Celebrating Pro Bono Week: October 20 - 24, 2025

Each October Minnesota recognizes its pro bono commitment in tandem with the American Bar Association’s national Pro Bono Week Celebration. Pro bono work is a professional responsibility and an individual ethical commitment of each lawyer. Since 2009, legal organizations across America participate in the ABA’s national celebration because of the increasing need for pro bono services during harsh economic times and the unprecedented response of attorneys to meet this demand.

This national initiative honors the work of Minnesota lawyers who dedicate time to pro bono. Learn new skills. Discover opportunities. Make a difference. And thank you for providing Pro Bono services during the year. 

The Minnesota State Bar Association (MSBA), Justice North, Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid, Legal Services of Northwest Minnesota (LSNM), and Volunteer Lawyers Network invite you to participate in a week-long series of CLEs and social events for pro bono lawyers and advocates. Here is a round-up of the weeks’ events:

Monday, October 20

• Empowering Justice: The Imperative Need for Pro Bono
  Adynamic lunchtime session focused on the urgent need for volunteer legal services. Hear from judicial and bar leaders about their support for pro bono work, learn about the challenges facing legal aid organizations, and discover how you can make a meaningful impact.

On Monday, Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid attorneys were featured in the Star Tribune to discuss the swell of immigration cases that they and local colleagues are facing in the provision of free legal services. Federal data shows more than 1,000 detentions in Minnesota through the end of July and deportations are happening much more rapidly since the beginning of the year. Many facing immigration-related legal proceedings do not have an attorney because public defenders are not provided for civil cases. For limited legal aid providers and their private practice counterparts, all of this has led to longer than normal wait times and ever-increasing caseloads. Fraud is growing, too, as well as fear of going back to court without a lawyer for those with pending cases.

Despite the commitment and care of Minnesota’s nonprofit attorneys, funding constraints are further limiting their ability to help a growing number of clients. “There are so many more people who need our help who never needed it before,” said Alison Griffith, supervising attorney for Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid. “So many people who weren’t a priority for removal are now facing a removal order.” Read more in “Up to our eyeballs’: Immigration lawyers struggle to keep up…” 

On October 1st, Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services (SMRLS) announced the appointment of Micaela Schuneman, Esq., as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective October 13, 2025.

Schuneman brings a dynamic vision and deep commitment to justice that aligns with SMRLS’s mission to ensure equal access to legal representation. With over a decade of leadership in legal advocacy and public service, Schuneman’s appointment marks a new chapter for SMRLS and its ongoing efforts to expand services, strengthen community partnerships, and develop service delivery innovations across southern Minnesota.

“Micaela is a proven leader with a passion for social justice and a track record of empowering underserved communities,” said Brett Olander, President of the SMRLS Board of Directors. “Her leadership, strategic mindset, communication style, and collaborative spirit make her the ideal choice to lead SMRLS into the future.”

By Jessica Faunce, LSNM Staff Attorney

Between November 11, 2024, and January 3, 2025, Kevin Carrell, staff attorney with Legal Services of Northwest Minnesota (LSNM), submitted requests on behalf of three tenants for mandatory expungement of eviction records that were more than three years old under Minn. Stat. § 484.014, Subd. 3(5). In all three cases, the district court granted the requests but stayed the expungement orders until the monetary judgments had been satisfied. All three tenants had outstanding balances for costs and disbursements, and attorneys’ fees, amounting to under $600 each.

The three cases were consolidated on appeal, and LSNM staff attorney Jessica Faunce drafted the Appellant’s Brief, arguing that Minn. Stat. § 484.014, Subd. 3(5) was unambiguous and did not permit the district court to stay the mandatory expungement orders. Additionally, expungement would not preclude the landlords from pursuing collection efforts under Minn. Stat. § 548.09. Notably, none of the landlords involved had completed the process to enforce their respective judgements.

