Our People

Our Attorneys

Two partners, not a rotating roster. The lawyer you meet at the consultation is the lawyer who handles your case.

A&M Law is a two-attorney firm in Missoula, Montana. Misty Gaubatz and Ashley Hurlbert co-founded it together and between them bring 24+ years of experience across family law, criminal defense, DUI defense, and personal injury. They are also the two attorneys who developed Cooperative Family Law in Western Montana.

Staying small is deliberate. It means the partner who takes your first call is the one who stands up in court, and it means both attorneys know every file in the office well enough to cover for each other when a hearing and a trial land on the same morning.

Misty Gaubatz

Partner · Montana Bar #12234

Licensed Montana attorney and co-founder of A&M Law. Over two decades in the practice of law focusing on family law, criminal defense, and DUI defense, with federal and state court experience and a Certificate in Mediation.

Practice Areas

Family LawCriminal DefenseDUI / DWICooperative Family LawPersonal Injury

Certifications

Certified, NHTSA Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFST)
Certified Mediator
Served as Guardian ad Litem (GAL)
ACE Training (Adverse Childhood Experiences)

Full biography for Misty →Email

Ashley Hurlbert

Partner

Licensed Montana attorney and co-founder of A&M Law. 18 years of experience as lead counsel in 50+ jury and bench trials. A Certified Mediator and Certified Guardian ad Litem focusing on family law, criminal defense, and DUI defense.

Practice Areas

Family LawCustody & AdoptionCriminal DefenseDUI / DWIPersonal Injury

Certifications

Certified Mediator
Certified Guardian ad Litem (GAL)
Certified, NHTSA Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFST)
NHTSA DUI Certification

Full biography for Ashley →Email

Which Attorney Will Handle Your Case?

In a two-attorney firm the honest answer is usually “whichever of us you connect with,” and clients are welcome to ask for either partner. That said, a few kinds of matters have a natural first call, because one of them holds a credential the other does not.

Divorce and parenting plans

Either partner

Both co-founded the firm's Cooperative Family Law practice and both are Certified Mediators.

A custody case with a court-appointed advocate for the children

Ashley Hurlbert

Certified Guardian ad Litem, appointed by Montana courts to represent children's best interests.

A case headed for trial

Ashley Hurlbert

Lead counsel in more than 50 jury and bench trials over 18 years.

A DUI, including a THC DUI

Either partner

Both are certified in the NHTSA Standardized Field Sobriety Tests the arresting officer used on you.

A federal charge in the District of Montana

Misty Gaubatz

Admitted to United States Federal Court, District of Montana.

An injury claim against an insurer

Either partner

Both handle personal injury alongside the firm's family law and criminal work.

Courts We Appear In

Between them the partners are admitted in every Montana court a Western Montana case is likely to touch, from a Justice Court traffic matter through to the Montana Supreme Court on appeal, plus the federal District of Montana.

Misty Gaubatz

Montana Supreme Court
Montana District Courts
Montana Justice Courts
Montana City & Municipal Courts
Montana Human Rights Bureau
United States Federal Court, District of Montana

Bar admissions

State of Montana (admitted 2020)
United States Federal Court, District of Montana

Ashley Hurlbert

Montana Supreme Court
Montana District Courts
Montana Justice Courts
Montana City & Municipal Courts
State and Federal Courts (Montana)

Bar admissions

State of Montana
Federal Court

Two Different Routes to the Same Courtroom

Misty Gaubatz

Misty came to the bar after two decades working inside the law in other roles, and was admitted in Montana in 2020. She earned her Juris Doctorate at the Alexander Blewett III School of Law at the University of Montana, along with a Certificate in Mediation. She is the partner admitted to practise in United States Federal Court for the District of Montana, and she has served as a Guardian ad Litem.

Read Misty's full biography →

Ashley Hurlbert

Ashley has 18 years in practice and has been lead counsel in more than 50 jury and bench trials, first building a practice in Dickinson, North Dakota, where she made partner in three years, before coming home to Montana. She is a Certified Mediator and a Certified Guardian ad Litem, and she also handles landlord and eviction proceedings.

Read Ashley's full biography →

The Attorneys Are Not the Whole Team

Dakota Holman, the firm's legal assistant, is often the first person you speak to and the one who keeps your file moving between hearings. And Roscoe, the office dog, has met more nervous clients than either attorney has.

Meet the whole team →About the firm →Why clients trust A&M Law →

Talk With One of Our Attorneys

Call the office and ask for Misty or Ashley by name. Confidential consultation, no pressure.

Call 406-830-3060 Send a Message