Bench & Bar Features MMLA’s Julia Zwak on Housing Reform

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.

While Zwak commends the legislature for its forward momentum in recent years, eviction defense for many eligible renters lags or is not available in all Minnesota jurisdictions. There are just not enough civil legal aid or public sector attorneys. Zwak also outlines troubling trends in eviction filing rates in 2024 along with a lack of affordable housing and the rising cost of living. The majority of filings continue to be for non-payment of rent.

Read the full feature in Bench and Bar, along with a call to action for attorneys interested in pro bono work on behalf of renters facing eviction. A PDF of the January/February edition can also be downloaded.