Montana Bar Taps into VISTA Anti-poverty Program
Wednesday, July 28, 2004
- Organization: Bar Leader Journal
Most bar associtations draw a distinction between staff and volunteers, with the latter being members who perform various duties for the association. The State Bar of Montana has added a new meaning to the word volunteer.
The bar has been working with volunteers from VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America), a Johnson-era program designed to combat US poverty.
Before you rush out to find your nearest VISTA office, be aware that such volnteers can only work on programs directly related to reducing poverty, notes Christopher Monos the bar's executive director. For bar association, access to justice and equal justice issues need to be the central focus, he says.
The SBM got its first VISTA volunteer by teaming with the Montana Legal Services Association, which has employed a number of VISTA vounteers for projects related to providing legal services to the needy.
About two years ago, the SBM and the Montana court sytstem began a legal needs study, Manos says. Manos approached MLSA regarding how best to conduct the study. The Legal Services group suggested that the project might be appropriate for a VISTA volunteer.
The MLSA applied to the VISTA office and interviewed a number of candidates before choosing a volunteer to work on the study, says Alison Paul MLSA director.
The volunteer worked at the SBM headquarters. The bar also agreed to cover certain expenses not covered by VISTA, Manos says.
Around the same time, the SBM became involved in a project with MLSA and Pro Bono Net to create a Web site geared toward helping Montana citizens with legal infomation. A second VISTA volunteer was provided and worked a the MLSA offices.
VISTA volunteers work for a one-year period. When the volunteer working at the SBM headquarters finished the year, VISTA provided a replacement volunteer, who is still working at the bar.
Manos says the volunteers have been college graduates who plan to attend law school, and are greatly motivated to get some real world experience. "They've got a set, one-year, period of time and they want to get things done," he notes. "Those factors make it a nice fit."
Collaborations between VISTA and legal services projects are rare, MLSA's Paul says. Each state determines how its VISTA program will be run, and, she explains, "there are a lot of states where they don't feel it's a close enough connection to poverty".
The bar has been working with volunteers from VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America), a Johnson-era program designed to combat US poverty.
Before you rush out to find your nearest VISTA office, be aware that such volnteers can only work on programs directly related to reducing poverty, notes Christopher Monos the bar's executive director. For bar association, access to justice and equal justice issues need to be the central focus, he says.
The SBM got its first VISTA volunteer by teaming with the Montana Legal Services Association, which has employed a number of VISTA vounteers for projects related to providing legal services to the needy.
About two years ago, the SBM and the Montana court sytstem began a legal needs study, Manos says. Manos approached MLSA regarding how best to conduct the study. The Legal Services group suggested that the project might be appropriate for a VISTA volunteer.
The MLSA applied to the VISTA office and interviewed a number of candidates before choosing a volunteer to work on the study, says Alison Paul MLSA director.
The volunteer worked at the SBM headquarters. The bar also agreed to cover certain expenses not covered by VISTA, Manos says.
Around the same time, the SBM became involved in a project with MLSA and Pro Bono Net to create a Web site geared toward helping Montana citizens with legal infomation. A second VISTA volunteer was provided and worked a the MLSA offices.
VISTA volunteers work for a one-year period. When the volunteer working at the SBM headquarters finished the year, VISTA provided a replacement volunteer, who is still working at the bar.
Manos says the volunteers have been college graduates who plan to attend law school, and are greatly motivated to get some real world experience. "They've got a set, one-year, period of time and they want to get things done," he notes. "Those factors make it a nice fit."
Collaborations between VISTA and legal services projects are rare, MLSA's Paul says. Each state determines how its VISTA program will be run, and, she explains, "there are a lot of states where they don't feel it's a close enough connection to poverty".
