When Danielle Vazquez’s auntie texted in a group chat about a new program that would make legal services more accessible to tribal members, Vazquez jumped on the opportunity. Vazquez, Chippewa Cree, knew the tribal court on the Rocky Boy Reservation — like tribal courts statewide — was overworked, understaffed and lacked resources.
For their next act in life, retired attorneys in Montana are providing free legal advice on civil matters over the phone. The Second Act Justice Project from the Montana Legal Services Association recruits emeritus volunteers – that is, lawyers who are retired but have active attorney status – so they can provide pro bono advice …
The State of Montana is a vast swath of land with only 1.1 million people spread across 56 counties and seven reservation-based communities. The challenges facing Montana are endemic to many rural and reservation-based communities and create unique roadblocks for connecting people in need with legal service providers. (click to read more)
MLSA’s Emily McLean, Brittney Mada, and Bill Hooks published a Special Feature in the Management Information Exchange (MIE) Journal. Their work is titled “The Montana Eviction Intervention Project: Legal Relief for Montana Tenants in the Wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic.” The article outlines how MLSA partnered with the Montana Department of Commerce to begin the …
Current and former MLSA staff members were honored at the annual Montana State Bar meeting in Helena on September 22 for their contributions to the legal and justice communities.Tribal Law Attorney Kathryn Seaton was awarded the Frank I. Haswell Award for best contribution to the Montana Lawyer for her series of articles on Indian Law, …
Some Missoula residents are rallying against what they call unfair evictions and this month dozens have gathered to protest some of the evictions.
A new website is helping Montanans answer tricky legal questions about debt. The Montana Legal Services Association has launched MontanaDebtOptions.org to offer resources for those dealing with consumer debt.
Montanans across the state are facing a housing crisis. Prices both to rent and buy a place to live have skyrocketed, leaving vacancy rates extremely low in cities big and small.
How a $3.4 million federal grant is helping Montana chip away at youth homelessness. “Making sure that every kid has a safe, happy, healthy place to be raised? Yeah. We’re not quite there,” Nichole Heyer, a youth homelessness navigator at Montana Legal Services Association.
A federal grant is helping Montana tackle homelessness among the state’s young people. The Treasure State was chosen as a rural recipient of a $3.4 million grant from the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Project, created by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Nichole Heyer is navigator of the project for Montana Legal Services Association. …
