About Aaron
Aaron Neilson studied political science and communication studies at the University of Montana-Missoula, earning a B.S. in 2006. He went on to law school at the University of Montana School of Law and received his J.D. in 2010. Those years on campus set the stage for a practice that moves between corporate settings and private firm work.
He began his legal career in 2010 at Hanson Baker Ludlow Drumheller P.S., joining a small firm environment at the outset. Three years later he joined Zeno Bakalian P.S., where he expanded his hands-on experience in day-to-day client representation. By 2015 he was part of Christian, Samson & Jones, PLLC, and within two years he moved into an in-house role as vice president and general counsel at Blackfoot Communications, Inc. That corporate post placed him inside the business side of legal work, dealing with contracts, compliance and operational legal issues.
In 2018 he returned to private practice as a partner at Christian, Samson & Baskett, PLLC. The partner role involved both client work and firm responsibilities. In 2021 he became managing partner at Neilson, Swanson, Dietrich, Smith, PLLC. That position combines casework with management duties and oversight of firm operations.
Neilson holds active membership in both the State Bar of Montana and the Washington State Bar Association. He is licensed to practice in Montana and Washington. Across his roles, he has worked on corporate and commercial matters, handled transactional work and addressed regulatory questions that arise in the communications sector. His time as in-house counsel gave him direct exposure to negotiating vendor agreements and advising on compliance obligations.
Colleagues describe him as someone who moves comfortably between the demands of corporate clients and the practical needs of smaller firms. He has taken on leadership tasks at the firms where he has worked, balancing administration with client-facing responsibilities. He has also handled routine litigation and transactional matters for businesses of varying sizes.
He currently practices at Neilson, Swanson, Dietrich, Smith, PLLC, focusing on business and corporate law, regulatory issues in communications, and the management of law firm operations.
