Legal Services State Support — Connecting the Legal Aid Community

A mere three weeks ago, Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services (SMRLS) was informed by their building’s owner that services, including electricity, would be shut off because of unpaid utility bills. With little time to react, the 115-year-old legal services provider was faced with the stress of relocating 72 staff members impacted by the building closure. Though Mayor Carter was able to negotiate keeping the lights on until April 1, SMRLS officially closed its offices in the Alliance Bank Center in St. Paul on Wednesday, March 26, 2025.

Most of SMRLS’ work representing clients in civil legal cases was handled through its downtown Alliance Bank Center location for the past 20 years, so finding a new, accessible, and safe location is paramount. Candace Miller Lopez, development director with SMRLS, has estimated $500,000 in unanticipated costs for relocation. Until a new primary location is found, Lopez said the office’s attorneys will work remotely, or from the SMRLS’ smaller satellite offices on University Avenue and Syndicate Street.

On March 12, 2025, Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid (Legal Aid) announced that its long-time grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) had been cancelled. Legal Aid was informed in late February that their $425K grant —used to help tenants facing discrimination and sexual harassment by landlords—would no longer be available, leaving countless Minnesotans without the support needed to litigate their rights under the Fair Housing Act.

Although the federal grant is just one funding source, and only a part of Legal Aid’s overall budget, it funded the entire fair housing program. Over the past 30 consecutive years of receiving the grant, Legal Aid has provided protection for clients facing discrimination due to their religion, race, disability, section 8 housing status, and more. In 2019, with the Department of Justice, they won a landmark sexual harassment case resulting in $736,000 in damages to victims and a $14,000 civil penalty to the United States.

In a federal district court case filed by Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services (SMRLS) last year, their client was disqualified from receiving SNAP benefits after being accused of committing an Intentional Program Violation and subsequently signing the form to accept the disqualification and waive her right to a hearing.

McLeod County Health and Human Services is a local government agency which administers SNAP benefits to eligible McLeod County residents on behalf of MN DHS. McLeod County alleged that SMRLS’ client committed fraud in violation of program rules by not reporting part-time caretaker work performed for her landlord as income. The county investigator decided that the client committed an "intentional program violation" and went to the client’s house with an administrative disqualification hearing waiver form and asked the client to sign it. The client signed the form, having no understanding of what it meant, only to realize later that she had agreed that she committed fraud, waived her right to a hearing, and would be disqualified from benefits. When the client contacted SMRLS, more than 30 days had passed since the waiver was signed so it could no longer be revoked.

All staff and pro bono attorneys working through civil legal aid organizations should be aware of the statutory changes to the court fee waiver process that were put in place in 2024. Both the legislature and the courts have moved away from the Latin “in forma pauperis” or “IFP” and now use “fee waiver” for more clarity. In addition, Minn. Stat. § 563.01 subd. 3 now includes multiple ways for low-income clients represented by civil legal aid to receive a fee waiver in their court case. They are:

In a recent episode of LSC’s Talk Justice podcast, legal aid and tech experts discuss self-help legal kiosks. Legal aid’s limited resources make it impossible to provide meaningful services to every person who needs them. Many providers create and share educational materials and self-help resources online to help fill the gaps, but those without access to a personal computer or smartphone may not be able to access these resources.  Self-help legal kiosks offer adaptable access in community settings.

Each year, the Minnesota State Bar Association (MSBA) honors those who exemplify the legacy of Bernard P. Becker, a champion of legal rights for the vulnerable and those living in poverty.

Three Becker Legal Services Staff awards are presented annually to attorneys, paralegals, administrators, or other staff employed by a private, nonprofit agency that provides legal services to eligible low-income clients. The Becker Student Volunteer Award is presented to a law student who has demonstrated a commitment to the provision of legal services to people with low-incomes. These awards recognize the dedicated service and notable achievements of four recipients and include an award of $500-$550.

In a succinct and incisive discussion of housing reform, Julia Zwak, managing attorney of the Minneapolis housing unit of Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid (MMLA), shares her practical knowledge and a call for more reform with Bench and Bar magazine of Minnesota.

