Archive for the ‘montana law’ Category

Attorney Judy Wang remembered for tireless advocacy, dedication

Saturday, October 10th, 2009

By BETSY COHEN of the Missoulian

A compassionate mentor. A fierce advocate. A tireless community champion who dedicated her life to making our corner of the world safer, healthier and stronger.

Those are just some of the accolades used Sunday to describe Judy Wang, 57, a prosecutor in the Missoula city attorney’s office who died unexpectedly over the weekend when a driver who smelled of alcohol crashed into her car and caused it to roll on Interstate 90 near Anaconda.

Wang, said those who knew her well, viewed justice with a capital J, and she applied that perspective in her daily work as a tenacious attorney who helped create legislation to strengthen the laws that protect victims of domestic violence.

“Her death is such a shock to all of us,” said Cindy Weese, executive director of the YWCA. “She was our expert and our greatest advocate for policy around victims and domestic violence.

“Not only was she a mentor to me, but she had an incredible impact on everyone working in this field statewide – she was a teacher to us all.”

Wang’s sudden death leaves an immeasurable void on many levels.

Link

Word Press in Missoula Courtroom for Grace Trial

Monday, March 23rd, 2009

justicescales.jpgThe law school and the journalism school are helping report on the U.S. Attorney’s prosecution of W.R. Grace and five officials for criminal offenses.

I understand but have not personally confirmed that U.S. District Judge Molloy gave permission (rare) for reporters inside the courtroom to keep their cell phones and/or laptops turned on so twittering may occur.

Here’s one news story among many describing the revolutionary coverage of this federal trial:

http://www.newwest.net/city/article/um_journalists_cover_wr_grace_trial_in_real_time/C8/L8/

Here’s a link to the blog itself:

http://blog.umt.edu/gracecase/

Still no Creative Commons license for the content, but change comes slow. This is still an amazing use of Word Press.

Missoula Opens Courts

Wednesday, August 6th, 2008


More Help for Self-Represented (“Pro Se”) Litigants

scales22.jpegLast week, the Missoula Family Law Self-Help Center opened in Room 271 of the Misoula County Courthouse which is located at 200 West Broadway Street in downtown Missoula. Business hours at the center are limited to 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Mondays and noon to 4 p.m. on Wednesdays.

The center offers free legal forms and general information for divorce and parenting cases, including residential schedules, child support, medical support and property settlements. Legal advice is not offered, but manager Julie Skillicorn is present to make referrals and assist center visitors.

On August 3rd, 2008, Missoula County Judge Deschamps told the Missoulian that judicial staff attorney Charlotte Beatty, Missoula County Standing Master Brenda Desmond, YWCA of Missoula Director Cindy Weese and Program Director Kris Holmes, Missoula attorney Cynthia Thiel, a partner at Boone Karlberg, and the Montana State Bar Child and Family Law Section partnered with the Fourth Judicial District Judges to start the center. Funding was received from the Montana Supreme Court from a 2007 state legislative appropriation.

The center is expected to reduce congestion and increase efficiency at the Missoula County Courthouse by streamlining family law cases involving self-represented litigants.

Due to high demand, visitors may consider calling for an appointment at 258-3428 or emailing at missoulaselfhelp [ at ] gmail.com.

Read more in the Missoulian.

The MontanaLawHelp website is another tool for Montana DIY in the courts.

Virtual Location . . . Same Scales

Saturday, July 19th, 2008


Missoula Attorney Monte Jewell

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Monte Jewell, PC is a co-sponsor of this site and a Missoula attorney who practices law using free and open source software.