Susan Smith Blakely is a lawyer, author and motivational speaker on the challenges for women lawyers and issues related to lawyers of the millennial generation.

Ms. Blakely is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, with distinction, and Georgetown University Law Center where she taught legal writing. After 25 years as a practicing attorney with experience in both the private the public sectors, Ms. Blakely retired from law practice in 2006 to found LegalPerspectives LLC, the umbrella company for her writing, speaking, consulting and coaching.

Her first book, Best Friends at the Bar: What Women Need to Know about a Career in the Law (Wolters Kluwer/Aspen Publishers, 2009), focuses on the low retention rates for women lawyers and the special impediments for women in law practice, including the work-life struggle and competing in a male-dominated profession. The book promotes personal definitions of success and provides advice and insight from over 60 lawyers and judges throughout the country.

Her second book, Best Friends at the Bar: The New Balance for Today’s Woman Lawyer (Wolters Kluwer Law & Business, 2012), digs deeper into the work-life struggle and proposes a new and more realistic balance to help young women lawyers remain in the profession. The book includes profiles of twelve impressive women lawyers who successfully transitioned from large law firms to alternative practices.

Ms. Blakely’s third book, Best Friends at the Bar: Top-Down Leadership for Women Lawyers (Wolters Kluwer/Aspen Publishers, 2015) explores effective law firm leadership to increase retention rates for women lawyers and advance them to positions of leadership and management.

Ms. Blakely’s most recent book, What Millennial Lawyers Want: A Bridge from the Past to the Future of Law Practice (Wolters Kluwer/Aspen Publishers, 2018) explores what a new generation of lawyers want from the practice of law, how law firm managers should respond to the values demonstrated by today’s young lawyers, and how millennial lawyers should meet the challenges presented by a demanding profession.

Ms. Blakely speaks on the subjects addressed in her books at law schools, law firms and law organizations throughout the country and abroad and presents webinars and podcasts for media outlets. Among her newest initiatives is a multi-session program for law firms to supplement in-house leadership programs, with an emphasis on soft skills that are critical to developing future law firm managers and leaders.

Ms. Blakely lives in Northern Virginia outside of Washington, DC. Her husband Bill is also a lawyer, and their two children are lawyers who practice in Manhattan and Nashville.

Ms. Blakely can be contacted at [email protected], and more information about her experience, her books and her programs can be found on her website at www.bestfriendsatthebar.com.

Ms. Blakely also has published in law journals on issues of constitutional and statutory law and in media publications for law and business.

Pam Bucy was appointed by the Montana Supreme Court to serve as the Chief Discipline Counsel for the Office of Discipline Counsel in November of 2019. Bucy joins the office after a few years with Taylor Luther Group. Taylor Luther Group is a boutique law/government relations firm where Bucy specialized in business, employment, and administrative law as well as election and campaign finance law and strategic communications. Bucy graduated from Rocky Mountain College earning degrees in English, political science and history. She went on to earn her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Montana School of Law. In law school, she wrote for the Public Land and Resources Law Review and participated on the Jessup International Moot Court Team. Upon graduation, Bucy worked as a Deputy County Attorney for Lewis and Clark County for several years before moving on to the Montana Department of Justice where she spent nearly eight years as the Executive Assistant Attorney General for Attorney General Mike McGrath. Bucy’s work at the Attorney General’s office focused on criminal, elections, and constitutional issues. Bucy also directed the agency's legislative agenda. In 2009, Bucy was appointed by Governor Steve Bullock to serve as the Commissioner of the Department of Labor & Industry. As Commissioner, Bucy administered the work of over 900 state employees and provided policy and legal advice on all aspects of Montana’s economy including employment, unemployment, worker’s compensation, professional and occupational licensing and high-level economic development. Bucy also worked as an associate attorney for the law firm of Luxan & Murfitt, PLLC, where she specialized in business and employment law and strategic communications. Pam was born and raised in Townsend. You can reach her at [email protected].

Greg Dorrington practices in the firm’s Helena office as a member of the Natural Resources and Environmental Litigation Practice Group. His practice is focused on project development, strategic counseling, environmental and natural resources litigation, due diligence, and other administrative and regulatory matters. Greg’s practice also encompasses government affairs for the firm’s natural resources clients.

In addition to his natural resources work, Greg maintains an active immigration law practice where he assists businesses and individuals with their immigration needs. Greg routinely advises clients regarding immigrant and nonimmigrant visas, family-based and employment-based visa petitions, the PERM labor certification process, the immigrant investor program, I-9 compliance, and immigration issues that arise in the hiring process.

Greg is a fourth-generation Montanan and Helena native. When not practicing law he can be found exploring Montana’s mountains, lakes and rivers with his family.

