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State Bar puts out guide to the legal system for 18-year-olds
Posted on Dec. 31
By GREG TUTTLE of the Billings Gazette

BILLINGS - Montana lawyers want young people to know a few things about becoming an adult.

For instance, what happens if you’re arrested? How do you get married or divorced? How do you vote, and what are the state’s laws regarding drunken driving, drugs and guns?

The answers n at least from a legal perspective n are being offered through a State Bar of Montana publication titled “The Montana Student’s Guide to Turning 18: Answering teens’ questions about becoming an adult.”

Intended for distribution at schools and available for free on the Internet, the guide is a first-of-its-kind effort aimed at educating young Montanans about the laws they must live by, said Charles Wood, communications director for the statewide lawyer group.

The bar association also hopes the effort will help young people develop an understanding about lawyers and the courts, Wood said.

“People in the legal system have become real concerned about how citizens view the legal system and lawyers themselves,” he said.

The idea for the legal guide for young adults surfaced in Missoula among lawyers developing the annual Law Day presentation at area high schools, Wood said. The lawyers decided to speak to students about legal issues they might face when they reach 18.

About two years ago, the Montana bar started its own public information effort through a program called The Law-Related Education Center. It was there that the guide became formalized in a publication, Wood said.

With 21 chapters on topics ranging from voting to how to file a lawsuit, the guide is intended to help young adults with basic information about the legal system and their rights under the law, said Wood.

Two thousand copies of the 22-page guide were printed earlier this year, Wood said. About half have been sent at no charge to teachers who have requested the material. A second printing with expanded chapters on legal issues is planned later, Wood said.

The guide is also available free from the state bar Web site, www.montanabar.org.

The chapters were written by Montana lawyers and judges who volunteered their time. Wood said a Billings attorney recently suggested that the second edition should include additional chapters on such topics as retirement savings, Internet gambling and “Big Trouble with Little Mischief.”
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Kathy Stewart wrote on Dec 31, 2008 2:29 PM:

" Although I commend this guide, it is unfortunate it came out a bit too late to help my son who back in August of 2007 had just turned 18 & was convicted of deliberate homicide. He had no idea who to turn to nor did I. So after pleading with every criminal lawyer in Missoula for help as I did not have the financial means to hire anyone, found no help whatsoever, so had to rely on what legal means was available which was not much. So after learning a hard lesson in Missoula's judicial system being something I considered a joke along with gambling establishments who serve underaged kids without having to take any responsibility when their actions contribute to the ruin of several lives; it would have been a prayer answered to have something like this guide to turn to. But as with everything else about Montana's judicial system, too little & too late. Do I sound bitter--you bet I am! "

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