MontanaLegal Services Association

FightingPoverty

AchievingJustice

ImprovingLives

Who We Are

Montana Legal Services Association is a private, non-profit law firm that provides free civil legalaid to low-income Montanans. With support from people like you, civil legal aid at Montana LegalServices Association assures fairness for all in the justice system, regardless of how much money aperson has.

What We Can Do Because of You

Your commitment to MLSA allows us to directly represent individual clients primarily in the areasof consumer, housing, domestic violence family law, and public benefits. For example, MLSA advocates help domestic violence survivors and their children live lives free of violence, help keepveterans from becoming homeless due to unfair enforcement of housing laws, and help preventdisabled Montanans from unfairly losingbenefits that pay for food and housing.

Your generosity allowed MLSA tohelp over 6,000 Montanans in 2013, including 2,759 children. Intake stafffielded an average of 465 service requestsper month. Your generosity provides access to legal help—including easy-to-understand forms and legal self-help, forpeople to protect their livelihoods, theirhealth, and their families.

CLIENT STORIES“Karen” took beatings over the course ofher entire relationship with “Rick.” His sev-eral convictions of partner family member as-sault did not slow his violence. After aparticularly brutal attack on Karen, he wasconvicted of a felony and served severalyears in prison. When Rick was sent to a pre-release center, he began calling Karen’sphone and leaving messages for her. Afraid,Karen applied for an order of protection pro-hibiting Rick from having contact with her orher children. The court would not enter anorder of protection for Karen’s children be-cause she had no parenting plan. Afraid andfrustrated, Karen needed help to quickly drafta parenting plan but she had no money topay for an attorney.

Karen called MLSA for help. An MLSA attorney drafted a petition and proposedparenting plan, and ultimately succeeded inhelping Karen obtain a parenting plan thatprotected her and her children from an extremely dangerous situation. Having a lifefree from fear will take some time. Mean-while Karen and her children have the fullsupport of our legal system.

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CLIENT STORIES“Taylor” is an 8-year-old with a severe formof epilepsy which places her at risk for braindamage and death. Unfortunately, the bestmedicine to treat Taylor’s symptoms is not labeled for her syndrome, so Medicaid wouldnot pay for the expensive medication. Taylor’sgrandfather dipped into his retirement fundsto pay for the medication, but these pay-ments were not sustainable for the family.

Taylor’s mom called up MLSA, and our attorney contacted experts all over thecountry to find evidence to support use ofthe medication for her syndrome. Taylor’streating physicians confirmed that Taylor’sseizures were greatly reduced in numberand severity since she began taking the off-label medication. Using the informationcompiled, Taylor’s MLSA attorney was ableto convince Medicaid that the denial of coverage should be reversed. Taylor’s familycan now afford her treatment and she hasbetter future ahead of her. Taylor and hermom brought their attorney a batch ofhomemade chocolate chip cookies in grati-tude—he says they were the best cookies hehad ever tasted.

The Need

MLSA generally represents people with incomes at or below125% of the federal poverty rate. Over 14% of Montananslive below the federal poverty level, trying to make endsmeet with $23,550 per year for a family of four.

Over 33,000 low income households in Montana haveat least one civil legal need. Over 75% identified a need forlegal assistance but reported being able to do nothing to ad-dress that need. Unattended legal matters can cause eventsdevastating to the family and costly to our community.

Unfortunately, the demand for civil legal aid in Montanafar outstrips the supply. MLSA had over10,984 requests for help in 2013 and pro-vided assistance in 2,622 cases. So forevery client MLSA takes, it must turn awaymany more.

If you believe in justice for all, thenyou believe in programs like civil legal aidat MLSA to ensure that the very principleour founding fathers envisioned remainsalive: justice for all, not just the few whocan afford it.

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Over 33,000 low income households inMontana had at leastone civil legal need.Yet more than 75% reported being unableto address that need.

Statewide Services

MLSA provides legal services in all 56 Montana counties, and on all Montana tribal reservations with13 attorneys and 35 total staff based in offices in Missoula, Billings, Helena, and the Crow reservation.

A Gift for Collaboration

We don’t try to do everything ourselves. Instead, we team up with other non-profits and governmentagencies to leverage our collective resources. For example, MLSA partners with the MontanaSupreme Court Help Program to offer legal kiosks across the state which have provided 45,000 instances of legal informationto people throughout Montana.

Broad Based Advocacy

Your support allows MLSA toutilize a systemic approach tohelp more than just one clientaccess justice (1) by selectingcases with issues which adversely impact many people;and (2) by offering programslike clinics that reach entiregroups of people.

CLIENT STORIES“Ernest” received a letter early in thewinter informing him that his monthly rentamount would double, effective the nextmonth. As a 74 year old disabled Veteranliving in federally subsidized low-incomehousing, the doubled rent would take upover 70% of Ernest’s social security income,leaving him very little for his other basic ne-cessities. Ernest knew he couldn’t affordthe doubled rent, and was afraid he wouldbe evicted and homeless in the middle ofMontana’s harsh winter.

