Civil Legal Aid in Northern MN: Justice North’s New Chapter

In the September edition of Bench and Bar magazine, the voluntary merger of two well-established northern Minnesota legal services programs was recognized and its new chapter marked. Legal Services of Northwest Minnesota (LSNM) and Justice North joined forces under the Justice North moniker in January with the goal of combining their two regional service areas in order to reach more Minnesotans with greater efficacy.

The merger was propelled by a vision the two programs shared: accomplishing greater impact for their communities by working together. Resources, staffs, and expertise were combined to both expand capacity and strengthen services in existing areas. The long-standing provision of legal services in the areas of housing, family law, consumer protection, and elder law continue to be primary to the new organization’s work.

Anne Hoefgen, Justice North co-executive director, noted “We’ve brought together two organizations with deep roots in their communities, and now we have the opportunity to build on that history while finding new and better ways to serve people across northern Minnesota.”

On Thursday, October 22nd, a celebration of the new Justice North will take place in Moorhead. Falling for Justice, an Evening at the Armory will support the program and feature inspiring stories about the impact of donor support across northern Minnesota. “We want Falling for Justice to be a celebration not just of Justice North, but of the incredible communities and supporters who make our work possible,” said Dori Rapaport, co-executive director.

Read “A new era for Justice North” in Bench and Bar magazine.