EQUAL JUSTICE
Montana’s Rural Incubator Project for Lawyers has been named one of nine Rural Innovation Sites as among the most innovative rural justice programs in the nation. (Stock photo)
Montana program chosen among best in US A national rural justice council has named a Montana program that trains and mentors attorneys to serve rural communities’ among the nation’s top rural justice programs. The Rural Justice Collaborative Advisory Council has selected Montana’s Rural Incubator Project for Lawyers as one of nine Rural Innovation Sites, which it says are the country’s most innovative rural justice programs and that will serve as models for other communities. The RJC initiative will provide resources to enable other communities to replicate these Innovation Sites’ successes. RIPL is a joint effort of Montana Legal Services Association, the University of Montana’s Alexander 12
MONTANALAWYER
Blewett III School of Law, the Montana Justice Foundation, the State Bar of Montana, and the Montana Supreme Court’s Access to Justice Commission. The 24-month program is designed to train and support attorneys as they develop and launch new solo and small firm law practices to serve rural Montana areas. According to MLSA, the program trained 10 new solo lawyers in its first two years. According to Alison Paul, executive director of MLSA, all of the program’s stakeholders deserve credit for its success. “We are thrilled that the RIPL program is being honored as an innovative program to increase access to justice in rural areas,” Paul said. “It has truly
made a difference in the lives of many low-income Montanans who previously did not have access to the advice of an attorney due to a lack of resources in this state.” Tara Kunkel, executive director of Rulo Strategies, which organized the RJC in partnership with the National Center for State Courts, said the RJC will be a big help for many communities in developing their own programs like RIPL. “Rural community leaders often don’t have the resources to develop programs from scratch but we know that many rural justice leaders, like those from RIPL, have found innovative solutions to their complex problems. Before this, there has been no nationally WWW.MONTANABAR.ORG