Kelly J. C. Gallinger is a shareholder with the Brown Law Firm,

P.C. Her law practice principally involves insurance defense work including insurance coverage litigation, first-party and third-party insurance bad faith, and environmental litigation. She also handles personal injury, products liability, construction, and property damage litigation, in addition to assisting several first party carriers at the claims investigation and litigation stages. Ms. Gallinger provides legal opinions on a broad-range of property and liability insurance issues, including: UM/UIM, all risk, asbestos, bad faith, builders risk, business interruption, and extended coverages. Ms. Gallinger has experience in complex, multi party litigation and has litigated cases in state and federal courts in Montana and in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Ms. Gallinger served in the Montana Army National Guard from 1992 until 2003, acting as an intelligence analyst. In 2011, Ms. Gallinger worked with Judge Mary Jane Knisely to establish the first veteran’s court in a Montana district court and currently serves as a veteran mentor on that Court. From 2011 through 2014, Ms. Gallinger was selected by her peers as a “rising star” in the field of insurance coverage law and featured in an article in the Mountain States Super Lawyers publication. She has been recognized as a “super lawyer” in the same publication since 2018 in the area of insurance coverage. Ms. Gallinger is also a Fellow in the American College of Coverage and Extracontractual Counsel. Finally, Ms. Gallinger serves as the Vice Chair on the Commission on Practice for the State of Montana and has served as a Commissioner since 2016.

Admitted to bar, 1988, Montana and U.S. District Court, District of Montana; U.S. Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit; U.S. Supreme Court; Blackfeet Tribal Court.

Education: South Dakota State University; Montana State University (B.A., with honors, 1985); University of Montana (J.D., with honors, 1988).

Member: Cascade County and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Montana; Montana Trial Lawyers Association; American Association for Justice; Montana Defense Trial Lawyers Association.

Practice Areas: Product Liability Defense; General Liability Defense; Federal Indian Law.

Brad grew up in Montana. He left the state to play college baseball in Florida and attend the United States Naval Academy. After graduating from the University of Montana law school with honors in 1977 he began private practice in Missoula. Since that time, he has had a varied state-wide practice involving Insurance Defense in many areas: Complex Claims, Insurance Bad Faith, Legal Professional Liability, Personal Injury and Insurance Coverage. He also engages in Arbitration/Mediation.

Brad maintains an AV rating and is listed in multiple litigation related areas in Best Lawyers, Mountain States Super Lawyers and Chambers USA. Brad was designated by Best Lawyers publication as the Missoula Lawyer of the Year in Insurance Law and Defense of Personal Injury Litigation in multiple years. Brad has handled more than 60 appeals before the Montana Supreme Court.

Brad has been involved in a wide range of professional activities. He was a long time CLE chairman, Board Member and President of the Montana Defense Trial Lawyers. He often speaks at legal seminars and insurance groups on claim handling related matters. Brad was appointed to the Governor’s Advisory Council on Workers’ Compensation, participating in an extended study and redrafting of the Montana Workers’ Compensation Act. He has been an adjunct professor teaching Workers’ Compensation Law at the UM School of Law.

Brad is a past president and Board Member of the University of Montana Grizzly Athletic Association, was, for several years, counsel, officer and director for Play Ball Missoula, a non-profit corporation privately overseeing the development and construction of a civic stadium, and was a long time YMCA and Little League girls baseball and basketball coach. He and his wife Carla have 3 married daughters. The family enjoys activities with their grandchildren, UM sports, outdoor activities and recreation at Flathead Lake.

Ian McIntosh, a sixth generation Montanan, is a Partner in the Bozeman office. Ian graduated from the University of Montana School of Law, with honors, in May 1998 and from the University of Washington in 1993. Ian’s practice primarily focuses on civil litigation defense including products liability, personal injury, and commercial litigation. He has successfully tried cases to verdict in Montana and Wyoming for an automobile manufacturer, Big Sky Resort, Wells Fargo, and Hess Corporation.

Ian has an “AV” rating from Martindale-Hubbell and has been named to the Top 100 Attorneys in the Mountain States, one of Montana’s best litigators by Chambers and Partners, Best Lawyers in America, Lawyer of the Year multiple years, Super Lawyer in the Mountain States, and a Litigation Star in Benchmark’s Litigation, the Guide to America’s Leading Litigation Firms and Attorneys.

Mr. Panoff earned his Master of Engineering degree in Energy Systems Engineering from the University of Michigan - Dearborn, and his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Lawrence Technological University. Mr. Panoff is responsible for investigating and analyzing mechanical systems and equipment, as well as performing vehicular accident reconstruction (VAR). He has experience with 3-D accident reconstruction simulation software, and 3-D laser scanning equipment and associated software.

Prior to joining S-E-A, Mr. Panoff spent nine years at a major automotive manufacturer and one year at a major automotive supplier. His primary responsibilities as a Crash Safety Test Engineer were to test and assist in the development of crash safety devices from component level to full vehicle. As a Senior Engineer, Mr. Panoff oversaw the development of passive safety equipment, such as passenger airbags and knee airbags.