Montana reservation landscape with rolling hills and open sky

2025 ABA Louis M. Brown Select Award

Tribal Advocacy Incubator Program

Training community members to become tribal lay advocates on Montana's reservations.

2025 ABA Louis M. Brown Select Award

Recognizing the most innovative access to justice programs in America.

American Bar Association — 2025

About the Program

About the Program

MLSA recruits, trains, mentors, and supports people to become tribal lay advocates on Montana's reservations. By building legal capacity from within tribal communities, TAIP creates sustainable access to justice that is culturally grounded and community-led.

The program has become a national model, earning the 2025 ABA Louis M. Brown Select Award as one of the most innovative access to justice programs in America.

TAIP is administered in partnership with the Alexander Blewett III School of Law at the University of Montana and the Indian Law Section of the Montana State Bar.

Program Reach

8Reservations
AllMontana Tribes
100%Community-Led

The Process

How the Program Works

01

Recruit

MLSA identifies community members deeply committed to justice and with strong ties to their tribal communities.

02

Train

Participants receive comprehensive legal training and ongoing mentorship from experienced MLSA attorneys.

03

Support

Once serving as lay advocates, participants receive continued mentorship and case support from MLSA staff.

Program Leadership

Valerie Falls Down

Tribal Advocacy Incubator Project Coordinator

Valerie Falls Down joined MLSA in July 2021 as the Tribal Advocacy Coordinator for TAIP. Valerie has been appointed to the Montana Supreme Court Access to Justice Commission and currently holds a license to practice in the Crow Tribal Court.

Her prior work includes 15 years working within the Crow tribal community as an Addiction Counselor, Youth Empowerment Coordinator, and Domestic Violence Director and Victim Advocate.

Phone

406-248-7113 x 3322

Join the Program

Join TAIP

TAIP is open to community members across all of Montana's reservations who are committed to expanding access to justice in their communities.

Contact Valerie Falls Down at 406-248-7113 x 3322