Client Services

1. Tribal Contracts and Current Grants

MILS will honor and fulfill its obligations under tribal contracts and meet deliverables under grant awards and contracts. Where a grant or contract expands client income eligibility or requests additional services in certain cases or matters not prohibited by law, MILS will provide the services contracted for by the funder. 

2. Tribal and Federal Indian Law

MILS is a specialized law office that will prioritize providing services to individuals with tribal or federal-Indian law related legal issues. Few attorneys in the state specialize in federal-Indian laws, and no other free providers do. To address this access to justice gap, unless good cause exists, MILS staff will provide every eligible client who presents a meritorious claim with assistance in the cases that fall within this first category: Tribal and Federal-Indian Law Cases. Cases within this category will be eligible for up to an extended service level of assistance.

3. Generational Impact Work

MILS staff will assist in cases with the potential for generational impact. Generational impact refers to potential positive long-term impacts on the family or community from the resolution of the legal issue. MILS is dedicated to providing assistance that will help the wider community deal with disproportionate poverty and historical trauma. The Seventh Generation teachings inform it of many Native American communities.  

For these cases, MILS will serve as a resource to individuals with legal issues only when other free resources are unavailable, which means that the regional legal aid has either rejected them or otherwise do not qualify for their services. Unless good cause exists, MILS staff will provide eligible clients a brief service level of assistance in the cases -that fall within this category. As resources permit, MILS may offer an extended service level of assistance when it is likely that the client will enjoy meaningful access to that system with the assistance of an attorney.