2023-2024 JFM members on a Montana State Capitol tour
Members of the AmeriCorps State Justice for Montanans Project serve with MLSA and other organizations to provide direct services to people seeking assistance with civil legal issues. Review our Positions page for details on our available positions!
Justice for Montanans (JFM) members empower low- to moderate-income Montanans to advocate for their legal rights and increase access to justice. Montana Legal Services Association partners with the Self-Help Program of the Montana Supreme Court Office of the Court Administrator, DCI’s Office of Child and Family Ombudsman, Legal Services Developer Aging Services, Montana Office of the State Public Defender, and Montana Innocence Project. The JFM AmeriCorps Project places 20 members directly in local Montana communities to help provide and expand intake and outreach, legal information, and referral services for Montana's low to moderate income residents seeking civil legal assistance.
For more information
Project Partners
MLSA is a federally and privately funded nonprofit organization that provides legal services to low-income people throughout Montana. For more information about MLSA, visit www.mtlsa.org.
The Montana Supreme Court Office of the Court Administrator assists self-represented litigants and other people in finding legal information, forms and other resources. For more information about the Self-Help Law Centers, visit https://courts.mt.gov/selfhelp.
The mission of OCFO is to work to prevent child abuse and neglect and increase safety, well-being and permanency for Montana's children through fair and just advocacy, education, outreach and investigation. For more information about the Children’s Justice Bureau and OCFO, visit https://dojmt.gov/enforcement/childrensjustice/
The Legal Services Developer Program (LSDP) offers a free legal advice hotline for Montana seniors over 60 and anyone with a disability regardless of age. Legal professionals provide expert advice on civil legal issues. Attorney referrals and resources are provided to callers who have legal issues that fall outside of the scope of the program. Older adults, those with a disability, and enrolled tribal members can also call the LSDP to request free assistance with drafting vital estate planning documents such as wills, powers of attorney, living wills, transfer on death deeds, and declarations of homestead. The Legal Services Developer Program provides elder law training and resources for seniors, family members, and social outreach workers. LSDP operates under the Aging Services Bureau within the Department of Public Health and Human Services at the state. For more information about the program, visit https://dphhs.mt.gov/sltc/aging/legalservicesdeveloper
The Office of State Public Defender provides effective assistance of counsel to indigent persons who by law are entitled to representation by an attorney for a variety of cases—not only those accused of crimes, but parents and children who are experiencing the child welfare system, elderly people losing autonomy over their affairs, and mentally ill people facing commitment. Public defenders have the same obligations toward the client and their case as do private attorneys.
Montana Innocence Project- Because liberty and justice are paramount to democratic society, it is the mission of the Montana Innocence Project to free the innocent and unjustly incarcerated, and advocate for systems of Justice that are accurate, accountable, and fair for all. MTIP was founded in 2008 and is based in the Alexander Blewett III School of Law at the University of Montana. MTIP achieves its mission through a combination of advocacy, pro bono legal representation, and education. To learn more, visit mtinnocenceproject.org.
Current AmeriCorps State Justice for Montanans Members
Helena
- Shr-Hua, Montana Legal Services Association
- Abby, Montana Legal Services Association
- Benjamin, Montana Legal Services Association
- Emily, Montana Legal Services Association
- William, Montana Legal Services Association
- Mia, Self-Help Law Center
- Jake, Self-Help Law Center
- Julia, Self-Help Law Center
- Alina, Self-Help Law Center
- Emma, Office of the Child and Family Ombudsman
- Liza, Legal Services Developer Program
- Joey, Office of the State Public Defender
- Ben, Team Leader, Montana Legal Services Association
Billings
- Kevin, Montana Legal Services Assocaition
Bozeman
- Brooks, Self-Help Law Center
Missoula
- Sinead, Montana Legal Services Association
- Waverly, Montana Innocence Project
- Clara, Office of the State Public Defender
- Luke, Office of the State Public Defender