Stinson Law Group

Our Mission

We believe that every American has the right to seek and obtain justice. Our job is more than winning money, liberty, or justice for our clients. Our job is also to help our clients gain answers and understand the what and why. We understand and appreciate the opportunity to share in part of our clients’ journeys and successes in life, business, and relationships. As lawyers, we work to make the world a better place, one client and case at a time. We do this so that when injustice happens to a client, it won’t happen again to someone else. Our attorneys in Montana and Wyoming are dedicated to protecting people and community. We are proud to be trial lawyers and meaningful members of our communities.

Scott Stinson

Scott Stinson is an attorney who thrives in the courtroom. Scott specializes in personal injury law, business matters, and criminal defense law, including white collar crime. A former public defender, he has tried well over 100 cases to verdict. Scott is detail-oriented and believes winning comes from thorough preparation and a dash of inspiration. Scott is a 2003 graduate of the Northwestern School of Law at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon. Following graduation he worked for the Portland criminal defense firm Chilton, Ebbett, and Rohr and Metropolitan Public Defender before moving to Bozeman, Montana in 2012 to set up the Stinson Law Group practice with his brother, Laurence. Scott has represented clients charged with everything from simple misdemeanors to major felonies, as well as clients the state sought to civilly commit to the hospital.

Laurence Stinson

For almost three decades, Laurence Stinson has championed the little guy against the corporate goliaths. An aggressive, conscientious fighter and strategist for his clients, Laurence has spent the majority of his long career as a trial lawyer. As a young lawyer, Laurence tried all kinds of cases – breach of contract, products liability, easements and land use, and construction disputes. These days his practice is mostly limited to personal injury and insurance law, with a focus on tractor-trailer crash cases. Laurence has remarkable success as a personal injury attorney and is known by others for his impressive command of injury medicine and examinations of doctors and corporate representatives.

Laurence was an early adopter and pioneer of using “jury focus groups” in all cases to understand how a jury will react to facts and circumstances in any case. Laurence participates in more than 40 jury focus groups annually and credits this approach to securing so many significant wins for his clients – particularly in big truck crash cases.

Laurence is a 1995 graduate of the University of Montana School of Law and was a partner in two larger law firms before forming Stinson Law Group with his brother, Scott. Laurence has served on both the board and the executive board of the state Trial Lawyers Association, was appointed by the state supreme court to the Permanent Rules Committee – Civil Division on which he served for over 15 years, and served 5 years on the State Bar Fee Dispute Committee. Laurence was recognized as a Top 100 National Trial Lawyer in 2024.

Whenever and wherever he can be, he is on a mountain bike – and loves pedaling his single speed in the middle of nowhere.

J. LeAnn Friel

J. LeAnn Friel has worked exclusively in the area of personal injury law for nearly 30 years and is a 2004 Graduate of the University of Missouri – Kansas City School of Law. Drawing on decades of experience in legal research and writing, LeAnn serves as Litigation Support for the Stinson Law Group. She has worked in all stages of case development and enjoys using the power of the written word to pursue justice for personal injury victims and their families. Holding wrongdoers accountable and insurance companies responsible is her singular professional focus.

Rochelle Loveland

Rochelle Loveland is a 2005 graduate of the University of Montana School of Law. With considerable analytic and organizational talents, Rochelle provides pre-trial work and trial support to Stinson Law Group. Following graduation, she spent six years as an insurance defense attorney in Billings, Montana working for two well-established law firms. In 2012 she moved home to Missoula, Montana. Working part-time as an attorney while rasing her family, she provided litagation assistance for local law firms specializing in probate, estate planning, business transactions and litigation, bankruptcy, consumer protection, and landlord-tenant law.

Christina Selby

Christina Selby has worked as a paralegal since 2005. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Paralegal Studies and Office Management in 2007 and has worked with Laurence Stinson for over a decade. Christina handles the administrative tasks of Stinson Law Group and, in so doing, helps our lawyers and their case teams to focus on protecting our clients, and prevailing for them in court. Christina interacts with almost all clients of Stinson Law Group and is often the initial face of Stinson Law Group for clients, other lawyers, experts, and others in our Cody, Wyoming office. Christina has worked closely with attorneys in criminal defense and civil cases but currently focuses on the administrative tasks of the office.

Suzi Johnson

Suzi is a senior litigation and trial paralegal and has worked with Stinson Law Group in its Wyoming and Montana office for more than 10 years. She has attended numerous trials over the years and is an absolute whiz at document and exhibit preparation. Suzi grew up in Wyoming and has spent most of her adult life in Cody, Wyoming. Suzi has a talent for project management and organization, having spent nearly 25 years in Development at The Center of the West — a world-renowned museum. Notably, Suzi has a lengthy background in emergency medicine and clinical care, with 20 years of experience as an EMT-I for the West Park Hospital Ambulance Service and as a Medical Assistant for board-certified orthopedic surgeons. Suzi’s experience is invaluable in her work at Stinson Law Group, and many of our clients tell us they appreciate Suzi’s passion for helping people, and Judges tell us they appreciate her organization. In addition to helping people through her work at Stinson Law Group, Suzi volunteers for Holiday Helpers, Habitat for Humanity, and the Heart Mountain Free Clinic.

Katie Lineberger Thomas

Katie Lineberger Thomas was born and raised in Bozeman, Montana and began her legal career in Bozeman in 2002. She comes from a family of attorneys and has worked as a paralegal for many years, expanding her experience to include family law, criminal defense, litigation, estate planning, water law, and now personal injury and business law. Katie earned her Bachelor’s degree in Linguistics from Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington. In 2009 she founded Fine Print Editing, and is a freelance writer for Edible Bozeman, Western Home Journal, Outside Bozeman, and other publications. When she’s not working, Katie can be found hiking with her husband and their dog Loxi, skiing, teaching dance, cooking, and critiquing restaurants with her friends.

Crystal Davis

Crystal Davis believes in helping people. As a nurse with impressive certifications, she looks out for people’s best interests. By assisting our attorneys in reviewing our clients’ case files, Crystal helps us do our best for our clients. Crystal graduated with a degree in nursing from Northwest College in 2008. She worked at West Park Hospital in Cody, Wyoming for over three years on the surgical floor, where she cared for patients before, during and after their procedures and now assists with surgeries as a travel nurse. Crystal’s work at our firm helps us determine the best process for our cases. Crystal screens the cases from a medical standpoint, deciphering the often-confusing medical jargon. She works with our attorneys, reviewing the medical files our clients bring us so that we have a real world understanding of the medical situation presented.