On October 9, 2024, the Minnesota Justice Foundation (MJF) will hold its Annual Awards Celebration to recognize colleagues 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 this year’s award recipients!

• Advocate Award: Jenna Saverynski, Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services (SMRLS)

• Direct Legal Service Award: Sarah K. Moore, Legal Services of Northwest Minnesota (LSNM)

• Private Practice Lawyer Award: Clinton E. Cutler, Fredrikson & Byron P.A. and the University of Minnesota Law School’s Bankruptcy Clinic

Photo credit: MPR News file photo

MPR News recently spoke with Sarah Moore, attorney at Legal Services of Northwest Minnesota (LSNM), about the new consolidated housing court calendar and what it means for clients. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, hearings for housing related cases such as evictions appeared on general calendars for greater Minnesota judges, meaning that they could be scheduled at any time. Moore explained the hardships this presented for clients, such as getting time off work, arranging childcare, and transportation to name a few. During the pandemic courts moved online to Zoom, and it exponentially increased accessibility for both clients and their attorneys.

As the end of the moratorium on in-person hearings approached, the judiciary considered the positives that had resulted from holding proceedings virtually. With the housing court calendar now consolidated, and hearings taking place on Zoom as a matter of course, Moore noted how much more accessible LSNM is for those who need it most.

This summer, the Minnesota State Board of Continuing Legal Education announced that a new CLE category focusing on substance abuse, addiction, and/or mental health was approved and is now a requirement for all reporting attorneys. On February 23, 2024, the Minnesota Supreme Court amended the Board’s Rules to require one credit in this area per 3-year reporting cycle.  Category 1 lawyers due to report this year will not be required to submit this credit type.  Category 2 lawyers due to report in 2025 will be the first group of lawyers subject to this requirement. The new Rules became effective July 1, 2024.

Washington—Experts discuss the findings from a new survey on Americans’ knowledge of civil legal issues on the latest episode of LSC’s “Talk Justice” podcast, released August 13th. The recent survey of more than 2,000 Americans was conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of LSC. It revealed widespread misconceptions about civil legal rights, and that many people do not reach out for help with their civil legal problems. Lee Rawles hosts the podcast conversation with LSC President Ron Flagg and Harris Poll Vice President Kathy Steinberg.

“A couple of the most compelling and probably most concerning findings [were] some of the misconceptions,” says Steinberg.

The survey revealed that 56% of Americans mistakenly believe they are entitled to free legal representation for all civil matters if they cannot afford a lawyer, a percentage that jumps to 67% among younger adults aged 18 to 34. Flagg says that he is unsurprised by these findings, noting that Americans are much more familiar with the criminal justice system than the civil and often do not understand the differences.

Justice North is proud to announce that Cheryl Prince, a distinguished attorney with Hanft Fride Law Firm in Duluth, MN, has been awarded the prestigious Pro Bono Service Award by the Legal Services Corporation (LSC). The award was presented last month at the LSC Champions of Justice Award Celebration in Minneapolis, MN, in recognition of Prince's outstanding commitment to providing legal services to those in need.

Cheryl has been a dedicated volunteer with Justice North's Private Attorney Involvement program, following her service with the Volunteer Attorney Program. She has generously contributed her time and expertise, handling pro bono cases, staffing family law clinics, and mentoring other volunteer attorneys. In 2023 alone, Cheryl devoted over 300 hours to pro bono work with Justice North, exemplifying her unwavering commitment to justice and community service.

Legal Services State Support is excited to announce that registration opens today for the 2024 Statewide Conference — Bridging Worlds: Community, Culture, and the Work of Legal Aid. The conference will be held from Wednesday, November 6 to Friday, November 8 at Madden's on Gull Lake in Brainerd, MN.

This year's conference plenaries bring the community together to learn about how to connect with and serve Native clients dealing with our legal system, the challenges we face in our community-centered work and how to respond with hope, possibility, and interdependence, and tech topics with the power to amplify legal aid's impact. We'll also welcome State Representative and attorney Jamie Becker-Finn, who will share insights about the historic increase in state funding for civil legal services and public defense, the importance of the People of Color & Indigenous Caucus and Queer Caucus in Minnesota's legislature and the need for more people to engage in the legislative process.

State Support is excited to welcome attorney and State Representative Jamie Becker-Finn to the 2024 Legal Services Statewide Conference as our featured speaker on Thursday, November 7. Rep. Becker-Finn serves as the Chair of the Judiciary & Civil Law Committee at the Minnesota State Legislature and her work focuses on lifting up unheard voices and addressing inequities in the justice system. She spearheaded the historic 2023 increase in civil legal aid funding at the state legislature and her efforts earned a “Champion of Justice” award from the Legal Services Corporation (LSC).

Each year the Legal Services Advocacy Project (LSAP) compiles a comprehensive review (with citations) of Minnesota law changes that, in whole or significant part, impact legal aid’s clients. LSAP is a statewide division of Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid (MMLA), which provides legislative and administrative advocacy on behalf of all legal services programs. LSAP attorneys Jessica Webster, Ellen Smart, and Ron Elwood work on discrete and systemic policy issues that affect the lives of thousands of Minnesotans every year.

Photo credit: © Glen Stubbe, Star Tribune

On July 25th, former legal aid attorney Sarah Hennesy took the oath of office as a Minnesota Supreme Court Justice. Following law school and a career start in the eastern U.S., Hennesy’s first job in Minnesota was with Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid (MMLA) in its St. Cloud office. Under the leadership of deputy director Ann Cofell, Hennesy was one of the first to counsel clients in the Stearns County Felony Domestic Violence Court. Later, she became Stearns County district judge.

