Our Mission
is to protect and enhance the civil legal rights of, and promote systemic change for, Montanans living in poverty.
Awards
- MLSA Executive Director, Alison Paul, was awarded the 2024 Pierce-Hickerson Award at the National Legal Aid and Defender Association's Annual Conference in Atlanta. Created over two decades ago to celebrate civil legal aid advocates Julian Pierce and Robert Hickerson, the Pierce-Hickerson award honors outstanding contributions to the advancement and preservation of Native American rights.
- MLSA Executive Director Alison Paul recognized by the American Bar Association with the James I. Keane Award for her innovative work using technology to improve the delivery of civil legal services in Montana.
- Former MLSA Executive Director Klaus Sitte awarded the Neil Haight Pro Bono Award from the Montana State Bar for his lifelong commitment to pro bono work, both during his time with MLSA and in the years after.
- MLSA staff attorney Kathryn Seaton awarded the Frank I. Haswell Award from the Montana State Bar for best contribution to the Montana Lawyer for her series of articles on Indian Law, written in the form of Q&A’s with tribal practitioners and judges.
- MLSA staff attorney Kallie Dale-Ramos named to the Helena Independent Record "20 Under 40" class of 2022 for her work with MLSA establishing the Montana Health Justice Partnership and for her work with the Indian Law Resource Center.
For over fifty years, the Montana Legal Services Association has helped ensure fairness for all in Montana’s justice system by providing civil, non-criminal legal services to low income Montanans living in all 56 Montana counties and on all Tribal Reservations.
As a private, non-profit law firm, MLSA provides non-criminal legal information, advice, and representation to thousands of Montanans each year. MLSA’s services help fight scams on seniors, assist veterans who have been denied their earned benefits, help people escape abusive relationships, and represent families living in unsafe housing conditions.
“Equal Justice for All” is our shared ideal. Every year, millions walk under these words, engraved into the United States Supreme Court building. Every day, millions of schoolchildren pledge their allegiance to a republic “with liberty and justice for all.” And on countless TV shows, you hear the words, “If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you.”
Unfortunately, there is no right to an attorney for people facing non-criminal legal problems. For many people, especially those with limited incomes, the high cost of legal assistance can prevent them from obtaining even the most basic access to our court systems.
That’s why MLSA works to provide civil legal aid to low income individuals living throughout Montana – to ensure that equal justice for all is a reality for all Montanans, and not just for those who can afford it.
Our Approach
We utilize a systemic approach to help more than just one client access justice at a time.
MLSA relies on the support of a network of community organizations, service providers, government agencies, foundations, courts, universities, and tribes to provide civil legal services across the entire state of Montana.
Thanks to their support, MLSA has been able to develop exciting and innovative ways to increase access to justice for all Montanans, regardless of income or geographic location.
- Selecting cases focused on issues adversely impacting many people, such as enforcing rights for crime victims.
- Offering programs that reach entire groups of people, such as our self-help website MontanaLawHelp.org and automated legal forms.
- Fostering collaborations with other non-profits and government agencies to exponentially expand impact on all Montanans.
MLSA Financial Information
Want to learn more about how MLSA uses its resources? Please email us at [email protected] and someone will get back to you as soon as possible.