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CAREER MOVES
Marin Keyes, Hannah Warhank and Mike Talia
Jackson, Murdo & Grant announces 3 new attorneys, Great Falls office
Jackson, Murdo & Grant, P.C., based in Helena, welcomes three new attorneys and announces the opening of a new office in Great Falls.
Marin Keyes, a graduate of the University of Montana’s Blewett School of Law in 2017, joins as an associate. Born in Washington and raised in Billings, Keyes specializes in estate planning and administration, taxation, and real property and business transactions.
Mike Talia joins as a partner. A graduate of the University of Montana School of Law in 2007 and a former Army judge advocate general, Talia specializes in litigation. He is an avid outdoor recreationalist and is involved in charitable organizations that support military personnel and conservation issues.
Hanna Warhank also joins as a partner. Warhank grew up in the Hi-Line town of Rudyard, Montana, and graduated from the University of Montana School of Law in 2009. Her practice focuses on business and estate planning, taxation, estate and trust administration, and real property.
With the opening of its office in Great Falls, Jackson, Murdo & Grant brings its full-service, personal approach to the central Montana and Hi-Line communities.
Kali Griffin
Griffin joins Hathaway Law Group as associate attorney
Hathaway Law Group has announced that Kali Griffin has joined the firm as an associate attorney.
Griffin was raised in Fairbanks, Alaska, but relocated to Montana during the latter part of her childhood. She received her undergraduate degrees in Psychology and Sociology from the University of Montana in 2018 and graduated from the University of Montana School of Law in 2022. Later that year, she was admitted to practice law in Montana.
While in law school, Griffin focused on pro-bono work which earned her honors upon graduation. That work included assisting attorneys to exonerate wrongfully convicted prisoners at the Montana Innocence Project and participating as a CASA, a job which provides support and a voice in court for children in abusive and neglectful homes. Kali also has experience in mediation for both familial and civil matters.
Prior to joining Hathaway Law Group, Griffin represented indigent clients in criminal and child welfare matters as a public defender in Hamilton. She is passionate about advocating for clients of all backgrounds and providing compassionate counsel to clients who may be experiencing a difficult season of life. Kali has a specific interest in both family and estate law matters. Outside of work, Kali enjoys exercise, reading, cooking, and travel. She resides in Missoula with her boyfriend and their two dogs, Kona and Griz.
Jesse Medearis
Heenan & Cook opens Bozeman office, welcomes new attorney
Heenan & Cook has added a new Bozeman office location and a new attorney, Jesse Medearis.
Before moving to Gallatin County, Medearis grew up on a ranch near Ismay, Montana. After graduating from Baker High School, Jesse attended the University of Montana – Western in Dillon, where he received degrees in business administration and global politics. While there, he spent a year on the basketball team but soon learned his true passion was rodeo. Medearis finished out his college career on the rodeo team. During that time, he won the Big Sky Region and qualified for the College National Finals Rodeo. Before deciding to attend law school, Medearis worked in the roustabout, pipe-lining, and environmental sides of the oilfields industry in eastern Montana and western North Dakota.
In 2018, Medearis received his J.D. from the University of Montana’s Blewett School of Law. During law school, he was an editor of the Montana Law Review, an intern for the United States Attorney’s Office, and a law clerk for an insurance defense law firm. Since graduation, he has spent his years representing various individuals and companies in numerous personal injury, construction, business, and insurance lawsuits — where he has tried multiple cases to verdict. Because of his diverse experiences in different industries and lifestyles, he can personally connect with each client and uniquely help each achieve maximum results both in and out of the courtroom.
In his free time, you can find Medearis in the rodeo arena during the summer, skiing in the winter, and spending time with his wife, Kessly, their daughter, Langston, and his three horses throughout Montana and its neighboring states.
Joseph A. Soueidi
Soueidi joins Felt Martin as firm’s newest shareholder
Felt Martin PC welcomes Joseph A. Soueidi as its newest shareholder.
Soueidi joined Felt Martin PC upon its merger with Guthals Hunnes & Reuss, PC in April of 2020. He is licensed to practice in Montana, Wyoming, and North Dakota. His practice includes commercial and bankruptcy litigation, probate administration and litigation, along with an array of transactional matters including business formations and transactions, real estate, natural resources, estate planning, and trust administration. Soueidi was born and raised in Montana and is proud to call it his home. He is active in the community and sits on the Board of Directors of the Billings Symphony Foundation and the Billings Public Library Foundation.
Franklin Runge
State Law Library welcomes Franklin Runge as its new law librarian
State Law Library in January welcomed Franklin Runge as the new state law librarian for Montana.
Runge is new to this part of the country and is looking forward to meeting the bench and bar.
Born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, Runge received his law degree from Northeastern University School of Law in Boston, Massachusetts.
After graduating from law school, he clerked for the Massachusetts state courts and then joined a small civil litigation firm. After practicing for four years, he returned to school to get a Master’s in Library Science from Indiana University. He then served as a law librarian at the University of Kentucky College of Law (2011-2018) and Washington and Lee University School of Law (2018-2022), where he taught 1L Legal Research and focused on providing reference to faculty, students, and the public.
Runge is excited to be here in Montana for its wonderful people and awesome opportunities to explore the natural world. He can be reached via email at franklin.runge@mt.gov.