presiding Judge from January 2020 to May 2021.

Demetra Lambros, who will serve as interlocutor, was a criminal appellate lawyer at the U.S. Department of Justice for over 20 years.  She also served as Counsel to then-Vice President Joe Biden and previously as general counsel for the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, where her work included the Violence Against Women Act.  

Register here for In-Person: Register Here