Montana Lawyer October/November 2025

Ask Karla: Pro Bono Made Easy SUBMITTED BY HANNAH S. CAIL (Senior Tax Counsel for the Montana Department of Revenue and Member of the State Bar’s Justice Initiative Committee) and Linden Howard-Murphy (MLSA’s Legal Education Project Manager). PRO BONO CHRONICLES With Montana's civil legal needs outpacing available resources, AskKarla offers attorneys a flexible way to provide meaningful pro bono assistance without the daunting commitment of traditional full-scope pro bono representation.

The platform’s flexibility extends to the drafting process as well. Draft answers can be saved, so an attorney can start over lunch and finish after that unexpected client call. The typical time commitment could span from 30 minutes for an attorney well-versed in that area of law, to a couple hours to catch up on case law on for those issues you haven’t seen in a while. Answers are delivered to the client through the platform without disclosing the attorney’s identity, so attorneys remain anonymous and can avoid unexpected commitments to follow up questions. Why It Matters in Montana. AskKarla makes legal help accessible statewide, especially in rural areas where community members face barriers to legal services. The platform averaged 65 posted questions per month in the first half of 2025. Typical posted questions include landlord-tenant issues, debt collec tion, family law, and estate planning . Here are few examples: • “I moved to Montana while undergoing chemo therapy. I am now in remission and rebuilding life. A credit union back in California is threatening to garnish my wages. What are my options moving forward so that I may have an informed conversation with them?” • “My landlord is threatening with a rent hike because I am asking him to do the repairs that need done. I live on a res ervation so not sure what my rights are. Can you please help?” • “My spouse and I bought a house when we were dating. We are married now but my name is not on the loan because the interest rate was lower under only his name. Do I have any rights to the house if we divorce?” These are simple questions that have a profound impact for those asking them and would not require more than a lunch hour for an attorney to write up a response. Providing your pro bono hours through AskKarla narrows that gap without

How is it already November? Between client meetings, drafting briefs, and sorting through discovery until your eyes cross, carving out time for a full-scope pro bono case can feel daunting. One-hour advice clinics seem attainable—but yet again you have a calendar conflict. You know Montana’s civil legal gap is real, and you’re aware of your professional re sponsibility under Rule 6.1 to provide 50+ hours of pro bono service annually. But maintaining any semblance of work-life balance often makes that goal seem impossible. That’s where AskKarla comes in. What is Ask Karla? AskKarla is a secure online legal advice platform built by Montana Legal Services Association (MLSA) with a Technology Initiative Grant from Legal Services Corporation to make pro bono service more accessible for attorneys and those in need of legal assistance. Named in honor of Chief Justice Karla Gray, who championed Montana’s commitment to access to justice, AskKarla allows attorneys to anonymously provide limited-scope answers to civil legal ques tions from low-income Montanans. The platform was built with flexibility in mind. Attorneys choose which questions to answer based on expertise and availability, and best of all, any one can volunteer from anywhere with an internet connection. Designed for busy attorneys, AskKarla’s interface is simple and effective, with a process that provides built-in safeguards to make volunteering straightforward and secure. MLSA screens all clients for eligibility, making sure pro bono work assists those who truly qualify. All advice is covered by MLSA’s malpractice insurance for added peace of mind. Attorneys choose when to log on, which can be any time that fits in their schedule. The platform provides basic information about a potential client to complete conflicts checks. Then attorneys choose which question to answer, with no obligation to take on additional questions.

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