Kathryn Van Horn (Seaton) has over eight years of experience practicing in tribal courts in Montana. She is licensed in all seven tribal courts located in Montana. She has drafted over 200 AIPRA-compliant Indian Wills, has litigated probate matters, family law cases, quiet title action, car repossessions, and federal Indian Law issues up to the United States Supreme Court level.

Kathryn is originally from Missouri, but moved to Montana in 2012 to serve as an AmeriCorps for the state’s Justice for Montanan’s program in the Great Falls Self Help Law Center. As all great love stories start, she met her husband at a concert in Great Falls and has been Montana-based ever since. In her spare time, Kathryn enjoys spending time outdoors with her family, watching basketball, and furthering her sewing and embroidery skills.

Bar Admissions:

Montana, Blackfeet Tribal Court, Chippewa Cree Tribal Court, Crow Tribal Court, CSKT Tribal Court, Fort Belknap Tribal Court, Fort Peck Tribal Court, Northern Cheyenne Tribal Court

Education:

2016 - J.D., University of Iowa College of Law

2012 - B.A., Truman State University, Sociology

Awards & Honors:

Graduated Order of the Coif, University of Iowa College of Law, 2016

Frank I. Haswell Award (Best Contribution to the Montana Lawyer), 2022

Publications:

Kathryn Seaton, Taking a Closer Look at Just Compensation, State Regulation of Groundwater Withdrawals as an Appropriate Use of their Police Powers, 41 J. Corp. L. 1010 (2016).

Kathryn Seaton, Tribal Courts Fill Access to Justice Needs, Offer Practice Opportunity for Lawyers, Mont. Law., May 2021, at 9.

Kathryn Seaton, Tribal Sovereign Immunity: What is it, and What are its Limitations?, Mont. Law., June 2021, at 14.

Kathryn Seaton, Fort Belknap Chief Prosecutor Discusses Tribal Criminal Jurisdiction’s Complex Nature, Mont. Law, December 2021, at 11.

 Notable Cases:

 Big Horn County Elec. Coop., Inc. v. Big Man, 526 F.Supp.3d 756 (D.Mont. 2021), aff’d 2022 WL 738623 (9th Cir. 2022), cert. denied 143 S.Ct. 525, 2022 WL 17573474 (2022)