When people look for a trial lawyer after a serious injury, they often see a long list of awards, verdicts, and honors. Those facts matter, but they don’t tell you who the person is or why they chose this work. With Alexander “Zander” Blewett III, the story starts in a very different place: defending insurance companies and realizing he could not keep “taking bread from the mouths of widows and orphans.”
In the short video below, you can hear that turning point in his own words and see how it shaped the way we practice law at Hoyt & Blewett PLLC.
Why Zander Walked Away From Insurance Defense
Early in his career, Zander defended insurance companies in lawsuits. That work gave him significant trial experience, but it did not sit right with him. As he puts it in the video, “The good thing about defense work is I got a lot of trial experience. The bad thing about it is I just didn't like trying to take bread from the mouths of widows and orphans. That wasn't fun.”
That simple, candid line reveals a lot about his values. He did not just want to win cases. He wanted to stand on the same side as people who had already lost so much. So he made a choice. As he explains, “I started doing whatever plaintiff work I could get, and I did quite a bit of it.”
That decision to shift his focus changed the course of his career and helped shape our firm. Today, our team at Hoyt & Blewett PLLC stands firmly with injured Montanans and their families, and that decision traces back to moments like the one he describes in the video.
Mentorship, Teamwork & A Trial Legacy
Zander did not build his career alone. In the video, he talks about the influence of his longtime partner, John Hoyt: “My partner, John Hoyt, who was kind of the king of torts in Montana, he mentored me, and then I was able to pass that on to the other lawyers here.”
That one sentence captures the culture we work hard to protect. Our firm has deep roots in Montana trial law, and each generation learns from the last. Zander learned from a lawyer who set the bar for tort work in our state. Now he passes on what he learned to the lawyers who try cases alongside him.
He also makes clear that mentorship at our firm does not mean top-down commands. As he says, “We worked together a whole lot on many, many cases, and my experience is helpful to them, but they know the ropes.” He respects the attorneys who stand with him in court and values their judgment. That balance of guidance and trust is part of what keeps our trial team strong and prepared for complex cases.
How Zander Approaches The Fight For Our Clients
In every serious injury case, there is a real adversary on the other side: an insurance company, a large corporation, or a government entity with significant resources. In the video, Zander explains how he steps into that fight: “I enjoyed being a competitor, and I liked the adversarial process and being willing to outwork the opposition.”
That competitive spirit lines up with what our clients see in the courtroom and across the negotiation table. When we take a case, we prepare as if it will go to trial and we plan to outwork the other side. Zander’s long record of verdicts and settlements reflects that approach, including:
- $27 million settlement in a brain injury case (Vangsnes v. North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, Inc. et al.), which stands as the largest reported individual personal injury settlement in Montana history.
- $21.3 million verdict in a Great Falls malicious prosecution case (Seltzer v. Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher), one of the largest malicious prosecution verdicts in the United States.
- Significant verdicts in railroad, auto, and brain injury cases across Montana, including Dorn v. BNSF, Ginn v. Smurfit Stone Container, and Bumgarner v. Farmers Union Mutual Insurance.
These results are not just numbers. They represent families who needed financial security after life-changing injuries and losses. Zander’s willingness to compete, prepare, and try cases helps us pursue the full compensation Montana law allows.
Credentials That Back Up The Person You See On Screen
The video shows Zander speaking plainly about why he does this work. His professional history shows how that commitment has played out over decades.
He earned his law degree from the University of Montana in 1971 after completing his undergraduate studies at Montana State University in 1967. That same year, he was admitted to the State Bar of Montana, and he later gained admission to practice before the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana, the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the 6th and 9th Circuits, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Over the years, his peers and national organizations have recognized his work. He has received an AV® Preeminent Peer Review Rating by Martindale-Hubbell™ for professionalism and ethics. He has appeared in The Best Lawyers in America® for decades, including listings from 1991 through 2026. Lawdragon has named him to its 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers in America for 2024–2025.
He stands alone as the only lawyer in Montana admitted to the Lawdragon Hall of Fame and the only Montana member of The Inner Circle of Advocates, a national group limited to 100 of the country’s top trial lawyers. He has also served in roles with the American College of Trial Lawyers, the American Board of Trial Advocates, the International Society of Barristers, and the International Academy of Trial Lawyers.
In recognition of his long service to Montana’s trial bar, the Montana Trial Lawyers Association twice named him Montana Trial Lawyer of the Year, and he has served as a delegate to the 9th Circuit Judicial Conference and as the Montana State Coordinator for the National Board of Trial Advocacy.
Perhaps most visibly, the University of Montana Law School now carries his name. After substantial support, it became the Alexander Blewett III School of Law at the University of Montana. That name reflects not just financial giving, but a long-standing connection to training future generations of lawyers in our state.
What Clients Can Expect When They Work With Our Team
At the end of the video, Zander turns from his own story to the people he represents. He explains that he wants his clients to fully trust him and to know that he will work hard for them. That focus on trust lines up with how we approach every case at Hoyt & Blewett PLLC.
When someone comes to us after a serious accident, they are often overwhelmed and unsure of what comes next. We take the time to listen, explain the process, and answer questions in plain language. We also screen cases carefully so we can commit our full energy and resources when we say yes.
We bring Montana roots and national-level recognition to each case, but we never forget that each file represents a real person or family. Zander’s values—refusing to “take bread from the mouths of widows and orphans,” learning from mentors, outworking the opposition, and earning client trust—have helped shape that culture from the beginning.
Get To Know Zander & Our Firm
If you watched the video, you have already seen the straightforward way Zander talks about his work and his path into plaintiff-side trial practice. Our hope is that you come away with a sense of the person behind the long list of honors and case results.
If you or someone you love faces a serious injury or wrongful death case in Montana, you can reach out to Hoyt & Blewett PLLC for a free, no-obligation consultation at (406) 233-1302. When you contact us, you will talk with a team that shares the same values you see in Zander’s story: hard work, integrity, and a deep commitment to the people we serve.
We invite you to watch the video again, explore more about our attorneys, and contact us when you are ready to talk about your situation. Your fight for justice becomes our fight, and we take that responsibility seriously.