On the same day that the Appellant’s Brief was filed, the Court of Appeals issued its decision in Sela Investments. Sela Invs., Ltd. LLP v. J. H., 22 N.W.3d 181, 183 (Minn. Ct. App. 2025), review granted (July 30, 2025).[1]

By Claire Hardi, Justice North Disaster Coordinator, and Kayla Niedzielski, LSNM Disaster Coordinator

Minnesotans are no strangers to extreme winter weather, but in a rapidly changing climate where storms are more severe, flooding is more frequent, and resources are stretched thin, preparing for the unexpected has never been more important. That’s why Legal Services of Northwest Minnesota (LSNM) and Justice North, together with partners across the state, are proud to announce the completion of the new and improved Minnesota Statewide Disaster Toolkit! The new toolkit is a comprehensive resource written to strengthen disaster legal response for attorneys, advocates, and volunteers.

Purpose of the Disaster Toolkit

Recovering from a disaster is never simple. Survivors face complex legal challenges that can touch nearly every part of life: housing, family, employment, access to benefits, and more. Navigating that legal landscape is difficult even for the most seasoned professional. To make matters more difficult, legal aid attorneys themselves may be recovering from the same disaster while also serving their communities. It is essential to have a resource that has clear, consistent, and updated information in order to properly serve clients, especially in unfamiliar situations that may follow a disaster.

The Legal Services Advocacy Project (LSAP) has released its annual Legislative Session Summaries for 2025. LSAP, a statewide division of Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid, provides legislative and administrative advocacy on behalf of all legal services programs and their clients. Every year, LSAP compiles a comprehensive review (with citations) of Minnesota law changes that impact residents with low incomes and other marginalized groups. LSAP staff members Jessica Webster, Ellen Smart, Andrew Knox, and Ron Elwood prepare these summaries as part of their work on discrete and systemic policy issues that affect the lives of thousands of Minnesotans every year.

As legal aid attorneys and advocates know, the consequences of a criminal record can be devastating to our clients. Private sector criminal background checks are used extensively to screen applicants for housing, employment, and volunteering opportunities. In 2024, the Minnesota legislature enacted a “Clean Slate” law to address this discrimination by automatically sealing many criminal records. To date, the extent to which private sector companies comply with the new law is unknown.

To find out, the Minnesota Justice Research Center (MNJRC) has begun a mixed-methods study of the new law’s implementation to see if people are experiencing the impact. MNJRC’s study, in partnership with the University of Maryland and Northeastern University, we will measure the implementation and effectiveness of the Clean Slate law in Minnesota.

In the next stage of the research process, MNJRC will conduct practitioner focus groups and community listening sessions to improve its understanding of Minnesotans' day-to-day experiences with background checks and expungements. These will take place beginning on August 15, and into early fall of 2025. MNJRC will then disseminate results and provide “Know Your Rights” seminars.

On September 30, 2025, the Minnesota Justice Foundation (MJF) will hold its Annual Awards Celebration to recognize attorneys and advocates who have demonstrated a commitment to public interest legal work. MJF’s Outstanding Service Awards were established in 1991 to honor the dedicated service, achievements, and excellence of students, lawyers in private practice or in-house settings for their pro bono work, and public interest legal service providers.

MJF is pleased to announce that Art Wolf, supervising attorney with Justice North, has been named this year’s Direct Legal Service Award recipient. Wolf graduated from West Virginia University College of Law in 2016. He joined Justice North as an attorney in 2018, with a primary focus on family law. Prior to joining Justice North, Wolf worked at Indian Legal providing criminal defense to individuals with low incomes.

Since 2021, the Justice Bus, a blue van with information about how to contact Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid, has been driving around the program’s service areas to bring legal services to people who might not be able to make it into an office. With locations in Minneapolis, St. Cloud, and Willmar, Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid operates three Justice Buses that are equipped with wi-fi, computers, printers, and other mobile-office necessities, including a wheelchair lift.

Paralegals Pam Manthei and Chris Klimpel of Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid’s St. Cloud office currently drive the bus around a 14-county service area. They meet with residents and help them fill out paperwork, talk about their legal questions, and connect them with a lawyer if needed.

