A large percentage of the clients that seek services from MLSA each year have some sort of consumer related issue. Of our clients with consumer issues, many of them are asking for assistance with filing for bankruptcy. What we experience at MLSA is similar to what Rural Dynamics Inc reported in their recent

Continue reading Bankruptcy in Montana: Increasing Demand Necessitates Innovation in Services

By Klaus Sitte, MLSA Litigation Director

John and Mary are "closely approaching advanced age," in Social Security parlance, age 64 and 63 respectively.  Because of a serious heart condition, John is disabled and receives Social Security Disability benefits of $1280 per month.  Mary retired at age 62 because of John's failing health.  Mary gets

Continue reading Don’t touch my check! New rule protects seniors, veterans, and the disabled from creditors.

By Jolene Bach, Rural Dynamics Inc.

Last week, Montana Legal Services highlighted that the vast majority of consumers who file for bankruptcy do so as a direct result of medical debt and that three-quarters of those filers had private health insurance.  Either these consumers were underinsured; were sick for an extended time period and

Continue reading The Root of Bankruptcy in Montana

1.5 million people in the United States filed for bankruptcy in 2010, an increase of 13.8% from 2009. Would you have guessed that 42% of all personal bankruptcies were a result of medical expenses and that 78% of the individuals who filed had health insurance?  A Visual Tour of the Leading Causes of

Continue reading Dispelling the Myths Surrounding Bankruptcy: Many Montanans Truly Have Nothing Left to Give.