David L. Johnson joined the firm's Commercial and Tax department in 1964 and has specialized in the areas of estate planning, estate and gift tax, probate, trust and estate administration, and is nationally recognized in those areas. He is a fellow in the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (from 1991 to 1996, the Montana Chairman of that professional organization of trust and estate lawyers, and from 1991 to 2004, the Montana State Laws Coordinator). He is a past president of the Yellowstone Valley Estate Planning Council and is a Fellow in the American College of Tax Counsel.

Mr. Johnson has been a frequent speaker on estate and tax planning at legal seminars in Montana and in other states. He is the author of articles on post-mortem tax and estate planning and was a member of the board of editors of the Journal of Agricultural Taxation & Law. From 1985 through 1990 he chaired the American Bar Association's Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Sections Committee on Post-Mortem Tax Problems, and also chaired its Committee on Estate Planning and Estate Administration for Farmers and Ranchers. Mr. Johnson obtained his legal education at the Ohio State University College of Law, graduating summa cum laude. At Ohio State he was an Assistant Editor of the Ohio State Law Journal. Prior to law school he received his Business Administration degree from the University of Cincinnati where he majored in accounting.

Mr. Johnson has served on the board and as president of many civic and nonprofit boards, including United Way of Yellowstone County, Yellowstone Art Museum, Parmly Billings Library Foundation and the Montana State Library Commission. He is currently President of the YWCA of Billings Endowment Foundation, Inc., and is the Chair of the Billings Chapter of SCORE, counsellors to Americas small business.

E-mail: djohnson@crowleylaw.com