Patten, Peterman, Bekkedahl & Green P.L.L.C.

Focus and practice areas

Patten, Peterman, Bekkedahl & Green P.L.L.C. is a law firm based in Billings, Montana. Its work sits mostly on the civil and commercial side. The firm handles business law, commercial and business litigation, bankruptcy, and debtor and creditor matters.

The list runs wider than that. It also covers employment law, estate planning, trusts and estates, probate, tax, and real estate. That mix suits a business owner who needs one firm for both day-to-day matters and the harder disputes.

As a reviewer, what stands out is the pairing of transactional work with courtroom work. A firm that drafts estate plans and also tries commercial cases is drawing on two different skill sets. Here they sit under one roof.

How the team is built

The site names six attorneys, and each carries a defined focus. In my opinion, that clarity helps a prospective client match a problem to the right person before the first call.

The named partners

James A. Patten is a partner. He works in bankruptcy, debtor and creditor relations, and commercial litigation. He earned his JD from George Washington University in 1978 and was admitted in Montana that same year. He has represented debtors in Chapter 11 cases and served as a former Chapter 7 panel trustee.

Patten also served as past chairman of the Bankruptcy Section of the State Bar of Montana. That role points to standing among peers in his field. Patricia Peterman is also a partner, and her work is tied closely to Patten's on the litigation side.

The wider bench

Bruce O. Bekkedahl handles estates and trusts, tax, and closely held business. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, a credential that is not common. W. Scott Green covers business law, collections, real estate, personal injury, and tax controversy.

Green's background adds a useful angle. Before joining the firm, he worked as an attorney for the Internal Revenue Service and as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney. Someone who once argued the government's side of a tax matter brings a particular read on how those cases run.

Michael F. McGuinness practices commercial litigation, water law, employment law, and human rights. He studied at Montana State University and California Western School of Law. He is the firm's primary attorney for employment cases, and he represents both employers and employees.

Molly S. Considine rounds out the group. Her focus falls on debtor's bankruptcy, guardianship, conservatorships, estate planning, and estate and trust administration. Between Considine, Bekkedahl, and Considine's guardianship work, the firm's estate side reaches from planning through administration.

What the record shows

The firm points to one matter in particular. Patten and Peterman obtained what the firm describes as the most extensive punitive damage award affirmed by the Montana Supreme Court, in McCulley v. US Bank. That is a specific, verifiable citation rather than a vague claim.

A reviewer reads that detail two ways. First, it shows the firm will take a fight through appeal and hold a result at the state's highest court. Second, it shows two of its lawyers working a case together, which fits how the firm says it operates.

Beyond that single case, the site keeps its claims measured. It describes what each attorney does rather than listing outcomes. For a directory built on evidence over advertising, that restraint reads as a point in the firm's favor.

Reach across state lines

The attorneys are licensed in Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, Arizona, and California. That footprint is broad for a Billings office. It suggests the firm can follow a client's matter when it crosses into a neighboring state.

For a regional business with operations in more than one state, that reach matters. A dispute or a real estate deal rarely respects a state border. Holding licenses in five states means the firm can act in each without handing the file to outside counsel.

The California and Arizona admissions are the more unusual pair. They point to ties well outside the Northern Plains, which may reflect where certain attorneys trained or where past clients have taken them.

Who the firm may suit

The picture that emerges is a mid-sized general civil and commercial firm with real depth in a few areas. Bankruptcy and debtor-creditor work runs through several attorneys. Estate planning, trusts, tax, and business litigation each have a clear owner.

That makes the firm a plausible fit for a business owner, a closely held company, or a family planning an estate. A creditor or a debtor working through a Chapter 11 would find named experience in Patten. Someone facing an employment dispute has a lead attorney in McGuinness who has sat on both sides of that table.

What the public site does not publish is worth noting for honesty's sake. There is no stated founding year, and law school and admission details are listed for only some of the attorneys. A client who wants a full accounting of any single lawyer's background will want to ask directly. On the strength of what the firm does put forward, the practice areas, the multi-state licensing, and the named record, this is a firm that lets its work describe itself.