Q&A with Deborah Anspach

Deborah Anspach, Esq.

Title:  Managing Attorney, Montana Family Advocacy Program
Organization:  Montana Legal Services Association
Years in Legal Practice: 22
MLP Affiliation:  Montana Family Advocacy Program
How Were You Introduced to MLP?  Read about the Boston program in an article

Q: How would you describe the relationship between clients and lawyers in legal services practices?

A: Most legal services practices are poverty law practices and when clients come to us, they bring their whole life story. They don’t just bring their legal problem, because their legal problem affects their day-to-day decisions about where they live and whether or not they have enough food, those kinds of things.

Q: How did you discover the medical-legal partnership model?

A: At the time that I found the Boston model, I was the director of Montana Legal Services’ statewide hotline. Legal services offices across the country were looking at the possibility that we would have to shut down, because politicians were drastically cutting spending on social services like ours. What legal services programs across the country were trying to do was look for creative ways to do more with less.

I came across a publication talking about some of the things other programs in other states were doing, and that’s how I found the Boston model. I thought, “You know, this is kind of cool.” I went to the second national conference and really came away thinking there was no way a small, rural state like Montana has the resources to support a program like this. I’m very happy to say I was wrong.

That’s what got me started, looking for some creative way to meet the needs of our clients that weren’t being met with the model we had here.

Q: What does being involved in a medical-legal partnership offer Montana Legal Services?

A: It offers an additional access point for legal services. The folks who come through RiverStone Health either don’t know about Montana Legal Services or have not been able to access those services for whatever reason.

Our help line is full, and some people who call and can’t get in. Those same folks may get their medical care from RiverStone Health. One of their doctors or other medical providers might say, “You know, we need to talk to Deborah about this eviction notice that you’ve got,” and I’m right there. It's an access point and it increases my ability to talk to clients who otherwise might not get legal services.

Q: How does working as part of a medical-legal partnership reflect the way you view your job as a lawyer?

A: I was a paralegal before I went to law school, and I decided to go to law school because I wanted to do this kind of work. This kind of work, whether it’s on the medical side or the legal side, this teamwork allows lawyers to provide a more holistic approach to their clients’ needs. My clients don’t just come in and say, “I need a will” and I say, “Okay fine, I’ll draft one for you,” and that’s the only contact I’ll have with them. My clients have health problems or general well-being issues that may require me to work on an illegal eviction or food stamp matter, in addition to the will. I see a whole person, I don’t just see a discrete problem.