Benjamin (Ben) Cory is the Managing Partner of the firm. Ben has previously served as a member of the firm’s Executive Committee and Co-Chair of the firm’s Creditor’s Rights and Banking Practice Group. Ben has extensive experience representing local and national lenders with loan workouts and restructuring, real and personal property foreclosures, bankruptcy, financing transactions, loan structuring, and advising financial institutions with respect to day-to-day operations.
Ben’s practice areas include: Creditor’s Rights, Banking, Mergers & Acquisitions, Employment, Business Formation, Business Transactions, Real Estate Transactions and Real Estate Development. He is admitted to practice before the State and Federal Court in Montana, State Court in Wyoming and State Court in North Dakota.
Ben grew up in Missoula and is actively engaged in the Missoula community. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Montana and his law degree from the University of Montana School of Law. While in law school, he served as Executive Editor of the Montana Law Review and interned for the Honorable Donald W. Molloy, former Chief Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of Montana.
Ben and his wife have four daughters and enjoy spending their free time in and around Western Montana’s mountains, lakes, and rivers.
Practice Areas
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- Banking and Finance
- Banking Law, Compliance, and Internal Operations and Processes
- Financing, Loan Structuring, and Documentation
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- Business Organizations
- Governance
- Mergers, Acquisitions & Other Business Transactions
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- Creditors’ Rights & Bankruptcy
- Bankruptcy
- Collections
- Debt Restructuring and Workouts
- Personal Property Foreclosures, Claim and Delivery, Replevin, and Injunctive Remedies
- Real Property Foreclosures & Landlord-Tenant Disputes
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- Advice and representation in employment litigation, including wrongful discharge and discrimination matters
- Employee discipline and termination advice
- Employee screening, hiring practices and policies
- Employment contract review and drafting
- Employment policy development, including handbook drafting and review
- Independent contractor / employee classification
- Non-compete and non-disclosure agreements
- Separation agreements
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- Mergers and Acquisitions
- Acquisitions and Dispositions
- Due Diligence
- Mergers
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- Real Estate
- Access, Title and Property Disputes
- Commercial Real Estate Acquisition, Sales and Leasing
- Condominium and Homeowners’ Associations
- Development, Zoning and Land Use
- Real Estate Financing and Security Devices
Bar Admission
Montana, 2005
Wyoming, 2008
North Dakota, 2013
Education
2005 – J.D., University of Montana School of Law
2000 – B.A., University of Montana
Prior Experience (Employment)
Ben has extensive experience representing local and national lenders with loan workouts and restructuring, real and personal property foreclosures, bankruptcy, financing transactions, loan structuring, and advising financial institutions with respect to day-to-day operations. In addition, he routinely represents main street business owners, as well as large scale companies, with business formation, corporate governance, real estate transactions (including purchase, development and leasing), contract drafting, employment manual preparation and advice and business transactions (including stock and asset purchases).
Honors & Awards
Best Lawyers in America for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law; Commercial Transactions / UCC Law; and Litigation – Banking and Finance (2015 – Present)
Best Lawyers in America “Lawyer of the Year” in the Banking and Finance practice area (2017, 2020, 2022)
Lex Mundi Institute Advanced Leadership and Management Program
Missoulian’s 20 under 40 Business Professional
1st Place American Bar Association Northwest Regional Client Counseling Competition, 2003
Community Involvement
Leadership Montana Board of Governors (2013-2016)
Missoula Country Club Golf Committee (2016-Present)
Leadership Montana Class Member (2012-2013)
Vice President, Loyola Sacred Heart Foundation (2008-2009)
Loyola Sacred Heart Foundation Board Member (2006-2012)
YMCA and Missoula Strikers Volunteer Soccer Coach
Professional Affiliations
Western Montana Bar Association
State Bar of Montana – Bankruptcy Section
Wyoming State Bar Association
North Dakota State Bar Association
Presentations & Publications
Author – Amos v. Commissioner: The Ambiguous and Ever-Changing Definition of What Constitutes a Personal Physical Injury under Internal Revenue Code Section 104(a)(2), 66 Mont. L. Rev. 247, 2005