Staff Bios

Chris A. Montgomery, Esq.

Chris A. Montgomery, Esq.

Attorney

With over forty one (41) years of experience, Chris A. Montgomery is committed to providing the quality legal services with compassion and professionalism. Chris believes in maintaining high ethical standards and treating clients as he would want to be treated; fairly and courteously and helping make the legal system “user friendly” by making it understandable on an individual level and understanding “cost containment” by economizing access and costs for clients, while at the same time achieving excellent results and upholding the high morals and standards people expect of professionals in the legal community.​

With Chris’s forty-one (41) years of expert legal experience, his highly trained Legal Assistants, and his professional support personnel, Montgomery Law Firm’s “legal team” provides high-quality legal services for our clients in a variety of areas. We at Montgomery Law Firm pride ourselves on providing a “multi-service” approach to solving legal problems and providing high-quality services in many areas which include: Wills, Trusts, Probates, Elder Law, Real Estate Escrow Closings, Real Estate Representation in areas such as Easements, Boundaries, Covenants, Foreclosures, Landlord Representation, Real Estate Related Litigation, Business Formation such as Limited Liability Companies and Partnerships, Corporations, Agreed Adoptions, and Name Changes.

As a seasoned Trial Attorney with over forty one (41) years of experience, Chris is Admitted and Licensed to practice law in all State and Federal Courts in the State of Washington and the State of Idaho, including the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. He has also handled cases on a Pro Hoc Vice basis in Oregon, California and Alaska. Chris is committed to his clients and takes on the challenges required for comprehensive representation, wherever an individual case may take him. He stands by his clients through all phases of their legal circumstances.

Chris is a graduate of Gonzaga School of Law, and continues to support Gonzaga by serving as a Moot Court Judge and Client Counselling Panel Judge for current law students. He has also served as Judge Pro Tem in Stevens and Ferry County District Courts and for many years has served as Moderator for “Law School for Non-Lawyers” during and after his tenure as President of the Stevens County Bar Association. Chris was also honored for his over thirty (30) years of service as an Adjunct Faculty Member of the Community Colleges of Spokane, Colville Campus, where he taught Business Law to students both in person in Colville, and by interactive teleconferencing to Republic, Newport, Ione, Inchellium, Pullman, and Fairchild Air Force Base.

Married for over forty-eight (48) years, with two (2) grown children, Chris has been a llama rancher and certified tree farmer and has served over thirty plus (30) years with the Boy Scouts of America as a Den Leader, Scoutmaster, and District Chairman. Chris maintains his position as Scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 921 to this date, and has been recognized with the Scoutmaster Award of Merit, Silver Beaver Award, District Award of Merit, Vigil Honor in the Order of the Arrow Boy Scout Honor Society, as well as many other awards. Chris encourages all of his Scouts to strive to become Eagle Scouts, (the top two percent (2%) of all Scouts), and has helped thirty-eight (38) Scouts achieve that goal to date.

Boy Scout Troop 921, and the Colville Kiwanis, sponsor the Colville Community Flag Program which distributes over three hundred (300) American Flags around the community of Colville on all major holidays and community events and performs Flag Presentations, and Retirement Ceremonies. Chris has served as a Scoutmaster and Adult Leader for National and World Scout Jamborees and the National Order of the Arrow Conference. His Troop has traveled to Hawaii for Summer Camp, Philmont Scout Ranch for backpack trips, the Grand Canyon, Canada, and Seattle for Mariners Baseball Games and Seahawks Football Games to name just a few of their adventures.

Chris is currently the Chairman of the City of Colville Zoning Board of Adjustment and has served in the past on the Board of Directors for Big Brothers and Sisters of America and the Stevens County Juvenile Diversion Board.

Jeanette M. Smith

Jeanette M. Smith

Legal Assistant

Jeanette is a Legal Assistant with Montgomery Law Firm. Since 2017, she has been a resident of Stevens County for 40+ years and has a background in title, insurance, and as an appraiser for the Stevens County Assessor’s Office for many years. Jeanette primarily handles Probates, Estate Planning, Evictions, and Unlawful Detainers, as well as LLCs and Corporations. She also assists with setting up Trust documents, drafting documents for lawsuits, preparing deeds, and legal research. Jeanette is a Washington State Notary Public and is also fluent in American Sign Language.

Estate Planning | Probates LLCs and Corporations | Evictions | Lawsuits | Trial Prep

Katie N. Vendeventer

Kaytlin N. Vendeventer

Legal Assistant

Kaytlin is a Legal Assistant with Montgomery Law Firm and has been working at the firm since 2020. She is a “Jill of all trades”, having worked in many different fields. Since starting at the firm, Kaytlin has shown great interest in the legal field and enjoys learning new things. She handles simple to complex real estate transactions, complex residential and commercial real estate purchase and sale transactions, easements, covenants, foreclosures, and leasing documentation. Kaytlin is also a Washington State Notary Public.

Real Estate Closings | Easements | Boundary Line Adjustments | Deeds | Trusts | Estate Planning

Katie N. Vendeventer

Kaylie I. Dunscomb

Legal Assistant

Kaylie is a Legal Assistant with Montgomery Law Firm. Her previous employment experience was in Customer Service. This gives her a great background for providing exceptional Customer Service as the Front Desk Person for Montgomery Law Firm. She meets and greets clients with a smile and a happy attitude, answers the phone and schedules appointments, and calendars, processes payments, enters and sends out Monthly Statements, etc. Kaylie’s duties are many and varied and ever-changing as her skills grow and improve her job description is ever changing.

Accounts Receivable | Scheduling | Document Preparation | File Maintenance