CROWLEY FLECK - Key Persons
Aaron W. Nicholson is a Partner in the firm's Billings office. Aaron grew up in Laurel, Montana. He received an Associate of Arts degree from Northwest Community College in Powell, Wyoming in 2008 and a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Montana State University Billings in 2009. Aaron graduated magna cum laude from the University of North Dakota School of Law in 2013.
While in law school, Aaron served as the President of the Moot Court Board and Editor in Chief of the Journal of Law and Interdisciplinary Studies. He also participated in regional and national moot court competitions, clerked for the Honorable District Court Judge Joel Medd and completed an externship with the United States Attorney's Office. After graduation, Aaron completed a one year clerkship with the Honorable Chief Justice Gerald VandeWalle of the North Dakota Supreme Court.
After clerking with the North Dakota Supreme Court, Aaron practiced in the firm's Bismarck, North Dakota office for two years before transferring to the firm's Billings office in 2016. Aaron continues to work on matters in North Dakota.
Aaron's legal practice focuses on all aspects of commercial litigation and intellectual property matters, including trademarks and branding, trade secrets, trade dress, copyrights, contracts, licenses, clearances, permissions for a wide range of legal and business matters. Aaron enjoys representing individuals and business of all shapes and sizes and takes great pride in working with his clients to solve complex legal problems. Aaron takes great interest in helping clients develop strategies for protecting and defending their intellectual property rights and in navigating IP issues.
Aaron and his wife Alma are blessed with two young boys.
Practice Areas
Business Organizations
Job Titles:
- Partner in the Commercial Department
Alan C. Bryan is a Partner in the Commercial Department. He has been with the firm since 1997 and is a past chairman of the Commercial Department. Alan's practice emphasizes transactional and financing projects, including matters involving Native American issues. Alan has represented clients in the leasing, acquisition, development, and divestiture of a diverse range of commercial properties, including real estate development and construction, oil and gas properties, coal and hardrock mines, energy gathering and transportation systems, and wind energy. Alan's financing practice includes multi-state and international financing of commercial properties, oil and gas properties, and mining and wind energy projects. Alan's practice also includes matters involving Tribal and Native American issues, such as leasing and development of commercial projects located on Indian reservations, acquisition of rights-of-way for oil and gas development and transportation, negotiating mineral development agreements with Tribes and individual Allottees, wind energy projects, financing, and litigation involving Native American issues. Alan is licensed to practice in Montana, North Dakota, and Wyoming, and is admitted to practice on numerous Indian reservations.
Practice Areas
Banking and Finance
Alicia Kisling is a Partner in the firm's Sheridan, WY office and is a member of the Oil & Gas and Trusts and Estates practice groups.
Alicia assists energy clients and operators in a wide range of oil and gas matters, including title examinations, due diligence review, acquisitions and divestitures, and title curative matters. Additionally, she has a broad range of experience in real estate matters and routinely assists clients with purchase and sale transactions and lease negotiations. Alicia's estate planning practice focuses on helping clients with all of their estate planning needs, from simple wills to complex trusts, with a particular emphasis on assisting farmers and ranchers navigate the unique challenges they face in planning for the future.
Practice Areas
Business Organizations
Allison is an associate in the Billings, Montana office. She practices with the Banking, Finance, and Creditor's Rights practice group.
As a lifelong Husker, Allison obtained her Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences and Political Science, with a minor is Psychology from the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. She then made the transition to Omaha, Nebraska to attend the Creighton University School of Law where she was active in Creighton's Phi Delta Phi Honor's Society Chapter, the Intellectual Property Law Society, and the Law School Mentor Program. Allison also served on the Moot Court Board and as editor of the Creighton University's Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court team.
Outside of the office, Allison is a third-generation cattle producer and maintains an active role in her family's registered Angus herd. Most of Allison's spare time is spent working with her family's cattle operation, enjoying the great outdoors, and spending quality time with family and friends.
Practice Areas
Banking and Finance
Amanda Hunkins Newton is a fifth-generation Wyomingite, and graduate of the University of Wyoming. Amanda's current law practice focuses on professional liability defense in the area of medical malpractice for hospitals, nurses and physicians. However, she has been involved in a wide variety of complex commercial litigation matters in her career, including both bench and jury trials as well as matters tried to administrative hearing tribunals.
While in law school, Amanda and her trial partner won first place in the regional Association of Trial Lawyers of America ("ATLA") trial advocacy competition, and she advanced as an ATLA National Trial Finalist. She was selected for membership in the Order of Barristers, and the University of Wyoming College of Law selected her as the International Academy of Trial Lawyers Outstanding Trial Student in 2000.
Prior to attending law school, Amanda served on the staff of two Governors of Wyoming.
