Mark Kovacich, a principal at Kovacich Snipes Johnson, P.C., has lived in Montana most of his life. He graduated from Colstrip High School in Colstrip, Montana, where he was named Valedictorian in 1991. Mark later attended college at Montana Tech of the University of Montana in Butte, Montana. He obtained a bachelor of science in environmental engineering, graduating with honors in 1996. In 1999, Mark graduated with honors from the University of Montana Law School.
After finishing law school, Mark worked for the Crowley Law Firm in Billings, Montana, where he handled complex civil litigation, primarily in the areas of personal injury and workers’ compensation. Mark accepted a position in his current firm in 2000. Since that time, his practice has focused entirely on representing plaintiffs in cases involving environmental litigation, toxic torts, serious personal injury, products liability, workers’ compensation, and safe workplace litigation. Mark was named Trial Lawyer of the Year by the Montana Trial Lawyers Association in 2005 and 2019, and received the association’s Appellate Advocacy Award in 2008 and 2016. Mark was consistently recognized as a Rising Star by Mountain States Super Lawyers dating back to 2008, and as a Super Lawyer since 2014.
Mark has also been listed as one of the Best Lawyers in America, and has achieved the highest possible peer review rating. In 2004, Mark served as trial counsel, along with his partners, Tom Lewis and David Slovak, in the case of Sunburst v. Texaco, which resulted in a record $41.2 million verdict. In 2012, Mark acted as trial counsel in Livingston v. BNSF, ending with a $36 million settlement during the second week of trial. Mark and the other lawyers in the firm have successfully represented hundreds of plaintiffs in high profile cases, many of which are highlighted in the Verdicts, Judgments & Settlements link.
Mark spends most of his free time with his family. He enjoys running, playing golf, hunting, and fishing.
HONORS AND AWARDS
• MTLA Trial Lawyer of the Year, 2005 & 2019
• MTLA Appellate Advocate of the Year, 2008 and 2016
• Mountain States Super Lawyers Rising Star 2008, 2011 and 2012
• Mountain States Super Lawyer, 2014 – Present
• National Association of Distinguished Counsel, Nation’s Top One Percent, 2015-Present
• Best Lawyers in America, 2016 – Present
CLASSES/SEMINARS
• Environmental Torts and Damages, Montana Trial Lawyers Association, 2008
• Seminar of the Masters’ Remedies in Toxic Tort and Environmental Litigation, Montana Trial Lawyers Association, 2008
• Safe Place to Work Litigation, Montana Trial Lawyers Association Winter Seminar, 2010
• Pretrial Tactics and the Use of Experts, Montana Trial Lawyers Association Fall Seminar, 2011
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND MEMBERSHIPS
• Montana Trial Lawyers Association, 2000-Present, Board Member since 2012, President 2019-2020
• American Association for Justice, 2000 – Present, Montana State Delegate, 2017 – 2019, Member of Board of Governors, 2019-Present
• State Bar of Montana, 1999 – Present
• Cascade County Bar Association, 2000 – Present
• National Trial Lawyers, Member, 2011 – Present
• Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Lawyer Representative, 2017 – 2019