Zwak gives an overview of the historic 2023 legislative session in which eviction reforms aimed at protecting tenants with low incomes included a 14-day pre-filing notice for non-payment of rent evictions, elimination of a pay-to-defend practice, and full disclosure of all fees in a lease agreement. Additional reforms were enacted during the 2024 session. Accompanying Zwak’s highlights is an infographic summarizing key housing laws and significant reforms in effect as of January 1, 2025.

The Minnesota State Bar Association (MSBA) is proud to recognize members who provide 50 or more hours of pro bono legal services per year, and these members are designated as North Star Lawyers. More than just personal recognition, certifying as a North Star Lawyer shows your peers that pro bono is important, valuable, and possible in today's busy world. The MSBA is committed to reducing barriers to civil justice for low-income Minnesotans by connecting members with opportunities to serve legal services clients. Through presentations, trainings, recognition, and articles, the MSBA promotes the value and importance of pro bono work, as expressed in Rule 6.1 of the Rules of Professional Conduct.

The deadline for certifying your 2024 pro bono hours is March 15, 2025. Certified North Star Lawyers are included on the MSBA’s annual roster published in Bench & Bar of Minnesota magazine, and if you enter where you provided your pro bono service, Minnesota State Bar Foundation (MSBF) grantee organizations will be entered in a drawing for a $5,000 North Star grant.

Ron Elwood, supervising attorney of the Legal Services Advocacy Project (of Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid) recently spoke with KSTP 5 Eyewitness News about tenants in the Twin Cities area who reported being without heat or hot water in their homes over the last month. Elwood explained “Our role is to make sure that the law is followed, and tenant’s rights are protected. He added that, “It is required that not only folks have heat, but that heat is at 68 degrees or more during the winter.”

If a renter is without heat, Elwood noted that an emergency tenants’ remedies action can be filed in court with guidance from a lawyer. He outlined various remedies a judge can order, and an emergency action will expedite the process.

As of January 1, other new Minnesota laws went into effect to protect tenant’s rights, and the KSTP website highlights resources and help available through Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid and LawHelpMN.org.

Today marks the first day of the Legal Services Corporation’s (LSC) 25th Innovations in Technology Conference (ITC), the largest annual event dedicated to expanding access to justice through tech. Over 700 people will be in attendance at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown January 13 -15, traveling from 47 states, the District of Columbia, two U.S. territories and Canada.

This year, the two-and-a-half-day conference features over55 sessions and 150 speakers, with 19 sessions available to stream for free online. Technologists, legal aid advocates, court personnel, law school professors, pro bono coordinators and other professionals will converge at these events to share educational presentations about a wide range of technology projects.

Minnesota’s delegation this year includes staff from Legal Services State Support, Justice North, Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services (SMRLS), Legal Services of Northwest Minnesota (LSNM), and the Legal Services Advisory Committee (LSAC).

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison recently shared information on how to avoid common immigration-related scams via press release. The warning is part of the Attorney General’s monthly Scam Stopper series, aiming to help protect Minnesota consumers from common scams. 

"One unfortunate thing I’ve learned in fighting scammers is that they often target people in need or in search of assistance," said Ellison. "Right now, con artists posing as immigration attorneys are lying to, cheating, and stealing money from people who came to Minnesota to build a better life for themselves and contribute to our state. Please be on the lookout for these scams, spread the word about them, and if you uncover one, report it to the authorities.” 

Effective Jan. 1, 2025, the Minnesota Supreme Court requires all electronic exhibits, including documents, photographs, audio files, and video files to be uploaded using the Minnesota Digital Exhibit System (MNDES). In response to the increase in remote hearings, the MNDES pilot program was made available on an optional basis for the past several years. Beginning on January 1st, the system is mandatory for all in-person and remote hearings statewide.

Secure digital access to any exhibits uploaded in a case are available to those involved, including the parties and their attorneys, as well as judges and juries, as needed.