Brian L. Taylor
Member
Brian Taylor practices in our Billings, Montana office. Mr. Taylor is a litigation attorney with a historically diverse practice. His practice primarily focuses on civil defense where he has represented clients in a wide variety of cases including bad faith and product liability. He also represents a number of insurance carriers in traditional insurance defense matters and insurance coverage issues. His experience in the product liability field has covered a wide spectrum of self-insured automobile manufacturers and component part manufacturers. His experience representing automobile manufacturers includes a three-plus week trial in Great Falls, Montana involving a traumatic brain injury.
Mr. Taylor’s litigation defense practice is centered in the field of transportation, insurance, medical malpractice, trucking, municipal entities, and product liability. His experience in traditional insurance defense litigation includes property damage claims, personal injury claims, and larger construction defect lawsuits. Mr. Taylor’s practice also includes representing many employers in employment related actions. Mr. Taylor has participated in numerous trials in both State and Federal Court throughout Montana.
Bar Admissions
- Montana, 1997
- U.S. District Court, District of Montana
- U.S. District Court, District of Colorado
Location
Billings Office
175 North 27th Street
Suite 1101
Billings, MT 59101
Education
JD: Gonzaga University, 1997, magna cum laude
BA: Montana State University, 1994, Finance, With Honors
Contact
Career Distinctions & Honors
- Martindale-Hubbell®, AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated
- Judge Robert P. Goff Pro Bono Award, 2011
- Served as Special Master for Judge Sandefur, Cascade County District Court, State of Montana
Professional Associations
- Montana State Bar Association
- Cascade County Bar Association
- Montana Defense Trial Lawyers Association
- Montana State Bar, CLE Institute
- National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel
- Yellowstone Area Bar Association
- International Association of Defense Counsel
Decisions
- GER v. Florence: Strict liability for dog bite claim, Missoula, Montana in 2020.
- Niedermeyer v. Geyser Whitewater: Wrongful death and survivorship claims related to a whitewater rafting accident, Bozeman, Montana in 2018.
- Tsohonis v. BNSF: FELA claim in Billings, Montana in 2014.
- Brennan v. Ford Motor Corp. and Firestone: Products liability related to a tire de-tread in Great Falls, Montana. Matter was tried twice, first trial lasted 17 days.
- Ray v. Connell, 371 P.3d 391: Obtained Summary Judgment which was upheld on appeal to the Montana Supreme Court in a case involving alleged libel and slander issues in 2016
- Allison v. Farmer Brothers Co., 2018 WL 3609537: Obtained Summary Judgment in Federal Court in a wrongful discharge from employment matter in 2018.
- Baker v. Hartford Life & Accident Ins. Co., 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20571: Obtained Summary Judgment in Federal Court in a case involving long term disability benefits in 2016.
- Sorlie v. City of Billings: Obtained Summary Judgment for the City of Billings, Montana on an alleged negligent building inspection claim in 2020.
Articles & Publications // Presentations // Webinars
- Speaker, Montana Municipal Interlocal Authority, Defense Counsel Summit, Helena, Montana, 2019
- Speaker, “Montana Insurance Law,” American Hallmark Insurance, Fort Worth Texas, 2009
Business & Community Service
- Former Board Member for the Cascade County Law Clinic, an organization devoted to providing pro bono legal representation to those in need
Professional Experience
- Prior to joining Hall & Evans in 2013, Mr. Taylor was a partner at Jardine Stephenson, Blewett & Weaver in Great Falls, Montana.
Other Activities
- Mr. Taylor enjoys spending time with his wife and two wonderful daughters. In his spare time he enjoys skiing, snowmobiling, and soccer.
Blog Posts About Brian
- Hall & Evans Expands ALFA International Membership into Montana
- Defense Verdict for Hall & Evans Client in Wrongful Death Case
- Plaintiffs Limited to Presenting Evidence of Amounts Actually Paid to Health Care Providers Under New Montana Law
- Hall & Evans Prevails on Summary Judgment Motion in Municipal Liability Matter
- Defense Verdict for Hall & Evans’ Client in Dog Bite Case
- Megan Coulter and Brian Taylor Named Members
- Potential Pitfalls for Carriers Regarding Montana’s Obligation to Advance Pay
- Brian Taylor Joins Hall & Evans