Legal Services State Support

Legal Services State Support
Legal Services State Support — Connecting the Legal Aid Community
In the News
Apr 21, 2026
MSBA Presents 2026 Bernard P. Becker Honors
Apr 21, 2026
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
Read More →
Apr 21, 2026
Apr 13, 2026
SMRLS Attorney Lisa Salazar Honored with Access to Justice Award
Apr 13, 2026
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.
Read More →
Apr 13, 2026
Apr 1, 2026
Accruing Fine Awarded to Minneapolis Tenants Union for Housing Conditions
Apr 1, 2026
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.
Read More →
Apr 1, 2026
Mar 16, 2026
Lyft Settlement Brings Clarity to Rights with Service Animals
Mar 16, 2026
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.
Read More →
Mar 16, 2026
Mar 4, 2026
State Support Launches LawHelpMN Immigration Legal Help Page
Mar 4, 2026
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.”
Read More →
Mar 4, 2026
Feb 16, 2026
Children in Confinement: Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid Releases School Seclusion Report
Feb 16, 2026
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.
Read More →
Feb 16, 2026
Feb 10, 2026
Urgent Legal Needs Forum: Supporting Minnesota’s Immigrant Communities
Feb 10, 2026
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.
Read More →
Feb 10, 2026
Feb 4, 2026
Legal Advocates Recommend At-Risk Families Prepare for Detention or Deportation
Feb 4, 2026
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.
Read More →
Feb 4, 2026
Jan 20, 2026
Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid Set to Tackle State Tax Cases
Jan 20, 2026
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.
Read More →
Jan 20, 2026
Jan 6, 2026
Historic Merger of Two Programs Brings Greater Services to Northern Minnesota
Jan 6, 2026
On January 1, 2026, Justice North and Legal Services of Northwest Minnesota (LSNM) began operating together under one name:
Justice North
. For decades, the two civil legal aid programs have worked side by side to serve individuals and families in Minnesota’s northwestern and northeastern regions. With this merger, the two staffs combine their institutional expertise, capacity, and resources to serve 33 counties—more than 52,000 square miles across northern Minnesota—with more comprehensive services and a stronger community presence throughout the region. The historic merger creates one of the largest civil legal aid service areas in the state dedicated to the provision of high-quality civil legal help to those with low incomes.
The two organizations joined forces because of a mutual belief that it would improve their services, streamline their work, and make it easier for people to access the civil legal help they need. All existing Justice North and LSNM offices will keep operating as part of the new Justice North. Offices are located in Alexandria, Bemidji, Brainerd, Duluth, Grand Rapids, Moorhead, Pine City, and Virginia.
Read More →
Jan 6, 2026
Dec 15, 2025
For Renters Using Vouchers, MN Supreme Court Expands Protections
Dec 15, 2025
Earlier this fall, Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid led a successful challenge at the Minnesota Supreme Court to reverse a 1995 precedent affecting renters using housing subsidies. One protection Minnesota tenants have is that landlords waive their right to evict if they accept rent payments despite knowing about specific lease violations. Until now this protection didn’t apply to tenants who used housing subsidies like Section 8 vouchers to pay rent. They could still be evicted.
Gary Van Winkle, a veteran housing attorney with Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid, represented a client who continued to pay rent using Section 8 vouchers for months after her landlord learned about a lease violation in 2022. When the landlord began an eviction action against her the following year, Van Winkle took the case in hopes of challenging the long-standing precedent. In pursuing it all way to the Supreme Court, the client and Van Winkle were able to secure an eviction protection that renters using subsidies have been denied for 30 years.
Read More →
Dec 15, 2025
Dec 11, 2025
Cancer Legal Care and State Support Announce the Connections Project
Dec 11, 2025
State Support is excited to announce a new project with our legal services community partner,
Cancer Legal Care (CLC)
, a nonprofit law firm providing free legal advice and services to Minnesotans facing cancer.  The Connections Project is a co-envisioned endeavor to broadly share information about
LawHelpMN.org
with CLC’s connections in the Minnesota health care and cancer support communities. Through this joint communications effort, State Support hopes to develop relationships that will increase the reach of LawHelpMN across sectors, while CLC simultaneously expands the provision of legal support resources to assist with the myriad issues that can come up during a cancer diagnosis.
CLC’s long-standing legal work in Minnesota provides vital services for those whose lives are upended by cancer. Since 2019, CLC’s direct legal services have protected or recovered more than $5,000,000 for their clients by way of successful insurance appeals for denied cancer treatments, life insurance benefits, private disability benefits, and securing monthly income streams through Social Security disability benefits when clients are no longer able to work. Anyone affected by any cancer (patient, survivor, or caregiver) living anywhere in the state is eligible for CLC’s services. To date they have served clients in 79 of Minnesota’s 87 counties.
Read More →
Dec 11, 2025