Ernest contacted MLSA to ask for helpto keep a roof over his head. An MLSAattorney requested a reasonable accom-modation for Ernest at the housing authority. With MLSA’s help, Ernest nowpays an affordable rent of 30% of his income. Grateful for his attorney’s assis-tance, Ernest wrote a thank you: “TheCase settled in my favor and I don’t haveto worry about being homeless. I am a 74year old Veteran and I could not move ifhad wanted to. Your service was terrific.”

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Volunteers

Your donation to MLSA encourages private attorneys to volunteer services to help people in need andbuild stronger communities. In 2013, MLSA’s statewide pro bono coordination efforts resulted in over295 private attorneys taking on free or reduced fee clients, donating over 7,000 hours of legal work.

Fiscal Urgency

Support from the government funded Legal Serv-ices Corporation have been dwindling nearlyevery year. Due to 2010 Census changes, MLSA’s2014 federal funding has decreased by 14%. Pastfunding cuts resulted in layoffs, decreasing thenumber of cases closed from 4,771 cases in 2011to 2,622 cases in 2013. Your gift means more people have access to the justice system, and helpfor their day in court. Your gift today ensures fair-ness for all in the justice system. Your gift todaystrengthens the rule of law, creating a more secure society for us all.

Reliable Leadership

Most of our top staff have been on board for over a decade, showing a remarkable commitment todemanding work. Volunteer leadership comes from every level and walk of life, including communityBoard members representing our client population. Highly respected community members serveon our Board of Trustees, carefully managing your investment in MLSA.

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“There can be no equal justicewhere the kind of trial a man

gets depends on the amount of money he has.”—U.S. Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black, Griffin v. Illinois, 351 U.S. 12 (1956)

Montana Legal Services Association assists Montanans in need all across the state.

Number of people helped by county, 2003-2013:

CLIENT STORIES“Mary” arrived as a mail-order bride fromChina who had survived Mao Zedong’s cul-tural revolution by working in the fields. Shelater attended engineering school. Yearsafter settling in Montana, she was in the laststages of abdominal cancer. A survivor ofdomestic violence by her husband, who wasincarcerated for the violence he inflictedupon his family, Mary wanted to make sureshe transferred her portion of her home onlyto her daughter. She was adamant that herdaughter have enough resources to attendcollege. Mary wanted to write a will to giveher child a future away from the man whohad brutalized them, but she did not haveany money to pay an attorney.

The attorney who prosecuted Mary’shusband sent her to MLSA. An MLSA vol-unteer attorney drafted and executed herwill less than two weeks before she died.They transferred Mary’s portion of thehouse to her daughter, setting the strongmother’s mind at ease about her daugh-ter’s future. Our MLSA volunteer continuedadvising Mary’s family on how to close theestate. Mary’s daughter now attends col-lege with some financial assurance thanksto her mother’s humility and strength.

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Respect for the Individual

People who need civil legal help are not statistics. They are real people with very individual problems.Your gift to MLSA is a gift of compassion.

Who Benefits from Your Gift?

Our clients and their families come from all walksof life: survivors of domestic violence, veterans,seniors, people with disabilities, Native Americans,the working poor, and persons with mental illness.A fair justice system for all strengthens society’srule of law. This cornerstone supports things weall hold dear: security, safety, education, civic participation, improved public health, and overallimproved quality of life. A gift to MLSA is a gift tous all.

The time has come to meet the civil legal needs of Montanans living in poverty. Together, we can ensure justice for all.

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Total Number of PersonsHelped in 2013: ........................6,074

Disadvantaged Children:..........1,362

55 and Over:................................480

Domestic Violence Survivors:...1,311

Native Americans: .......................646

Veterans:......................................135

For more information contact:Montana Legal Services Associationdonor@mtlsa.orgwww.mtlsa.org406.442.9830 x138

MLSA has primary offices in Helena, Billings, and Missoula.

616 Helena Avenue, Suite 100Helena, MT 59601

2442 1st Avenue NorthBillings, MT 59101

211 North Higgins Avenue, Suite 401Missoula, MT 59802

All data collected for and reported inLegal Services Corporation Progress Reports by Montana Legal Services Association.

Because we receive a grant from the fed-erally funded Legal Services Corporation,we are required to notify you that all fundswe receive may not be used in any man-ner inconsistent with the Legal ServicesCorporation Act of 1974, as amended in1977 (42 U.S.C. §§ 2996 et. seq.), its im-plementing regulations (45 C.F.R. § 1600et seq.), and other relevant law.

Funded in part by Montana Justice Foundation and Legal Services Corporation

FightingPoverty

AchievingJustice

ImprovingLives