In the August edition of Bench and Bar magazine, Isaac Manchego, staff attorney at Central Minnesota Legal Services of St. Cloud discusses the practice of redlining —a process intended to control and limit access to credit, housing, and wealth. Federal policy and state-sanctioned lending practices of this nature continued until they were outlawed in 1968 with the Fair Housing Act, even while discriminatory mechanisms continued.

In the article, Manchego examines redlining’s historical roots, the trajectory of federal case law in addressing the discrimination involved, and some of today’s efforts to roll back the legal gains that have been made. Not only a matter of private discrimination, “but a function of how courts and enforcement bodies interpret and apply laws designed to prohibit it,” Manchego highlights the defining cases that have both “discounted statistical and historical evidence” while also providing a “useful tool for identifying discrimination even as its application remains limited and contested.”

The Legal Services Advocacy Project (LSAP) has published its annual Legislative Session Summaries for 2026. 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 III, 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.

On September 22, 2026, 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 thrilled to announce that Ben Weiss and Mary Vrieze of Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services (SMRLS) will be honored this year. Weiss, a senior attorney with SMRLS Saint Paul, will be commended with the Direct Legal Service Award, and Vrieze, a paralegal with SMRLS Rochester, will be recognized with the Advocate Award.

On July 31, 2026, the Minnesota State Bar Association (MSBA), Hennepin County Bar Association (HCBA), and Ramsey County Bar Association (RCBA) were honored with the 2026 Harrison Tweed Award at the American Bar Association’s (ABA) annual conference. The award was in recognition of their work to address the community impact of Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota in late 2025.

The ABA’s Harrison Tweed Award recognizes the extraordinary achievements of state and local bar associations that develop or significantly expand projects or programs to increase access to civil legal services to people in poverty or criminal defense services to indigents. The award is presented annually by the ABA’s Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defense (SCLAID) and the National Legal Aid and Defender Association (NLADA). NLADA is America’s oldest and largest nonprofit association devoted to excellence in the delivery of legal services to those who cannot afford counsel.

In a recent episode of LSC’s Talk Justice podcast, LSC president Ron Flagg is joined by AARP’s executive director of Legal Counsel for the Elderly, Rhonda Cunningham Holmes, and her colleague Rodney Harrell, vice president of family, home and community, to explore the desire of American seniors to “age in place.” As housing instability among seniors continues to rise, the podcast’s guests discuss how civil legal services can help. The Legal Counsel for the Elderly (LCE) helps seniors avoid evictions through social work and legal representation in Washington, D.C.

Yesterday, the Minnesota Disability Law Center (MDLC), a division of Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid, published an Impact Report summarizing its work from October 2024 to July 2026. The report includes testimonials from attorneys about the ways MDLC protects the rights of people with disabilities, as well as its impact by the numbers, including the number of Minnesotans with disabilities that have been positively impacted through litigation, receipt of benefits, and bills at the legislature affecting statewide disability policy. The report also discusses MDLC’s facility monitoring and investigative work, as well as specific cases that have had the biggest impact.

Each year, Minnesota Lawyer’s editors spotlight the exceptional leaders shaping the state’s legal profession by naming their Legal 250. Minnesota Lawyer’s Legal 250 for 2026 has recognized Jennifer Stohl Powell, executive director of Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota (ILCM), as one of the state’s most influential immigration lawyers. A minimum of 250 outstanding honorees across a number of legal practice areas are carefully selected on the basis of prolonged success and an ability to skillfully navigate changing client needs, legal developments, technology, and economic and community environments.

If you’re an attorney with legal aid or work as a public service professional in other nonprofits or government, Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) may be an important tool to manage your student debt. Designed as a workforce investment for those seeking public interest careers with lower salaries, PSLF requires qualifying payments be made on a federal student loan, after which the balance is forgiven.

In a recently published article in Bench and Bar magazine, co-writers Dee Baskin, executive director of the Loan Repayment Assistance Program of Minnesota (LRAP-MN), and Heather Vlieger, grants & development manager with Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid, discuss recent changes in the program affecting borrowers, how to stay on track, and why PSLF protections remain critical for those committed to serving their communities.

