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Ward A. Shanahan (Helena)
Mr. Shanahan, a senior partner with the firm, practices in the areas of administrative law, governmental relations, natural resources, environmental law, state and local taxation. Ward has been a lobbyist for 40 years representing a variety of interests including railroads, mining, industrial, and insurance as well as non-profit organizations.
During his four decades of practicing law with the firm, Ward has also been actively involved in a number of legal and community organizations. His many activities and professional organizations include: State Bar of Montana, Trustee, 1977-1981, President 1982-1983; Chancellor, Jack Rabbit Bar 1984-85; Montana Law Foundation (now Montana Justice Foundation), President, 1984-1988, Trustee, 1984-2002; Montana Mining Association, Board of Directors, 1982-1988; Mountain States Legal Foundation, Litigation Board, 1993-1999; Montana Lottery Commission, Chairman, 1990-1993; American Bar Foundation, life fellow; University of Montana Foundation, Trustee Emeritus; Montana Historical Society, Trustee, 1987-1997, President, 1993-1995; Montana Historical Society Foundation, President, 1995-2000; National Judge Advocate, Navy League of the United States, 1994-2001; and Montana State Board of Environmental Review, 2001-2004. An advocate of the rule of law including legal rights for low-income people, Ward helped found the Montana Legal Services Association and served as its Trustee or President for a number of years. He was a founding member of the Montana Law Foundation (now called the Montana Justice Foundation), which funds legal services for the poor and public education about the law. Ward also helped to create the Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts (IOLTA) program to help fund the Montana Law Foundation. Ward has contributed to professional journals including the Public Land Law Review, the “Fifty State Handbook on Lobbying and Campaign Finance,” and the “Handbook on Gaming Regulatory Agencies” published by The Gaming Summit. He occasionally writes a column on state politics for the Helena Independent Record, sharing his insights on current issues facing Montana. In 1982, Ward received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Montana and in 1996, the Secretary of the Navy awarded him the Distinguished Civilian Service Medal. In 1998, the Montana State Bar awarded him the State’s highest legal honor, the William J. Jamison Award for Professionalism. The award is presented to the attorney or judge whose ethical and personal conduct, commitment and activities epitomize professionalism.
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