Area Served

We provide legal services to the people of western Montana. We also represent people from elsewhere who are involved in litigation in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Montana, the Montana Supreme Court and state courts in Missoula, Montana.

What Sets Us Apart

With our clients we strive to be clear, pleasant, and frank. With others, we try to present our clients' positions persuasively and intelligently. We know that most matters should be and are settled, but we also know that bullies should not be rewarded. We bring to the practice of law considerable advantages of education, experience, and temperament. We endeavor always to put these advantages to the service of our clients.

Client Service Policies and Practices

We keep our clients informed. Clients receive copies of all paperwork coming to and going from our office. We give clear explanations of the law that applies to our clients' situations. In all cases billed on an hourly basis, we send regular bills to our clients detailing our activities and our expenses. We are careful with our clients' money. All legal cases are expensive, but we try to keep our clients in control of how much they will spend. We give our clients our most reliable estimate of the costs of different courses of action. We discourage activities that are unlikely to be worth what they will cost. We encourage settlement over litigation. We encourage client questions. The law is sometimes complicated and sometimes uncertain, but it is not rocket science. We can and will explain how it affects our clients' cases; and if our first explanation is not clear, we will try again.

Biographical information

   Thomas W . Trigg 

For over 25 years, Thomas W. Trigg has provided legal services to the people of western Montana.

Born in Lincoln, Illinois, Trigg graduated with honors from Harvard Law School in 1978. For six years, he worked as a trial attorney in the United States Department of Justice, fighting fraud and abuse in Federal programs. Trigg recovered over $4 million in tax dollars and prevented the wrongful payment of an additional $7 million.

In his Missoula practice, Trigg handles disputed cases ranging from custody to probate to bankruptcy. He represents individuals, small businesses, and bankrupcy trustees in bankruptcy cases and in Federal and state appeals.

Trigg also serves as an attorney for ASUM Legal Services at the University of Montana. There he supervises University of Montana law students, who represent clients under Montana's student practice rule.

Trigg is a member of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys and the Western Montana Bar Association. He has been admitted by examination to the bars of Montana, Illinois, and the District of Columbia. He has been interviewed by the Wall Street Journal and CBS News and appeared as a contestant on GE College Bowl.

In addition to his legal education, Trigg received bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Chicago and completed all the coursework for a Ph.D. in history. He concentrated in European and American social history.

Trigg is the father of two children and has been actively involved in their education. For four years, he served as president of Clark Fork School in Missoula, Montana. He is on the board of the International Choral Festival and Local 498 of the American Federation of Musicians and previously served on the boards of a Ralph Nadar-affiliated group, the Montana Appleseed Foundation, and of the Missoula Community Concert Band. He plays euphonium in the Missoula Community Concert Band, the Missoula City Band, and TubaChristmas.