Videoconferencing Project

Montana Legal Services Association - 020040

Abstract Number: 020040

July 2002

Montana Legal Services Association (MLSA) has partnered with the Montana Supreme Court's Court Assessment Program, the Montana Juvenile Probation Officer's Association, and the 16th Judicial District to develop a videoconferencing project. This trial project allows low-income residents of remote parts of Montana to receive advice and legal services through a videoconferencing system. The system links an attorney in the MLSA Missoula office in Western Montana with the Court in Eastern Montana's Custer County. This project, partially funded through an LSC TIG grant, allows an MLSA attorney and paralegal to interview and conduct intake via videoconference and to then provide legal advice and representation to clients who are hundreds of miles away.

Currently, MLSA videoconferencing services are limited to Custer County, and the Courthouse located in Miles City. However, the Court Assessment Program is currently expanding videoconference links to other remote areas of the state. MLSA plans to be a part of that expansion to better serve other rural communities.

Clients initiate contact with this program by applying for legal services through a paralegal in Miles City. Once the attorney assigned to this project accepts their case, an initial interview is conducted via videoconferencing. To ensure clients are aware of how legal services will be provided, clients sign a disclosure agreement agreeing to videoconference representation. A local Court rule has been promulgated to accommodate the project. The Miles City Courthouse currently has four video connections allowing for private interviews and discussions with clients behind closed doors as well as connections to the courtrooms that enable videoconference representation on behalf of clients during hearings and trials. To accommodate this flexibility of use, all of the videoconference equipment is portable. As a result of this videoconferencing project, MLSA expanded service delivery to a sparsely populated portion of the state where, previously, no MLSA staff was located and services were limited.

Contact Information:

Alison Paul
Montana Legal Services Association
304 North Higgins Ave.
Missoula, Montana 59802
Phone: (406) 442-9830
Email

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