On May 27, Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid and Robins Kaplan LLP reached a settlement in their class action lawsuit on behalf of Sartell Mobile Home Park residents. Filed last year, the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota granted final approval of the settlement, in which residents alleged they were pressured into signing illegal lease agreements, overbilled for utilities, and exposed to raw sewage within the park where their homes are located.

Court-approved relief will address current conditions, while damages from the prior owners will be pursued to compensate community residents, current and former, for their claims and hardships. One plaintiff, a longtime resident, expressed cautious optimism, saying “I’m just wanting things run smoother and not have to worry about this in the long run. I don’t want any more issues.”

Lou Her, immigration lead attorney with Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services (SMRLS) in St. Paul, spoke to the Sahan Journal recently about Minnesota refugees who have been left in limbo as a result of the Operation PARRIS program. Enhanced screening procedures for those already in the process of establishing permanent residency, has caused upheaval and uncertainty for many legal aid clients and their attorneys.

As many as 5,600 Minnesota refugees have been targeted by the program since January, and many have been required to undergo additional interviews and scrutiny. Some interviews have lasted for hours at a time, and some have been required with less than 24 hours’ notice to appear. In the Twin Cities and St. Cloud, immigration attorneys and organizations have seen refugees still awaiting decisions even after their additional interviews, and some interviews have been cancelled or rescheduled causing more confusion and distress.

Earlier this year, Law.com published a two-part series about initiatives to use AI in the provision of legal aid. As part of its legal technology analysis, Law.com looked at the 2026 Technology Initiative Grants (TIG) announced last December by the Legal Services Corporation (LSC). 2026 TIG grantee, Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services (SMRLS), along with project collaborators Legal Services State Support and Justice North, aims to utilize AI technology to improve client referral and intake processes.

The two-part series addresses the use of AI both as a measure to address the justice gap generally and to leverage available resources for maximum efficiency at the program level. With the amount of demand for legal services continuing to rise, TIG projects offer one way to address that demand by looking at processes of referral, intake, and triage, among others.

On April 16, the Minnesota State Bar Association (MSBA) recognized the winners of its annual Bernard P. Becker Legal Services Staff Awards for 2026. The four honorees were commended for their outstanding commitment to providing legal services to low-income people.  Awards were presented at the Bar’s Assembly Meeting.

• Legacy of Excellence Award
  Jessica Webster, Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid's Legal Services Advocacy Project

• Law Student Award
  Teresa Padrón, University of Minnesota Law School

• Emerging Leader Award
  Peter LaCourse, Justice North

• Advocacy Award
  Mary Rea, Legal Services State Support

Lisa Salazar, supervising attorney of the immigration unit at Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services (SMRLS) was recently honored with the Minnesota Hispanic Bar Association’s (MHBA) Access to Justice Award. The award was given in recognition of Salazar’s unwavering commitment to expanding access to legal services and strengthening the justice system for Latinos in Minnesota and beyond.

The MHBA’s 21st annual gala, held on March 27, 2026, at the McNamara Alumni Center in Minneapolis, recognizes outstanding achievement, spotlights MHBA’s impact, and raises critical support for its programs. This year’s Access to Justice award was especially significant because of the unprecedented challenges facing Minnesota’s immigrant communities.

For a group of Minneapolis renters, organizing was the leverage they needed in seeking building repairs from their landlord that included heating issues, and sanitary and safety conditions. Represented by Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid, the tenants union they formed made use of a new law that allows tenants to organize in order to improve their living conditions.

After reaching an agreement for improvements last fall, the landlord failed to meet the terms of the agreement and Legal Aid filed an affidavit of noncompliance. The Court subsequently imposed fines, all payable to the Brentwood Tenants Union (BTU) with additional fines accruing until all obligations are met. The $49,500 fine may be the largest ever awarded to a tenants union in Hennepin County housing court, according to Legal Aid attorney Julia Zwak.

In a case pursued by the Minnesota Disability Law Center of Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid, a client was repeatedly denied transportation through Lyft because of her service animal. The Minnesota college student, who is blind, reported that Lyft drivers canceled her rides when they saw her guide dog. The Minnesota Disability Law Center reported that by the end of the investigation, their client was left behind seven times on her way to medical appointments.

