Elizabeth Kaleva

Elizabeth A. Kaleva is from Missoula, Montana, where she graduated from Loyola Sacred Heart High School in 1987. She received a Bachelor’s Degree in History from Boston College in 1991. Bea graduated from the University of Montana School of Law in 1995 and, after graduation, clerked for a judge for year before joining the Montana School Boards Association as a staff attorney. She rose to the General Counsel position and remained with the MTSBA until 2004, when she returned to Missoula in private practice. Bea serves as counsel for school districts in all areas of employment and school law. Specific practice areas include: contract negotiations, employee misconduct and discipline, student misconduct and discipline, special education and federal programs, and Board of Trustees practice and procedure. She provides litigation defense to school districts and their employees in federal and state courts, arbitrations, and administrative agencies relating to all aspects of school district operations.

Bea is admitted to practice before all Montana courts, the United States District Courts, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She is a member of the American Bar Association, the National Council of School Attorneys, the Montana Council of School attorneys, a former Board member of the National Council of School Attorneys and is the President of the School Law Section of the Montana State Bar. She has been selected by her peers for inclusion in the Best Lawyers in America since 2014 for the areas of education law and employment law, and was named the Best Employment Law Lawyer for the Missoula area in 2015, 2019, and 2022.

In 2021, Elizabeth was honored with the AV Preeminent® Rating by Martindale-Hubbell®. This rating is the highest possible rating in both legal ability and ethical standards

Megan D. Morris

Born and raised in Butte, Montana, Megan Morris graduated from Butte High School in 1997. She graduated from the University of Montana in 2001 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. After working for the Montana Secretary of State’s Office as well as the Montana Department of Commerce, Megan attended the University of Montana School of Law. Megan received her juris doctor with high honors from the University of Montana in 2005.

In 2005, Megan joined the national law firm of Holland & Hart in its Billings, Montana office. Her practice there primarily focused on employment, commercial, and natural resource litigation. In 2008, Megan returned to Missoula to join Kaleva Law Office where she serves as counsel for school districts in all areas of school law. She regularly advises school districts in the areas of student rights and discipline, special education and federal programs, employment law and employee misconduct, contract preparation and negotiations, procurement, and construction.

Megan is admitted to practice before all Montana courts, the United States District Court for the District of Montana, and the United States Appeal Court for the Ninth Circuit. She is a member of the Montana State Bar and the Council of School Attorneys. Megan has given numerous presentations in the areas of employment law and school law. Megan has been named a Mountain States Rising Star by Super Lawyers in the area of School and Education in 2014, 2018, and 2019.

Beth O’Halloran

Beth was raised in Polson, Montana where her dad was a family doctor and her mom worked (tirelessly) raising 8 children. She graduated from Polson High School, received her B.A. from the University of Montana and worked in Helena before attending law school at the State University of New York at Buffalo. During law school, Beth worked summer legal internships in Washington, DC and New York City in the field of labor law. Beth returned to her Montana roots following law school, working as an insurance and securities regulatory attorney with the State of Montana for five years.

Beth left Helena in order to join Milodragovich, Dale, Steinbrenner, P.C. in Missoula in 1999. She spent the next 14 years with the firm, initially as an associate, later becoming a shareholder in the firm. During this time, Beth developed an active civil litigation practice, with an emphasis in employment and discrimination law, as well as personal injury, contract and insurance coverage litigation. After relocating back to Helena, Beth moved into the exclusive representation of public entities in 2013, when she joined the legal defense team at the Montana Association of Counties, representing counties in a variety of litigation cases. In her 21 + years of practice, Beth has advocated on behalf of her clients in the U.S. Ninth Circuit, federal and state district courts, the Montana Supreme Court, a variety of administrative tribunals, including the Montana Human Rights Commission and Bureau, the Montana State Tax Appeal Board, the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board, OSHA and the EEOC.

In her spare time, Beth enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter and son hiking, biking, kayaking, skiing, snowboarding, cooking, and traveling in other communities and cultures.

Kevin Twidwell

Kevin Twidwell is a litigator at Kaleva Law Office and has more than 25 years of experience as an attorney. He grew up in Butte, Montana, and received his undergraduate degree in Journalism from the University of Montana before working as a newspaper reporter.

After covering police and legal issues as a journalist, Kevin attended law school, graduating with honors from the University of Montana School of Law in 1994. He then worked as a judicial law clerk for U.S. District Court Judge Charles C. Lovell before joining the litigation department at the Seattle law firm of Davis Wright Tremaine. There, he represented large private and governmental entities in complex litigation. Kevin moved back to Missoula in 2002 to raise his daughters, and has practiced in the state and federal courts there since that time.

Kevin represents school districts in a variety of matters, including Title IX investigations, discrimination claims before the Human Rights Bureau and in the courts, negligence matters, personal injury lawsuits and employment issues. He also has experience in representing businesses and individuals in areas such as product liability, medical malpractice, professional negligence, insurance coverage, and mass tort claims.

He is an avid runner and spends a lot of time with his two canine companions on the trails around Missoula.

Kali Taylor

Kali was born and raised in Butte, Montana and graduated from Butte High School in 2016. She graduated from the University of Montana with High Honors in 2020 with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. While pursuing her undergraduate degrees, Kali worked in the Office of the Provost at the University of Montana for three years. After working in the Office of the Provost, Kali decided to pursue a career in education law and graduated from the University of Montana School of Law in 2023. In law school, Kali was a member of the National Moot Court Team, a board member of the Student Bar Association, and a board member of the Women’s Law Caucus. Kali was a legal intern at Kaleva Law Office from her first year of law school until she graduated. While interning at our office, Kali fell in love with K-12 law and decided to continue a career with KLO after law school. Kali advises school districts in multiple areas of school law including federal programs and employment law.

Kali is admitted to practice before all Montana Courts and the United States District Court for the District of Montana. She is a member of the New Lawyers and Women’s Law Sections of the Montana State Bar. In her free time, Kali loves spending time with her dogs, Elvis and Copper, being on the river, and traveling.

Joel Kaleva

Joel Kaleva joined Kaleva Law Office in 2023 and practices of counsel with KLO on a reduced schedule. Joel previously worked at Crowley Fleck for over 25 years. Joel assists clients in the formation of not-for-profit corporations and represents not-for-profit corporations in securing recognition of exemption from federal and state income tax. He advises tax exempt organizations on all aspects of federal tax issues associated with their operations including joint ventures with both nonprofit or for-profit entities, unrelated business income issues, and mergers and acquisitions involving tax exempt organizations. Joel also assists clients in establishing effective employee benefit plans, developing related subsidiary organizations, and creating efficient administrative procedures and governance policies for their boards of directors.

Joel graduated with highest honors from Montana State University in 1992 and with Honors from the University of Montana School of Law in 1995. He is admitted to practice before all Montana courts, the United States District Court for the District of Montana, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, and the United States Tax Courts.

Joel has been honored with the AV Preeminent Rating by Martindale-Hubbell and was recognized as one of the Best Lawyers in America for Health Care Law and Nonprofit/Charities Law.

Kimberly Witt

Kimberly joined the Kaleva Law Office as the Office Manager and Paralegal in April 2022.  She has over 15 years experience in the legal field assisting attorneys in both civil and criminal litigation.

Outside of the office, Kimberly enjoys spending time with her husband and two young children. She loves skiing with her kids, going to concerts, playing board games, cheering on the Griz, and exploring the beautiful state she is fortunate to call home.