Hennesy was appointed by Governor Walz to succeed Justice G. Barry Anderson, and she has served on the bench since mid-May ahead of her official wearing-in ceremony with Chief Justice Natalie Hudson.

On July 18, 2024, the Minnesota Judicial Council voted to adopt a new district court hearing framework that will reshape the way district courts conduct in-person and remote hearings to deliver justice in Minnesota. The new framework aims to bring statewide consistency to how district courts hold hearings in both criminal and non-criminal matters, while at the same time respecting judicial discretion and providing local flexibility.

“This new hearing framework builds on all of the lessons we learned from the pandemic,” Minnesota Chief Justice Natalie E. Hudson said. “We gathered feedback from more than 5,500 judicial officers, staff, justice partners, litigants, and members of the public because we are committed to listening to the people we serve and delivering the highest-quality system of justice to the people of Minnesota.” 

This fall’s Legal Services Statewide Conference will offer attendees a focus on community, culture, and the work of legal aid as colleagues gather to reconnect, learn, and earn CLE credit. On Friday morning, November 8th, conference participants will join Dr. Johnanna Ganz, founder of J. Ganz Consulting, for “In Defense of Radical Hope: Fostering Change Through Interdependence and Possibility,” a candid conversation on the challenges facing our community-centered work and the dynamic responses available through radical hope, possibility, and interdependence. Dr. Ganz will help participants think through how to cultivate vision with practical action based on learning, insights, and connections built throughout the conference.

The Legal Services Corporation (LSC) joins Minnesota Legal Services Coalition programs this month for a forum and reception on Tuesday, July 23rd. Learn about Minnesotans’ consumer debt burden, issues impacting family and housing stability, and local experiments to improve meaningful access to civil legal aid where it is needed most. A reception will follow the legal forum to celebrate individuals and organizations—from Red Lake to Ramsey County—who are protecting the promise of justice for all.

The Forum on Increasing Access to Justice will be held at the Minneapolis Central Library, Pohlad Hall, from 2:30 - 5:30 p.m. and is presented in partnership with five Minnesota legal aid programs - Anishinabe Legal Services, Central Minnesota Legal Services, Justice North, Legal Services of Northwest Minnesota, and Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services.

Legal Aid is disappointed the Supreme Court has decided the Constitution allows governments to make it a criminal violation to be homeless.

In Minnesota, more than 7,000 people were turned away from homeless shelters last year. People who are homeless often have no choice except to sleep wherever they can.

Even without criminal citations, however, government entities have undertaken needlessly harsh actions toward Minnesotans who have no choice but to sleep outside. Such actions include destroying medicine, keepsakes and the few belongings of families who are homeless—often, without warning. Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid, along with the ACLU of Minnesota and Ballard Spahr, has filed a lawsuit that seeks to end those practices.

Join State Support and your colleagues in Brainerd MN on Wednesday evening, November 6, at 7:00 p.m. as we kick-off the 2024 Legal Services Statewide Conference. Our featured speaker for the first night of the conference is Dr. Anton Treuer (pronounced troy-er), Professor of Ojibwe at Bemidji State University and author of numerous books.

Dr. Treuer has presented all over the U.S. and the world on his book “Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians but Were Afraid to Ask,” cultural competency, racial equity, strategies for addressing the “achievement” gap, and tribal sovereignty, history, language, and culture.

In a recent episode of the LSC podcast, Talk Justice, legal tech researchers discuss their field study of generative artificial intelligence (AI) for legal aid. Colleen Chien and Miriam Kim authored a paper on their research, “Generative AI and Legal Aid: Results from a Field Study and 100 Use Cases to Bridge the Access to Justice Gap,” which was published in April. The co-authors want to advance the conversation around generative AI for access to justice with data. Bréyon Austin, a participant in the study, also offers her perspective.

Legal Services State Support is excited to officially announce the 2024 Legal Services Statewide Conference: Bridging Worlds: Community, Culture, and the Work of Legal Aid. The conference will take place from Wednesday, November 6 to Friday, November 8 at a new location this year – Madden’s on Gull Lake! For the first time at this beautiful Brainerd Lakes area resort, we anticipate strong attendance and engagement with colleagues from across Minnesota.

The conference will kick off on Wednesday evening November 8th with American academic Anton Treuer, distinguished professor of Ojibwe at Bemidji State University and author of numerous books on equity, education, and cultural work.

Registration opens July 1st for Standpoint’s annual domestic violence training series, New Laws 2024, the most publicly visible of its training programs. New Laws 2024 is the single greatest source of up-to-date legal information on domestic violence for advocates and professionals. New Laws utilizes a "train the trainer" model, where critical information is provided to a core group of people who then disburse it in wider circles.

For each location on its Minnesota road trip itinerary, the series provides two days of impactful material on sexual and domestic violence. The first day provides attendees with special topic presentations, followed by a second day that focuses on changes in federal and Minnesota statutory and case law over the previous year.

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

Legal Services of Northwest MN (LSNM) is harnessing the power of technology to connect with the local community, and beyond, through two new innovative services: The Legal Table and Virtual Legal Clinics.

Crystal Jamerson, community engagement & outreach coordinator for LSNM, launched The Legal Table virtual series earlier this year as a way to bring legal experts and community advocates together around a topic while inviting the public to “sit down” from the comfort of their home or office and join them. The hour-long “table” discussion includes brief presentations about the law, available community resources, and an opportunity to ask questions.

On May 10, 2024, Governor Tim Walz announced Veena Iyer, current executive director of Immigrant Law Center of MN (ILCM), as one of two new appointees to the Second Judicial District, which covers Ramsey County.

Veena Iyer and Jennifer Verdeja fill the vacancies created upon the elevation to the Minnesota Court of Appeals of the Honorable JaPaul Harris and the retirement of the Honorable Elena Ostby.