suzy boylan, j.d.
sbjd llc
Retired prosecutor skilled in handling gender-based violence and child abuse cases, with experience in training students and criminal justice.
legal services
Suzy's legal services provide comprehensive support for guardianship cases, including detailed visitor reports to ensure the best outcomes for those involved. Additionally, she offers victim advocacy and expert guidance in family law matters, prioritizing your needs and protecting your rights throughout the process.
victim advocacy
The criminal justice system can be as daunting and confusing as visiting a foreign country where you don’t speak the language, particularly when you are the victim of a crime. Suzy has 25 years of experience helping victims and their families and supporters understand and navigate the criminal justice system as well as the mental health commitment system.
Suzy has years of experience as a prosecutor, an intimate knowledge of Montana law, victim’s rights, and the intricacies of the legal system as well as a deep understanding of the effects of a traumatic event.
And, as a victim of a crime who required assistance in obtaining an Order of Protection when the aftereffects of trauma made doing so on her own feel nearly impossible, Suzy understands how difficult and triggering the criminal justice system can be; and, with the right support, how empowering it can be.
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Whether you need:
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a short meeting to have your questions about the intricacies of the criminal justice system answered;
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support in reporting a crime to law enforcement;
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representation for a witness interview with a defense attorney, a pretrial hearing or sentencing hearing, or for the duration of a criminal case;
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extra support going through the trial process;
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assistance in obtaining a Temporary Order of Protection and/or representation at a hearing to make a Temporary Order of Protection permanent;
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or support through any other issue arising in a criminal or Order of Protection case,
Suzy can support victims through virtually any part of the criminal justice process with empathy and sensitivity.
visitor reports for guardianship cases
​In a guardianship case, a Visitor must be appointed by the Court to assess the suitability of any proposed guardian(s) and their plan for the protected person and make a recommendation to the court. Suzy spent the last five years of her career at the Missoula County Attorney’s Office handling the caseload that included obtaining guardianship and conservatorship for indigent citizens without family members who could take on those roles. During that time she helped multiple social workers produce Visitor Reports that complied with the requirements of Montana law. In doing that work she noted that the demand for Visitor Reports exceeds the supply of available Visitors.
Suzy is available to provide thorough Visitor Reports in guardianship cases in virtually any county in Montana, often on a tight timeline, and is willing to act as Visitor in difficult and contested guardianship cases.
family law
Suzy’s first legal experience was as a volunteer intern at Montana Legal Services Association’s Missoula office during the summer of 1994, after her first year of law school. At MLSA she assisted attorneys and clinical interns in representing victims of domestic violence in divorce and child custody cases. She remained a volunteer at MLSA until she qualified for a clinical internship there during her last year of law school.
She has gone back to her roots in family law and is available to represent clients in divorce and parenting cases with sensitivity and care, whether domestic violence is present or not.
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Suzy’s does not accept cases involving complex marital estates but may be willing to associate on complex cases if her knowledge of trauma, domestic violence, and/or child abuse may be helpful to the client.
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