Paralegal O'Neil joins race for judge

The Daily Inter Lake

State senator files for justice of the peace job

State Sen. Jerry O'Neil, R-Columbia Falls, has filed for the justice of the peace position held by departing Judge Dale Trigg.

O'Neil, a paralegal who practices before the Blackfeet Tribal Court, joins Lane Bennett and Mark Sullivan in the race for the second judge job.

Justice of the Peace David Ortley remains the only candidate in the other judge race.

Prompted by a request from O'Neil, the county commissioners last week rescinded a requirement that Justice Court judges be licensed attorneys.

O'Neil has tangled for years with the Montana Bar Association about the extent to which he can practice as a paralegal.

O'Neil is a Kalispell native who grew up in the retail lumber business and later started a commercial cabinet shop and managed a lumber company and hardware store. He got his start in legal work in 1974, when he defended his family in court.

"In order to fight for my family, I instructed myself in the law," he said in a press release. "I read case books on constitutional law, on torts and on trial techniques."

He said he attended trials and consulted with several attorneys to learn rules of the court and civil procedure.

After helping an organization called Children's Rights for Parents, he made connections with the Blackfeet Tribe.

He studied tribal law and passed the Blackfeet bar examination.

O'Neil has been a tribal paralegal for more than 20 years and maintains a law office in Browning.

He works primarily on cases involving family law.

"I have been contacted by many people who have been treated unfairly by our judicial system," O'Neil said. "I have spent a lot of time providing them with low-cost or free assistance in attempting to improve the system."

He is a charter member of the Montana Mediation Association.

O'Neil was elected to the state Senate in 2000 and has worked to increase the public's access to the legal system.