Practice Areas
Business Organizations
Amy Oster is a partner in the Bismarck office. Her practice focuses on civil litigation with emphasis on all areas of employment law, including discrimination and harassment, hiring and termination, unemployment insurance, workers compensation, family and medical leave, reasonable accommodations, and personnel policies and handbooks. Prior to joining the firm, she completed a one-year clerkship for the Honorable Dale V. Sandstrom, Justice of the North Dakota Supreme Court. Ms. Oster graduated with distinction from the University of North Dakota School of Law in 2009, where she was an editor of the North Dakota Law Review, a member of Order of the Coif, and active in Law Women's Caucus. She graduated magna cum laude from North Dakota State University in 2006, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in mass communication and served as editor-in-chief of the campus newspaper.
Ms. Oster is a contributing author to the American Bar Association Consumer Protection Law Developments. She is also the author of the North Dakota section of the Open Government Guide, a compendium of information on each state's open records and open meetings laws, published by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. She is admitted to the North Dakota State Bar, North Dakota tribal courts, and the U.S. District Court of North Dakota.
Andrew is an associate in the Missoula office with a practice focused on commercial transactions and estate planning. Andrew assists clients with business entity formation, contract drafting and review, commercial and real estate purchasing, selling, and leasing, and assisting businesses with alcoholic beverage license issues. Andrew also works with individuals on estate planning, probates, and succession planning for small businesses.
Andrew was raised in Missoula, and in his free time enjoys making music and spending time with his family outdoors, particularly when the snow starts to fly.
Practice Areas
Business Organizations
Anne is an associate in the Helena, Montana office. She practices with the Tort and Commercial Litigation practice groups.
Anne is originally from Great Falls and obtained her degree from Davidson College in North Carolina with a B.A. in Anthropology and Health & Human Values. She graduated law school from the Alexander Blewett III School of Law at the University of Montana where she served as business editor of the Montana Law Review and received an award for exceptional pro bono legal services. During law school, Anne was a judicial intern for Chief Judge Brian Morris and Judge Dana Christensen for the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana. Anne also volunteered as a guardian ad litem with the CASA program and mediated with the Community Dispute Resolution Center.
Following law school, she clerked for The Honorable Justice Laurie McKinnon on the Montana Supreme Court.
Outside the office, Anne enjoys exploring the outdoors with her husband and two dogs and spending time with family and friends.
Practice Areas
Commercial Litigation
Ashley's practice focuses on employment law, insurance defense, and commercial litigation. Ashley has represented a diverse group of individuals and organizations in both contract and tort actions. Ashley also defends employers from discrimination and wrongful discharge claims. Ashley negotiates and mediates disputes on behalf of her clients and has tried cases in Montana.
In addition to her litigation practice, Ashley enjoys representing local individuals and businesses with employment questions, estate litigation, obtaining guardianships and conservatorships for their loved ones with disabilities, and other day-to-day legal needs.
Ashley's practice is focused primarily on estate planning, estate and gift tax, and estate and trust administration, but also involves formation and governance of family businesses, planning for people with special needs, and charitable and elder planning. She has a broad range of clients that include individuals, small business owners, and farmers and ranchers. She also represents local and national institutions in their roles as trustees and other fiduciaries.
Ashley was born and raised in Texas. She attended the University of Texas, where she graduated with honors with a degree in accounting. In 1994, she moved to Montana and later attended the University of Montana School of Law, where she served on the editorial board of the Montana Law Review and graduated with high honors. Ashley practiced in the firm's Billings office for 17 years before relocating to Bozeman in 2016.
Ashley is committed to serving her community and profession. She is a current Board Member and Past President of the Montana Justice Foundation. She is also a current Board Member of the Bozeman Health Foundation. She has previously served on the governing boards of RiverStone Health Foundation, Yellowstone Area Bar Association, Montana State University - Billings Foundation, Billings Preservation Society, and the Billings chapter of the Mental Health Association, and she previously served as a Commissioner on the American Bar Association Commission on IOLTA. Prior to moving to Bozeman, she was probono counsel to the Yellowstone County Guardianship Council.
Ashley is a graduate of the Leadership Montana and the Leadership Billings programs. In 2012, she was honored to be selected as one of the Billings Gazette's "40 under Forty". In 2016, she was named to the Best Lawyers in America in Trusts and Estates.
Practice Areas
Business Organizations
Benjamin Sand is a partner in the Bismarck Litigation department. Benjamin grew up in Fargo, North Dakota. He received a bachelor of arts degree in Political Science and English Literature from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota in 2011. He was also a pitcher on the Concordia Cobbers baseball team.
Benjamin graduated from the University of North Dakota School of Law in 2014. While in law school, Benjamin participated in two national moot court competitions and was inducted into the Order of the Barristers in recognition of his oral advocacy and brief writing skills. He also externed for the Honorable United States Circuit Court Judge Kermit Bye, interned at the Office of the Attorney General in North Dakota, and clerked for the Cass County State's Attorney's Office. After graduation, Benjamin completed a two-year clerkship for the Honorable United States District Court Judge Daniel Hovland from 2014 to 2016.
In his free time, Benjamin enjoys playing amateur baseball and golfing in the summer, and curling in the winter. He is also an avid follower of NDSU Football and UND Hockey.
Practice Areas
Oil and Gas
Job Titles:
- Assistant General Counsel for the Firm
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- General Counsel for the Firm
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- Member of the Executive Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
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