UM Law Student Seeks to Improve Preventative Care in Social Work with Joint Degree

By Lily Soper, UM News Service

MISSOULA – Breanna Belgarde first applied for law school in 2017 but ultimately deferred a few years for an even better opportunity. 

“I wanted to focus on being a mom,” said Belgarde, who learned she was pregnant between the application process and her acceptance to the University of Montana’s Alexander Blewett III School of Law.

While Belgarde already knew she wanted to become a lawyer, it was during this interim period when she discovered her passion for social work as well.

 “Having my daughter inspired me to learn about child development, which led me to learn about adverse childhood experiences and the cycle of family violence,” Belgarde said. “I got really interested in what preventative measures could be implemented in prenatal education.

“When I was pregnant, they tested to ensure I didn’t have any serious medical issues every time I went to the doctor,” she said, “but nobody told me how my baby was going to develop after it’s born, or what support systems were available or just how hard it’s going to be to be a parent. It was a real firsthand experience for me to see how little support there is for new expecting parents.” 

Using her bachelor’s degree in English literature from UM Western, Belgarde began work for a small domestic violence shelter writing and managing grants between having her daughter and reapplying for law school.

 “I got to do some hands-on advocacy work there, which taught me even more about how our system operates and where we can improve preventative care for new families,” said Belgarde. “Once I saw how social work and the legal system interact with each other, the joint-degree program was a no-brainer for me.”

The University’s joint-degree program allows law students to pursue a law degree in tandem with a Master of Social Work, expediting their education and tailoring it to their specific career goals. The law school offers four different joint degree programs. Each allows students to obtain the two degrees in a shorter time frame. The time-saving aspect can be crucial for students like Belgarde, with a clear-cut plan for post-graduation.     

As an enrolled member of the Little Shell Tribe, Belgarde foresees bringing her education to Little Shell’s management base in Great Falls to aid in building their family court system. The tribe received federal recognition in 2019 and is currently building its governmental administration.

“Little Shell children already fell under Indian Child Welfare Act protection but they have more sovereignty and power as a federally recognized tribe,” Belgarde said. “This provides a lot of opportunity for progress if there is a legal body there to facilitate it. I'm hoping to help them build their own court system.”

While the process of building a governmental administration takes years, Belgarde looks forward to finishing both degrees so she is available to be on the ground floor of this growth.

“I knew coming in that I wanted both a J.D. and a Master of Social Work whether or not I got into the programs at the same time,” she said. “It just so happens that I could do both faster at UM.”

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Contact: Lily Soper events and marketing coordinator Alexander Blewett III School of Law, 406-243-5730, lily.soper@mso.umt.edu.