Jeffrey R. Kuchel is a Partner in the firm’s Missoula office and a member of the firm’s Commercial Litigation Practice Group. Jeff’s practice is devoted primarily to litigation, especially in real property matters, where he often represents landowners. Jeff also represents business entities and individuals in complex litigation matters and other disputes in the areas of commercial litigation.
Jeff is a Montana native, though he left after high school to attend the University of Arizona. After several years, Jeff realized a calling to serve and joined the military, where he served as a medic. He subsequently returned to school and graduated from Northern Arizona University before moving back to Montana to pursue his legal studies at the University of Montana School of Law, from which he graduated with honors in 2013. While in law school, Jeff served as a co-Editor in Chief of the Montana Law Review, as well as working as an intern for a local civil litigation firm and the Missoula County Attorney’s Office.
Practice Areas
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- Appellate
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- Business Organizations
- Litigation
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- Commercial Litigation
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- Creditors’ Rights & Bankruptcy
- Real Property Foreclosures & Landlord-Tenant Disputes
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- Real Estate
- Access, Title and Property Disputes
- Development, Zoning and Land Use
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- Tort Litigation
- Negligence
- Professional negligence, including medical malpractice
- Unfair Trade Practices Act
Bar Admission
Montana, 2013
U.S. District of Montana, 2013
North Dakota, 2014
Wyoming, 2014
Arizona, 2015
U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, 2015
U.S. Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, 2018
U.S. Supreme Court, 2019
Education
2013 – J.D. with Honors, University of Montana School of Law
2009 – B.S., Interdisciplinary Studies with an emphasis in Public Management, Northern Arizona University
Honors & Awards
Co-Editor-in-Chief, Montana Law Review (2012-2013)
Community Involvement
Jeff is actively involved in the Missoula and Montana community. Jeff is a graduate of the Leadership Missoula program, LM Class 35, served as the chair-elect of LM Class 37, and the chair of LM Class 38. Jeff volunteers his time with the Missoula Fourth Judicial District Veterans’ Court.
Professional Affiliations
State Bar of Montana
State Bar of North Dakota
Wyoming State Bar
State Bar of Arizona
American Bar Association
Defense Trial Lawyers Association
Western Montana Bar Association
Presentations & Publications
Frustrated Settlements: Common Problems and Solutions in Liability Settlements Invoking the Medicare Secondary Payer Statutes, 73 Mont. L. Rev. 395 (2012)
Reported Decisions / Cases
Thomas Mann Post No. 81 of Am. Legion, Dep’t of Montana v. Knudsen Fam. Ltd. P’ship, 2022 MT 150, 409 Mont. 318, 514 P.3d 409;
Oberlander v. Hennequin, 2023 MT 45, 411 Mont. 320, 525 P.3d 1176