Help station at Havre-Hill County Library

Press release

Montana Legal Services Association, in partnership with the Justice for Montanans AmeriCorps Project and the Court Help Program, has announced a new service to make free legal help available to residents of Havre.

Thanks to funding from the Legal Services Corporation the Court Help Program has deployed 11 “Court Help Connect” workstations throughout Montana, including in Havre at the Havre-Hill County Library.

The Court Help Connect workstations include a laptop, printer, headset and videoconferencing software to allow someone in Havre to video chat with a Justice for Montanans AmeriCorps Member located at the State Law Library who can answer basic questions about civil court forms and procedures.

Prior to this project, residents of Havre had to schedule an appointment during the Court Help Program’s travel circuit or conduct an appointment over the phone which doesn’t allow people representing themselves to show their legal documents to the person helping them. Court Help Connect allows residents of Havre to get timely legal assistance with their civil court documents, without needing to spend time and money traveling to a large city.

The Court Help Program assists with common, yet high-stakes legal cases that impact people’s safety, housing, family stability, and economic security. In its 2017 Justice Gap Report, LSC estimated that 75 percent of rural households had at least one civil legal problem in the past year. Unfortunately, there are few legal resources available to assist with these types of cases, especially in rural Montana. The Court Help Program and Justice for Montanans AmeriCorps Project help fill this gap by providing free legal assistance with questions about court forms and procedures. Court forms are the entry point to accessing America’s civil justice, however, they can also stand as a barrier since they are unfamiliar to most people. The new Court Help Connect workstations expand the availability of this free service to residents of Havre.

Residents of Havre needing assistance with a civil legal matter can schedule a free Court Help Connect appointment at the Havre-Hill County Library by calling the State Law Library during regular business hours at 406-444-9300. There are no income limits, however, you must have a civil, non-criminal legal matter. The most common legal problems Court Help Connect assists with are family law, housing and consumer debts.

The Court Help Program, an initiative of the Montana Supreme Court, provides free civil — non-criminal — legal help to Montanans representing themselves in court. The goal of the Court Help Program is to provide information people need to understand their legal rights and responsibilities and to help Montanans resolve their legal problems on their own.

Montana Legal Services Association is a non-profit statewide law firm that empowers low-income people by providing legal information, advice, and other services free of charge. Civil legal aid from MLSA assures fairness for all in the justice system, regardless of one’s income or zip code, and helps Montanans protect their livelihoods, their health, and their families.