BKBH’s Criminal Law Practice Group Attorneys:

• Catherine A. Laughner (Bozeman), Co- Chair BKBH Criminal Law Practice Group
• David M. McLean (Missoula), Co- Chair BKBH Criminal Law Practice Group
  • Carlo J. Canty (Helena)
  • Ryan C. Willmore (Missoula)
  • Kyle W. Nelson (Bozeman)
  • Eric D. Mills (GreatFalls)

Criminal Law

White Collar Criminal Matters: BKBH represents individuals and corporations under government investigation or charged with violating state or federal criminal laws. This is what we refer to as our White Collar criminal practice. BKBH’s attorneys have represented various clients from the healthcare, financial services, and manufacturing industries. Our attorneys represent clients on a broad range of matters generally involving litigation, regulatory compliance, or risk avoidance involving a great variety of federal statutes.

• BKBH attorneys are regularly involved in government investigations of corporations and also act as litigation counsel to clients involved in toxic tort and mass tort cases.
• Our attorneys counsel clients on tough, complex regulatory challenges, guiding clients through the complex compliance issues presented by federal, state, and local regulations.
• We take a hands-on approach, spending much time out in the field with clients visiting their plants and the sites where litigation arose, so as to better meet our clients’ business goals as well as their immediate needs.
• We provide counsel regarding liability avoidance and we have successfully represented clients in numerous state and federal courts throughout Montana.

DUI Criminal Charges – BKBH attorneys also represent individuals charged with violations of Montana criminal laws for such crimes as DUI or DWI. BKBH’s criminal defense attorneys have extensive experience defending the rights of people arrested and accused of criminal offenses at every stage of the case starting with the arrest. Our attorneys specialize in DUI representation. From the time you retain our firm as your legal representative, we begin preparing for trial. We have the experience to deal with arraignments, discovery, and preliminary hearings. Our firm keeps abreast of current legal developments regarding the laws affecting defendants charged with the offense of DU I. Armed with this legal knowledge, our attorneys can draft persuasive motions to suppress evidence and other pre-trial motions. BKBH’s DUI attorneys in Missoula, Montana are skilled negotiators who will plea-bargain if it is in your best interest and after we obtain your informed consent. But, we are prepared to go to trial and vigorously defend you when that is in your best interest. Our criminal defense practice in Missoula includes handling all types of misdemeanor and felony charges, and we have represented many in-state and out-of-state clients who have been charged with drunk-driving (DU I) while in Montana.

Sub-Practice Areas:

• White Collar Crime & Government Investigations
• DUI/DWI

Representative Matters:

• BKBH defended a confidential client in a 2009 federal investigation involving alleged Clean Air Act criminal charges. After successful negotiations with the federal prosecutors, the investigation against our client was dropped.
• BKBH attorneys represented a major corporate executive who was indicted for allegedly defrauding the United States and violating the Clean Air Act. We were granted a motion for Judgment of Acquittal, finding insufficient evidence against the client for the case to go to the jury.
• BKBH defended alleged violations of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) against a confidential client that resulted in the issuance of zero penalty.
• BKBH represented a confidential client, who sought representation after his Medicaid fraud conviction. The sentence was successfully reduced through negotiations by BKBH attorneys with the Montana Attorney General.