In addition to a financial settlement, the Minnesota Department of Human Rights will closely monitor Lyft to ensure they comply with Minnesota law granting people with disabilities the right to access transportation services with their service animals. “No one should be turned away from a ride simply because they are traveling with a service animal,” said Chad Wilson, attorney with the Minnesota Disability Law Center.

Legal Services State Support is pleased to announce the launch of a statewide campaign to increase awareness of LawHelpMN.org/immigration as the most reliable, comprehensive gateway for free immigration legal resources in Minnesota. The campaign makes immigration help resources available online and in print to increase accessibility.

“Immigration legal services should be within reach of those who need them, regardless of income. That’s why LawHelpMN exists—to help Minnesotans address legal problems by providing easy-to-understand information about their rights and connecting them to free, trustworthy legal assistance,” said J. Singleton, program manager with State Support. “We can support our communities, counter misinformation, and improve access to justice for all Minnesotans by making trusted immigration information and legal support readily available.”

On February 11, 2026, Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid released a report on child confinement in Minnesota schools. The comprehensive report, produced using the federal monitoring and investigative authority of the organization’s Minnesota Disability Law Center, presents detailed findings and photos of what seclusion in schools looks like and the implications of those findings. A press conference was held to coincide with the report’s release at the Minnesota State Capital.

Seclusion is the involuntary confinement of a child with disabilities alone in any room or area of a public school building and Minnesota law permits a school district to register seclusion rooms and isolate children with disabilities in these rooms during an emergency.  Under law, seclusion rooms are only to be used for students in grades 4-12 and schools must have a public plan, notify parents, and apply seclusion only in emergencies and by trained and licensed staff. Seclusion is not to be used for disciplinary actions.

This week, the Minnesota State Bar Association (MSBA), along with colleagues from the Hennepin and Ramsey County Bar Associations, will host on online forum to address the heightened legal need in Minnesota’s immigrant communities. The online forum will be held on Friday, February 13, at 12:00 p.m. and will offer lawyers the opportunity to connect with leaders from the Legal Services Immigration HUB (Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota, Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid, and Southern Regional Legal Services, The Advocates for Human Rights, and Volunteer Lawyers Network) and the James H. Binger Center for New Americans.  

The forum will be a moderated discussion, led by Cynthia Anderson, pro bono immigration lead with Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath, that aims to equip attorneys with strategies to provide meaningful, effective support to immigrant clients during this challenging time. As immigration leaders, forum panelists will provide an overview of urgent and emerging legal needs, as well as practical, how-to guidance for attorneys in diverse practice areas who want to effectively support these needs. Time will be devoted to Q & A.

With increasing frequency over the past eight weeks, Minnesota attorneys and advocates are recommending that residents and families at risk of detainment or deportation have a plan in place. As a first line tool in case of separation, many are suggesting a Delegation of Parental Authority (DOPA) be made so that a trusted adult can be legally designated to make decisions and provide care for a child in case their parents are absent.

In Make Plans for Your Kids, Minnesota Advocates Urge Immigrant Parents in ICE Crosshairs, Imprint News discusses the pros and cons of the DOPA and other legal options with several attorneys, including Pheng Thao of Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid.

To make sure that families are legally prepared, the Volunteer Lawyers Network launched new Deportation Preparedness Phone Services to help clients understand what they can do to take care of the family members, personal property, and financial obligations they may leave behind if they get detained or deported.

By Lisa Ramirez, Communications Director, Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid 

Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid’s consumer unit has made its mark, hosting “Low Income Taxpayer Clinics” (LITCs) throughout Minnesota and providing effective representation to clients in IRS disputes. In 2026, the unit is proudly expanding its scope of services by taking on state tax cases, as well.

Historically, state tax work by the unit was limited to cases connected to an IRS case with conditions — the cases had to stem from the same IRS tax issue and had to occur in the same year. This is no longer the case. Today, the unit’s state cases only need to fall within the project’s priority areas and do not need to be connected to a federal case.  

Legal Aid Tax Attorney Aisha Servaty says a tremendous gap in services has existed when it comes to assisting taxpayers in state tax cases and this new model of LITC services will help narrow it.