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Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Legal Help on the Way for Montanans Who Can't Afford a Lawyer

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Wednesday, May 16, 2007   

A new system to help Montanans file civil cases without a lawyer is on the way. The Legislature has approved investing in a "Self-Help Law" program for the state, where folks can get information and forms to file cases without an attorney. Jennifer Hill-Hart with the Montana Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence says it will help even the courtroom playing field, where usually only those with money can file for justice.

“It helps domestic and sexual violence victims understand how to do a dissolution of marriage, or landlord-tenant issues, where they should have access to justice.”

The state Supreme Court will oversee the system, which will include Web sites and legal information kiosks. The price tag is about $250,000 a year, which is less than what other states spend on similar systems.

Hill-Hart notes that the civil justice system has traditionally been out-of-reach for Montanans with low incomes.

“It can be really empowering, especially for domestic violence victims, to take control of their life again and know that they can represent themselves.”

The Self-Help Law system was funded Tuesday



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