| Name
of court in which program operates: |
Montana
Supreme Court |
| Name
of agency that operates program if different from above: |
Commission
on Self-Represented Litigants |
| Name
of program itself: |
Commission
on Self-Represented Litigants |
| Address
of program line 1 - Main location: |
PO
Box 203004 |
| City: |
Helena |
| State: |
MT |
| Zip: |
59620 |
| Phone
for the public: |
(406)
444-3660 |
| Fax
for the public: |
(406)
444-3603 |
| The
self-represented litigant program serves: |
State |
| Geographic
area served by this program: |
State
of Montana |
| Substantive
areas served by the center include: |
Family |
|
Guardianship |
|
General
Civil |
|
Other |
| Program
started: |
June,
2005 |
| Is
this court willing to host visits from other courts interested in
learning about this approach? |
Yes |
| The
program has: |
A
volunteer program |
|
Written
guidelines for court staff for provision of assistance |
| The
following services are offered for the following substantive areas: |
In-person
workshops - Other |
|
Remote
appearance video workshops - Other |
| Program
provides training regarding working with self-represented litigants
for: |
Judges,
Attorneys, Program Volunteers, Lay volunteers in the court |
| Does
this program have a high-level, broadly based commission or task
force, sponsored by or including a justice or designee of the
highest court in the jurisdiction, to address issues regarding
self-represented litigants? |
Statewide |
| Other
relevant description or information: |
The
commission has developed and approved divorce & parenting plan
forms to be used by SRLs. It is now supporting Montana Legal
Services in converting forms into interactive format, and is
supporting the development of forms for guardianships, name changes,
emancipation, and several other areas. Members of the Commission are
traveling around the state to administer training to the clerks of
the courts of limited jurisdiction and clerks of courts (and their
full office staffs) on the difference between legal information and
legal advice. They are provided a detailed manual and a laminated
quick reference sheet of Can/Cannot to post on their counters. One
major goal of the commission is to promote better customer service in
the name of increasing public trust and confidence in the court
system. The agency is further active in encouraging judges to give
pro se litigants more information from the bench, and is actively
supporting changes in the Judicial Canons that will encourage and
support this initiative.
Anticipated projects include the development of a model
curriculum on court process to be used by volunteer/pro bono
attorneys who are willing to teach self-help classes. The organization is in the process of applying for funding
that would support the creation of a position for a full-time, paid
coordinator. |