Tom Bell

Tom Bell is Attorney Of Counsel at Laird Cowley, PLLC, where he concentrates primarily on workers’ compensation matters for insurance clients. His current practice includes workers’ compensation and insurance litigation, supported by decades of civil trial experience. He has represented employers and insurers in work-related injury claims and has handled broader civil disputes involving business, personal injury, employment, and other legal issues during his career.

Tom earned his Juris Doctor, with honors, from St. Louis University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, with honors, from Washington University in St. Louis. His business education and legal training support work involving insurance claims, employers, compensation systems, and contested civil matters. He is actively admitted in Montana, with prior or dormant admissions in several other states, and is admitted before the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Tom has spent much of the past two decades defending employers and insurers in work-related injury claims, including representation of BNSF Railway Company and Montana State Fund. His work includes complex claims involving workplace injuries and occupational conditions, as well as insurance litigation. He joined Laird Cowley in an Of Counsel role in 2024, bringing extensive civil trial and workers’ compensation experience to the firm’s defense practice.

Tom Bell combines insurance-defense experience, business training, and a long civil litigation career in his representation of employers and insurers. His practice requires close review of medical evidence, workplace facts, coverage issues, and compensation rules. He helps clients assess claims, develop defense strategies, negotiate disputes, and prepare for contested proceedings, with an approach shaped by years of work in workers’ compensation and other civil litigation matters.

Law Office Affiliations

• Of Counsel, Laird Cowley
• Member, State Bar of Montana
• Member, The Missouri Bar
• Member, State Bar of Texas
• Member, Minnesota State Bar Association
• Member, State Bar of Wisconsin
• Member, Illinois State Bar Association

Licensed State

• Montana
• Missouri
• Texas
• Minnesota
• Wisconsin
• Illinois

Education

• St. Louis University
  Juris Doctor (JD)
• Washington University in St. Louis
  Bachelor of Science (BS) in Business Administration

Awards & Badges