- Kristy Buckley
- Phone: (406) 556-1430
- Bozeman, MT
Working together with a well-qualified staff, firm lawyers strive to provide each client with prompt, personalized service of the highest caliber.
Kristy Buckley is an Associate in the Commercial Department. Her practice focuses on ERISA and employee benefits law, federal taxation, corporate transactions, business planning and organizations, and estate planning. She advises clients about federal benefits laws including provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, ERISA, and COBRA. For businesses and associations, she provides compliance planning for tax-qualified 401(k) and profit-sharing plans, Code Section 403(b) plans for tax-exempt entities, Code Section 409A deferred compensation programs, and health and welfare plans. For individuals, Kristy provides estate and trust planning, probate administration, small business planning, and tax dispute representation.
While in law school, Ms. Buckley served as an Articles and Comments Editor of the University of Miami Business Law Review and Executive Editor of the Tax Law Chronicle. She also received two CALI Awards for obtaining the highest score in a law school course. Ms. Buckley received her Master of Law in Taxation from the University of Miami School of Law and graduated at the top of her class. She was a two-time academic merit scholar for her LL.M. of Taxation program. Ms. Buckley previously practiced at Akerman Senterfitt, Florida’s largest law firm at the time, in the corporate department and at Shubin & Bass, a boutique litigation law firm in Miami. Although she is not licensed or certified, Ms. Buckley passed the CPA Exam in 2002 and had experience as an accountant before entering law school at Clark Nuber CPAs in Seattle.
PRACTICE AREAS
- Mergers & Acquisitions
- Taxation - State & Local
- Taxation - Federal
- Healthcare
- Electronic Information, Technology, and Security
- Plans, Managed Care, Employee Benefits, and Executive Compensation
- Tax and Finance
- Estate Planning
- Estate Administration & Probate
- Employee Benefits & ERISA
- Corporate Law
- Commercial & Tax
- Business Law
BAR ADMISSIONS
- Montana 2006
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Florida, 2006
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U.S. Tax Court, 2006
- U.S. District Court District Court of Montana, 2006
EDUCATION
- 2006 - LL.M., Taxation, University of Miami School of Law
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2005 - J.D., University of Miami School of Law, cum laude
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2002 - M.P.Ac., Montana State University
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2001 - B.S. Business, Accounting - Montana State University, cum laude
- 2001 - B.S. Sociology, Legal Studies - Montana State University, cum laude
AWARDS AND HONORS
- Published - “Tax Shelter Information and How the Confidentiality Rule Protects Clients: The Relevance of Recent Changes to ABA Model Rule of Professional Conduct 1.6,” University of Miami Business Law Review - Fall/Winter 2004
COMMUNITY AND PROFESSIONAL INVOLVEMENT
- Bozeman Sunrise Estate Planners Group, Member, 2006-Present
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Gallatin County Bar Association, Member, 2006-Present
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American Bar Association Section of Taxation, Member, 2003-Present
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State Bar of Montana BETTR Law Section, Secretary, 2008-Present
- Western Pension & Benefits Conference - Montana Chapter, Member, 2007-Present
