About MCAA
What is the Montana County Attorneys Association?
The Montana County Attorneys Association (MCAA) is a non-profit organization of county attorneys in the State of Montana and their deputies. The purpose of the association is to provide education and training to its members and provide county attorneys the ability to collectively voice their concerns about public policy issues affecting their offices.
Who County Attorneys Represent and What They Do
County Attorneys are elected officials. They represent both their own county and the state of Montana within their county. County Attorneys are responsible for the prosecution of all felony crimes occurring in their county, and all misdemeanor crimes occurring outside the city limits of any city within their county. They are responsible for defending or prosecuting all civil claims for or against their county. County Attorneys are also required to represent agencies of the State of Montana when required by law or when directed to do so by the Attorney General.
County Attorneys may be full or part time, usually depending on the population of the county. Full-time County Attorneys are prohibited from private practice, cannot represent private clients, and cannot give legal advice to private citizens. Part-time County Attorneys may have a part-time private practice, may represent private citizens on legal matters, and give private legal advice for compensation, so long as it does not conflict with their duties as County Attorney. Some of the more populated counties have Deputy County Attorneys. Their number varies from county to county, dependent upon the needs of each county. These positions may be either full or part-time.
MCAA Executive Directors
Jim Smith and Kathy McGowan of the firm of Smith & McGowan serve as the co-executive directors of the MCAA. Their office is located at: 34 West Sixth Ave. Suite 2E, Helena, Montana 59601. They can be reached by phone at: (406)443-1570 (Voice) or (406)443-1592 (Fax).
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