Jason reached out to MLSA for help after he decided he wanted to end his abusive marriage. He found filing the paperwork to end his marriage on his own to be an overwhelming task, so MLSA assigned his case to a volunteer attorney, who also works as an MLSA staff attorney. The attorney helped guide …
Court Fees Often Serve as Barrier to Accessing Justice
When a Montana couple were facing eviction, they nearly became homeless for one reason: they couldn't afford to pay $60 in court fees that would allow them to respond to their eviction notice in court. They tried to file for a fee waiver based on their lack of income, but when the judge denied their …
Jerry Metcalf Foundation Helps Fund Medical-Legal Partnership
The Montana Legal Services Association (MLSA) recently received a grant from the Jerry Metcalf Foundation in support of a staff attorney who provides services free of charge to Montanans living in poverty with health-harming civil legal needs whose solutions lay outside the boundaries of medicine and in the justice forums. These patient/clients are referred through …
Yellowstone Club Community Foundation supports MLSA’s Survivor’s Legal Project
The Montana Legal Services Association (MLSA) recently received a grant from the Yellowstone Club Community Foundation to help fund its Survivor’s Legal Project, which partners with Bozeman’s HAVEN domestic violence shelter, and targets the unmet civil legal needs of survivors of domestic violence in the Greater Big Sky / Bozeman communities. The Survivors Legal …
The Treacy Foundation and NorthWestern Energy Help Support to MLSA
Thanks to the generosity of the Treacy Foundation, along with financial assistance from the NorthWestern Energy Charitable Giving Program, MLSA was recently able to purchase a car to be used by attorneys like Kallie Dale-Ramos, pictured right, on circuit rides throughout the state. Circuit rides to rural areas of Montana are an essential part of …
MLSA to Hold Community Conversations on Access to Justice
In honor of MLSA's 50th Anniversary of providing civil legal services to Montana’s most vulnerable citizens, MLSA is holding a series of community conversations on civil legal aid and access to justice. Titled “Justice for Some? A Conversation on Securing Equal Justice for All,” these conversations are chance for everyone to learn more about what …
Access to Justice Commission to Examine Civil Legal Needs/Civil Legal Aid in Billings March 16
MLSA and other providers of civil legal aid, community services, and judicial and political leaders will meet Wednesday, March 16, 2016, in Billings, to discuss civil access to justice in the Billings area and in Montana. The forum is part of a statewide series happening in 2015 and 2016. The public is invited and welcome to sign up to provide …
Do you know about MLSA’s Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic?
The LITC helps low-income taxpayers in Montana with federal tax problems. The LITC will be busy during tax season. Check out the list of events below where the LITC will provide information about its services and/or provide help with federal tax problems. Need tax filing help? The LITC does not help prepare taxes for filing …
MLK Jr. Day: A day of service
Across the US, many are making Martin Luther King Jr. Day a day on, not off . . . volunteering in their communities and honoring Dr. King's legacy through service. MLSA staff and Americorps members are pleased to be joining them Are you interested in a day of service to your community? Learn more about …
MLSA Seeks Developer for Interactive Family Law Forms
Montana Legal Services Association is seeking a HotDocs and A2J developer to automate a series of interactive family law forms for MLSA and our partner the Montana Access to Justice Commission / Self-Represented Litigants Committee. Interactive forms allow users to answer questions in an online interview. The computer uses the answers to fill in the …