On July 14, 2025, LegalCORPS, a partner organization of the Minnesota Legal Services Coalition, and the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits (MCN) announced a new initiative to provide all Minnesota nonprofits (and MCN members) with a legal help desk, compliance clinics and support, and one-on-one counsel (for qualifying organizations). There will be no cost for the partnership’s services, which come in response to the growing need for nonprofit legal support. Minnesota’s nonprofit organizations must increasingly navigate complex policy changes at both the state and federal levels.

“From the sudden termination of federal grants to confusion over IRS communications and compliance concerns, nonprofits in Minnesota and across the nation are facing mounting legal pressures, often with limited resources,” said Nonoko Sato, president and CEO of MCN.

In early 2024, Anishinabe Legal Services (ALS) was contacted by an elder member of the White Earth Nation, Nick, because his fishing boat and homemade bait traps were confiscated by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (“DNR”).  The DNR wrongly claimed that the elder’s unregistered boat and traps were subject to confiscation because they were found beyond the boundaries of the White Earth Reservation. When ALS was contacted, the client was aggrieved about the practical and sentimental loss of the boat and traps, but he had also waited nearly six years to inquire about his legal prospects.

Undaunted, ALS staff attorney and Minnesota Justice Foundation (MJF) clerk, Liddy Patterson, began preliminary research, even though Nick had a highly unlikely claim because he had waited so long to seek help. They discovered that although the DNR has no jurisdiction to regulate hunting, gathering, and fishing within tribal boundaries, the rights of tribal members to fish, hunt and gather beyond reservation boundaries is – with some exceptions – protected.

Legal Services State Support is excited to announce a statewide mini conference: Opening Doors: Strengthening the Work and Wellness of Intake Staff. This one-day conference will take place on Friday, November 14, 2025, at the offices of Fredrikson & Byron in downtown Minneapolis, MN.

This first-of-its-kind statewide gathering is dedicated to the vital role of intake workers—the front line of our legal aid organizations. Intake staff don’t just screen cases, they offer empathy, clarity, and access to justice in moments of real need.  This conference is designed to honor that work while providing tools and connections to support it.

State Support is delighted to welcome Mike Millios as the opening plenary speaker of the conference. Millios is a lawyer and a nationally recognized facilitator and coach, known for his work with frontline professionals navigating high-stress environments.

Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers (LCL) has named Jon Tynjala as its new executive director effective July 1, 2025. Tynjala joined LCL as a case manager in 2022 and formerly worked in private practice serving businesses and their owners at large and medium sized law firms in Minnesota. Over the years, he has been actively engaged in recovery work through LCL and is a prior board member and treasurer of the organization. Tynjala received his B.A. in Business Administration from the College of St. Thomas in 1989, and his J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1995.

Tynjala will succeed Joan Bibelhausen, who announced her retirement earlier this year, and has served LCL for 20 years. Bench and Bar magazine invited Bibelhausen to reflect on LCL’s history in the recently published Celebrating LCL. She also shared reflections gleaned from 20 years of leading the organization in thisblog post on care and well-being.

As of January 1, 2024, the Minnesota Supreme Court removed the cap on the number of on-demand CLE credits a Minnesota lawyer may report towards their three-year reporting period. That decision means that approved on-demand courses viewed after January 1, 2024, are not subject to the previous credit cap for reporting periods going forward.

If you are looking to acquire credits toward your total requirement of 45 CLE hours, Legal Services State Support has a growing catalog of on-demand training modules that can be viewed at your convenience. Most on-demand CLEs are free for everyone, and others have a low cost for private attorneys. Legal Aid program staff will also see associated discount codes for select on-demand offerings that are not otherwise free of charge. A list of qualifying organizations is available on the sign-up page for each module.

