The Montana Office of the Court Administrator (OCA), Montana Legal Services Association (MLSA), Montana State Bar, and the Montana State Supreme Court Access to Justice Commission have collectively undertaken a Community Justice Worker (CJW) Project to address the legal needs of rural Montanans seeking access to competent legal advocacy throughout the state.
This project is part of a national movement to democratize the judicial system through the training of lay legal advocates who are authorized to perform limited scope legal representation and advice in select civil matters. The CJW Project in Montana focuses on housing, orders of protection and consumer matters within the Courts of Limited Jurisdiction. Across the Big Sky State, the Courts of Limited Jurisdiction weave throughout small towns with populations of less than 5,000 as well as metropolitan areas containing over 150,000 residents. Big or small alike, a persistent issue facing all Montanans, is equal access to justice. While the Courts of Limited Jurisdiction help to offer justice in rural Montana, access to representation is sparse and well beyond the financial resources of Montana’s low-income residents.
To allow for such advocacy through amending the current Montana rules, a working group was convened by the Montana Supreme Court including representative members of the allied organizations. This group worked together over a 45-day period to collaboratively flush out the proposed rule change and anticipated framework of the project. The state’s sole civil legal aid provider, MLSA, will house and build the program with the support, resources, and input from all of the partners. Funded by the State Justice Institute, Montana will build a program that is culturally responsive to the rich individual character of Montana communities and expands justice through lay advocacy.
September 1, 2026
As courts increasingly rely on data to improve services and guide decision-making, the need for a data-literate workforce has never been greater. With support from the State Justice Institute, the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) developed Data Literacy for Courts, a first-of-its-kind curriculum designed specifically for court professionals. The course equips the court workforce …
August 1, 2026
With support from the State Justice Institute, the Justice Management Institute (JMI) and Kalamuna are expanding the online case resolution (OCR) initiative to traffic and misdemeanor courts across the United States. OCR is a software platform that enables courts and justice system stakeholders and defendants to conduct traffic and misdemeanor cases online using a free, open-source GNU …
July 1, 2026
With support from the State Justice Institute, the District of Columbia Courts partnered with Youtopian to create a 360 interactive experience of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. This tool is designed to pull back the curtain on one of the most important—but often least understood—institutions in the justice system. By blending immersive technology with clear, accessible …
June 1, 2026
With support from the State Justice Institute, the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute is partnering with Fort Bend County and Brazoria County in Texas to advance The First 48 Initiative: Developing a Blueprint for Person-Centered and Care-Focused Adjudication. This initiative focuses on connecting people to community-based care early, thereby reducing unnecessary incarceration for people with behavioral health (BH) needs. First 48 centers on the critical window of the first 48 …
May 1, 2026
IAALS, the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System at the University of Denver, with support from the State Justice Institute, in partnership with the Berkeley Judicial Institute, convened Advancing Innovation: A National Summit on Judicial Leadership and developed a complementary national webinar series—together equipping judicial leaders with the knowledge, skills, and collaborative …
April 1, 2026
The Document Assembly Line, created by the Legal Innovation and Technology Lab (LIT Lab) at Suffolk University Law School, helps individuals build open-source access-to-justice tools and resources for court forms, online guided interviews, and e-filing. It provides affordable Docassemble hosting and e-filing tools for courts and legal aid organizations. The LIT Lab has also created …