Stefan Kolis

Stefan Kolis, Esq, got his start in the law through his AmeriCorps services, helping low income Montanans file civil cases on their own at the Self-Help Law Center in Great Falls and Kalispell. Discoveringpersonal value helping others, he went to work for Montana Legal Services Association for two years, until he decided he could do more to help those in need with a law degree. During his law school career at the University of Montana School of Law, he was a Volunteer Hearing Officer for Missoula Housing Authority, ex officio board member of the Montana Justice Foundation, on the Montana Supreme Court’s Access to Justice Commission’s Law School Partnership Committee, and organized law students to volunteer for Missoula’s End of Life Document Clinic. Stefan graduated in 2017, and received the 2017 Equal Justice Works Public Interest Law Award.

Born in Illinois, but growing up in Havre, MT, the mountains and open space always demanded his attention; he grew up fishing, hunting, camping, and generally living on the Hi-Line. When his family moved to Wisconsin, he knew he would always return to the West. Stefan went to college at Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota, was Captain of the Men’s Soccer Team his senior year, and graduated in 2010 with honors with a degree in Sociology and Anthropology. After college, Stefan moved back to Montana, where he taught himself how to fly fish, telemark, mountain bike, and backpack. He now spends as much time as possible exploring Montana’s wild areas.

Stefan was hired at Montana Elder Law in the spring of 2017, and specializes in writing estate plans for Montanans. He writes plans for folks which allow middle class families to pass on their most cherished assets, while ensuring they get the care and assistance they will need. He views this work as protecting families from sliding into poverty. Stefan also drafts Special Needs Trusts, which allow disabled individuals to receive supplemental income while still receiving government benefits such as Supplemental Security Income and Medicaid. Finally, Stefan works on probate matters, assisting families administer their loved one’s estate in what is often the most difficult period of life.