Anthony Jackson

Anthony is a fifth-generation Montanan with deep roots in central Montana. Anthony prides himself in representing and standing up for those harmed by the more powerful (who are usually insured by some of the world’s largest insurance companies and defended by some of Montana’s and the nation’s largest law firms). Anthony represents clients in Bozeman and throughout Montana in practice areas that include catastrophic injuries, auto accidents, class actions, consumer protection law, motorcycle accidents, semi-truck accidents, insurance coverage litigation, insurance bad faith, premises liability, product liability (defective and dangerous products), and workers’ compensation.

University of Montana School of Law

J.D.

2009 - 2012

Attorney Clerk

Montana Supreme Court

2012 - 2013

Anthony clerked for Montana Supreme Court Justice Brian Morris after graduating from law school. This is a competitive selection process with applicants from across the country.

Top 100 Trial Lawyers

The National Trial Lawyers

2023

Outstanding New Trial Lawyer of the Year

Montana Trial Lawyers

2018

Top 40 Under 40 Trial Lawyers

The National Trial Lawyers

2018

Dean's Leadership Award

University of Montana School of Law

2012

Student Bar Association President

University of Montana

2012

State Bar of Montana  # 12079

Member

Current

Montana

State Bar of Montana

ID Number: 12079

Since 2012

• Free Consultation
• Contingent Fees

• Motorcycle Injury

Q. Do we need a lawyer to collect on $11,000 promissory note? It is from an LLC and personally guaranteed by members

December 20, 2023

A: You might need a lawyer; however, there could be other options depending on your particular facts. A lawyer who bills by the hour might take on your case. If the lawyer can send a letter and get payment or obtain and enforce a judgment without spending a lot of time on your case, hiring an hourly lawyer might be a good option. But particularly if this is something that has to be litigated, hiring such a lawyer may be cost-prohibitive since it often costs far more than $11,000 to litigate a case. While the benefits of having an attorney are usually well worth the costs, the amount here at issue might not justify those costs, and you might not be able to find an attorney to take the case with that amount at issue.

As you inquired, another option you could consider is small claims court. I don't practice in Oklahoma, but the Oklahoma State Bar website indicates you can bring a small claims court case for amounts up to $10,000. The website also indicates that "An individual may be self-represented in small claims; a company may be represented by an officer or full-time employee." Thus, you could potentially save the cost of hiring an attorney or bring the case to small claims court even if you cannot find an attorney to take your case.

Also, while you might not be able to recover the entire $11,000 amount in small claims court, you would almost certainly spend more than $1,000 on a lawyer, so you could still come out ahead even though you cannot recover the entire $11,000 amount.

Please keep in mind that the language in your specific contract could have an attorney fee provision, arbitration clause, or other provision that could completely change this response. Also, keep in mind that I do not know any of the particular details of your case. Therefore, please do not treat this answer as legal advice specific to you or your case. ... Read More