MT launches $1 million family mediation program

The state of Montana has allocated nearly $1 million to help settle domestic cases before they ever get to court. The Montana Family Transition Project is for couples who are separating and have children. The program offers mediation, a formula for calculating child support, and legal advice for parents who need a parenting plan as …

Congratulations to Dimitrios Tsolakidis, recipient of the 2023 ServeMontana AmeriCorps Alum Award!

Huge shout out to Dimitrios Tsolakidis, recipient of the 2023 ServeMontana AmeriCorps Alum Award. Dimitrios, from Helena, volunteers with the Montana Legal Services Association’s Pro Bono Program, helping low and moderate income Montanans get legal assistance. He served as a Justice for Montanans AmeriCorps member in the 2016-17 cohort with MLSA’s Missoula office, supporting our …

Montana legal program helps address social determinants of health

In 2020, Providence Montana and Montana Legal Services Association partnered to form the state’s first hospital-based medical-legal partnership. Providence St. Patrick Hospital and Providence St. Joseph Medical Center caregivers in Missoula and Polson who work with patients to improve social determinants of health, such as housing and food access, can now connect patients to legal …

What Montana’s mass Medicaid reviews mean for you (Montana Free Press)

For the first time in three years, since the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, federal health officials are allowing Montana and other states to reevaluate residents’ Medicaid eligibility and remove ineligible people from the public health insurance program. The process — which began in April and is slated to end in January 2024 — is …

Program ‘Incubates’ New Lawyers and Rural Montanans (Public News Service)

The Montana Legal Services Association has started a program to help young attorneys get started on a path to success – becoming community leaders, run socially conscious law firms, and maintain sustainable businesses. The Rural Incubator Program for Lawyers creates a way for new attorneys to start their careers by helping connect them to rural …

New course makes legal help more accessible to tribal members (Missoulian)

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.

Retired MT Attorneys Provide Pro Bono Legal Advice (Public News Service)

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 …