Legal Services Champion Jamie Becker-Finn to Speak at Statewide Conference

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).

In addition to her legislative achievements, Rep. Becker-Finn is an adjunct professor at Mitchell Hamline School of Law and owns Makwa Coffee, a community-focused coffee shop in the city of Roseville.  She is a Leech Lake Ojibwe descendant and grew up in rural Minnesota.

In her plenary presentation, “Path to Legislative Impact: Insights from Representative Becker-Finn on Civil Legal Services, Public Defense, and Rejecting the Status Quo,” she will share her background and path to service, as well as the need for more people to engage and influence the legislative process. Along with insights about the historic increase in state funding for civil legal services and public defense, Becker-Finn will also discuss the importance of the People of Color & Indigenous Caucus and Queer Caucus in Minnesota's legislature.

Stay tuned for more information about this year’s conference, Bridging Worlds: Community, Culture, and the Work of Legal Aid, at Madden’s Resort on Gull Lake, November 6 - 8, 2024. Registration opens on August 20th!