Historic Merger of Two Programs Brings Greater Services to Northern Minnesota

Beginning on January 1, 2026, Justice North and Legal Services of Northwest Minnesota (LSNM) will operate together under one name: Justice North. For decades, the two civil legal aid programs have worked side by side to serve individuals and families in Minnesota’s northwestern and northeastern regions. With this merger, the two staffs combine their institutional expertise, capacity, and resources to serve 33 counties—more than 52,000 square miles across northern Minnesota—with more comprehensive services and a stronger community presence throughout the region. The historic merger creates one of the largest civil legal aid service areas in the state dedicated to the provision of high-quality civil legal help to those with low incomes.

The two organizations joined forces because of a mutual belief that it would improve their services, streamline their work, and make it easier for people to access the civil legal help they need. All existing Justice North and LSNM offices will keep operating as part of the new Justice North. Offices are located in Alexandria, Bemidji, Brainerd, Duluth, Grand Rapids, Moorhead, Pine City, and Virginia. The new, larger Justice North will serve these counties beginning on January 1, 2026: Aitkin, Becker, Beltrami, Carlton, Cass, Clay, Clearwater, Cook, Crow Wing, Douglas, Grant, Hubbard, Itasca, Kanabec, Kittson, Koochiching, Lake, Lake of the Woods, Mahnomen, Marshall, Norman, Otter Tail, Pennington, Pine, Polk, Pope, Red Lake, Roseau, Saint Louis, Stevens, Traverse, Wadena, and Wilkin Counties. The Justice North centralized intake system ensures that everyone, regardless of where they live, has the same access to services.

The newly merged Justice North is now led by two executive directors, Dori Rapaport and Anne Hoefgen, former executive director of LSNM. Together they share a combined 39 years of legal aid experience. "The merger builds a stronger, more resilient organization that will be able to serve more low-income people and communities across Northern Minnesota," Hoefgen said. "For me, this merger is about people–our clients, our staff and our communities–and the belief that by working together, we can show up in more meaningful ways."