Recent wildfires in northern Minnesota have impacted the lives of residents and increased the need for legal help to navigate things like insurance claims, document recovery, and displacement. Justice North is ready and able to provide free legal help during disaster recovery thanks to a grant for this purpose, as well as the other legal protections and help they routinely offer. WDIO, the ABC News affiliate in Duluth spoke with Justice North recently about their disaster related legal services.

Justice North is available to help affected residents prioritize recovery needs and sort through legal issues that may need immediate attention. Claire Hardi, disaster preparedness response coordinator, notes that while each situation is unique, Justice North has a step-by-step process to help sort through the uncertainty that typically ensues. “It can be a really confusing and overwhelming process and that’s where we come in. We’ll figure out where you are,” Hardi said.

Martha Castanon, DOJ Accredited Representative with Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota (ILCM), was awarded the YWCA 2025 Woman of the Year Award at last month’s celebration hosted by YWCA Cass Clay. For more than 50 years, YWCA Cass Clay has been highlighting inspiring leaders, mentors, visionaries, and heroes at their annual event. Nominees exemplify the mission and vision of YWCA Cass Clay and make a positive impact in the Fargo-Moorhead community. 

Castanon was recognized with the “Lifetime Achievement” award, which honors an individual aged 65+ who has demonstrated a long-term commitment to equality, empowering women and girls, and/or eliminating racism.

The St. Cloud and Willmar offices of Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid (Legal Aid) are at the forefront of civil litigation for domestic abuse victims as part of the Stearns County Domestic Violence Partnership. Established in 2008, the Partnership employs wrap around services to address domestic violence in the area with eleven community partners who meet regularly and work in tandem, including the Stearns County Attorney’s Office, Anna Marie’s Alliance, and local law enforcement agencies. Legal Aid helps with child custody, orders for protection, restraining orders, evictions, medical insurance, immigration matters, and more.

Domestic violence victims usually contact Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid after their partner’s criminal case goes through court, when they “have a chance to breathe again,” says Sarah McGuire, legal director of the Legal Aid’s St. Cloud and Willmar offices.

Anne Hoefgen, executive director of Legal Services of Northwest MN (LSNM), was awarded the YWCA 2025 Woman of the Year Award at the annual celebration hosted by YWCA Cass Clay on April 28th. The event recognizes women and organizations that have made significant contributions to the Fargo-Moorhead community through their passion, service, and achievements.   

Hoefgen was nominated in the “Advocating for Equality” category, which honors an individual whose work or community involvement promotes respect, inclusion, and equal rights for everyone. The honoree challenges discrimination and advocates for removing barriers, helping to ensure the community is welcoming to all.

The Minnesota State Bar Association (MSBA) has announced the winners of its annual Bernard P. Becker Legal Services Staff Awards for 2025. Each of the five honorees has provided exemplary service to those in our community most vulnerable to injustice.
***************************************************************

• Advocacy Award
  Rita J. Ostman, Anishinabe Legal Services

• Emerging Leader
  Renee Charon, Legal Services of Northwest Minnesota

• Law Student
  Alexandra Loyd, University of Minnesota Law School

• Legacy of Excellence Award
  Jenny Stohl-Powell, Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota
  Lenore Millibergity, Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota

By Erika Boyer-Kern, MSW, LISW, Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services

Housing attorneys at Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services (SMRLS) have long recognized that legal solutions alone are not enough to address housing instability. Peter Hemberger, Supervising Housing Attorney at SMRLS says of the social work program “As housing attorneys we would solve the legal issue. Maybe we would get someone extra time in their home, maybe we would get the eviction dismissed, but that doesn’t solve the reason they are facing this issue to begin with – social workers can look at those non-legal problems and start to offer solutions.”

Social workers focus on housing at SMRLS was strategic and in response to the current crisis that is playing out across Minnesota – rising rents, increased rates of homelessness, and not enough resources to fill the need.  In response, the social work program was started in January of 2024 by hiring a social worker in the SMRLS Mankato office. Now, SMRLS has hired a social worker in their St. Paul office and is set to hire a social worker out of their Rochester office in the next couple of months.