We
provide legal services to the people of western Montana. We also
represent people from elsewhere who are involved in litigation in the
Montana Supreme Court and in 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 Trigg
For over 16 years, Thomas Trigg has provided legal services to the people of western Montana.
A
native of Lincoln, Illinois, Trigg received his law degree 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 civil
fraud cases and prevented the wrongful payment of an additional $7
million.
In his Missoula practice, Trigg handles many disputed
cases ranging from custody to probate to bankruptcy. He provides
representation to individuals and small businesses in routine
bankruptcy cases and to spouses and parents in uncontested divorce and
custody matters.
Trigg also serves as a staff attorney for
ASUM Legal Services at the University of Montana. He supervises the
work of 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, the American
Bankruptcy Institute, and the Western Montana Bar Association. He has
been admitted by examination to the bars of Montana, Illinois, and the
District of Columbia.
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, and he regularly works in classrooms with
children. He plays euphonium in the Missoula Community Concert Band,
Missoula City Bank, and TubaChristmas.
