The State Bar of Montana is the integrated (

mandatory Mandate most often refers to: * League of Nations mandates, quasi-colonial territories established under Article 22 of the Covenant of the League of Nations, 28 June 1919 * Mandate (politics) In representative democracies, a mandate (or seat) ...

)

bar association A bar association is a professional association of lawyers as generally organized in countries following the Anglo-American types of jurisprudence. The word bar is derived from the old English/European custom of using a physical railing to separ ...

of the

US state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

Mission

The association helps to: *maintain and improve the administration of justice *encourage attorneys to maintain high standards of integrity, learning, competence, public service, and conduct *safeguard a forum for the practice of law, the science of jurisprudence and law reform, and bar/public relations *provide for continuing legal education of members of the bar, *ensure that the legal profession's responsibilities to the public are more effectively discharged.

History

In 1974, the State Bar of Montana was created by order of the Montana Supreme Court. Marshall H. Murray was the first president. The predecessor to the State Bar of Montana was a voluntary organization, the Montana Bar Association, which was founded in 1885.

Structure

SBM is governed by a Board of Trustees, consisting of 16 members plus four officers, as elected by the membership. The Board hires an Executive Director to supervise the staff. The Bar enforces the rule that Montana lawyers complete 15 credits each year. Major MSB activities include: * Lawyers Fund for Client Protection, which makes restitution in cases where an attorney has improperly appropriated client funds. * Lawyer Referral Service, which helps the public find a lawyer * Fee Arbitration Program to settle fee disputes between an attorney and a client * Financial support for legal services to the poor through the Montana Justice Foundation * Practice-oriented sections addressing specialty interests * ''Montana Lawyer'', a monthly magazine.

References

Government of Montana 1974 establishments in Montana Organizations established in 1974 {{Montana-stub