View Search Results

Deals only with civil law issues, does not cover criminal law:

• Attorneys will only advise on wills and do not draw them up
• High priority for seniors with "consumer questions" since so many seniors are victims of consumer fraud

Topics include:

• Housing
• Medical assistance
• Powers of attorney
• Healthcare directives
• Harassing creditor phone calls
• Garnishments
• Long-term care
• Income and benefits issues

Deals only with civil law issues, does not cover criminal law:

• Attorneys will only advise on wills and do not draw them up
• High priority for seniors with "consumer questions" since so many seniors are victims of consumer fraud

Topics include:

• Housing
• Medical assistance
• Powers of attorney
• Healthcare directives
• Harassing creditor phone calls
• Garnishments
• Long-term care
• Income and benefits issues

Provides legal advice and/or representation in cases involving:

• Denial of relocation benefits based on government displacement and non-return of security deposits

• Discrimination

• Eviction (Unlawful Detainer)

• Illegal lockouts and utility terminations by landlords

• Maintenance and repairs in rental housing

• Mortgage foreclosures and cancellations of contracts for deed

• Public and subsidized housing admissions and terminations

• Utility shut-offs

Administers legal programs and services through offices in Anoka, Minneapolis, Saint Cloud, and Wilmar. Helps eligible clients through direct representation, brief advice, and through participating in community legal education programs and clinics. Services include:

• Family law
• Housing issues
• Public benefits
• Employment
• Criminal expungement
• Consumer dept

Does not provide representation in CRIMINAL law matters

Assists tenants with finding funding, alternative housing, and other resources to assist with legal questions

Provides Minnesota's veterans with legal information, referrals, and legal advice regarding most legal topics. Legal representation services for veterans who are in housing court on a case-by-case basis. Veteran advocate lawyers are only licensed to advise on Minnesota state law, but can connect veterans with legal resources in other states that will meet their legal needs. Legal clinics are also available across the state throughout the year to assist veterans with questions, legal forms, and counsel. Visit website for event details.

• Ready-to-Rent workshops for tenants looking to establish or rebuild a positive rental history

• Workshops for landlords on topics such as fair housing laws, local government rules and requirements, and business fundamentals

• Community resource on the rights and responsibilities of both tenants and landlords

• Mediation services to help resolve tenant/landlord and neighbor to neighbor disputes, in hopes of reducing the costs of eviction on all sides

Assists tenants in building apartment search skills, learning tenant rights and responsibilities, and, budgeting/creating a debt repayment plan. Additional services include:

• Assists tenants in establishing an action plan to either eliminate, explain, or correct problems associated with tenant screening

• Assists tenants with obtaining and understanding tenant screening reports through education and advocacy

• One-on-one assistance to address individual rental issues

• Provides a financial literacy certificate training

• Provides referrals to metro area vacancies (as available)

Provides legal services including:

• Creditor problems and harassment by bill collectors
• Contract-for-Deed issues
• Custody and visitation issues
• Divorce
• Evictions
• Family issues
• Fuel assistance
• Garnishment
• Housing code violations
• Landlord-tenant issues including leases, evictions, denials of subsidized housing, fair housing, repair issues, etc.
• Mortgage foreclosures
• Representation for General Assistance, MFIP, Food Benefits, and Medical Assistance
• Unemployment compensation
• Utilities
• Supplemental Security Income

Legal Clinics: Virtual advice regarding Bankruptcy, Family Law, and Social Security is available Home visits may be possible Legal Aid does not handle adoption, paternity, or wills, but special circumstance cases are considered Assistance may involve representation, advice, or referral. The demand for services is high and Legal Aid is unable to handle all requests for assistance. There are established case priorities and, in some instances, waiting lists have become necessary to allocate services. Advice appointments may occur in person, on the phone, electronically, at clinics, or outreach.

Provides legal advice and representation for housing issues related to eviction, mortgage foreclosure, poor housing conditions, Section 8, accessibility issues for disabled individuals, or discrimination.

Private attorneys agree to take cases for clients who have been screened through the intake process and either need representation in a matter that is not an area of Legal Assistance of Olmsted County's expertise, or where there is a conflict of interest. Areas of available legal assistance may include:

• Consumer/financial law

• Elder law/wills

• Employment law

• Family law

• Guardianship/conservatorship law

• Immigration law

• Landlord/tenant housing law

• Property/real estate law

Provides guidance with a landlord/tenant or conciliation court question; clients can speak with an attorney for up to half an hour.

Court and Legal Information:

• Landlord/tenant information
• Law library
• Pro-se forms for self-representation
• Information on other legal issues

Coordination of Court Activities:

• Coordination of public defenders (Public defenders need to be referred from the courts; individuals can not be self-referred.)
• Coordinates and schedules court calendars
• Coordination of jury selection

Fees and Filing:

• Collection and receipt of fees, bonds, and escrow funds
• Notary public
• Files Notary Public registration, wills, and minister credentials Marriage Ceremonies:
• Performs civil marriage ceremonies

Protective and Legal Services:

• Orders for protection/domestic abuse
• Restraining orders for harassment
• Issues warrants, subpoenas, and executions on judgments

Administers legal programs and services through offices in Anoka, Minneapolis, Saint Cloud, and Wilmar. Helps eligible clients through direct representation, brief advice, and through participating in community legal education programs and clinics. Services include:

• Family law
• Housing issues
• Public benefits
• Employment
• Criminal expungement
• Consumer dept

Does not provide representation in CRIMINAL law matters

Provides Minnesota's veterans with legal information, referrals, and legal advice regarding most legal topics. Legal representation services for veterans who are in housing court on a case-by-case basis. Veteran advocate lawyers are only licensed to advise on Minnesota state law, but can connect veterans with legal resources in other states that will meet their legal needs. Legal clinics are also available across the state throughout the year to assist veterans with questions, legal forms, and counsel. Visit website for event details.

Processes court cases filed in Polk County and offers other legal services, including:

• Civil court

• Court records

• Criminal state trial court

• Family court

• Jury selection

• Juvenile court

• Landlord/tenant information

• Law Library

• Notary Public

• Order for protection forms

• Probate court

• Traffic court

Legal services and representation provided to victims as they interact with the various systems that may be related to sexual assault. These include the criminal justice system, law enforcement, governmental entities, social services, civil attorneys and others. An attorney and legal advocate work specifically with victim/survivors on the sometimes complicated issues that can arise as a result of sexual violence. Legal services for victims of sexual assault including:

• Applying for a protection order, known as an Order for Protection (OFP) or Harassment Restraining Orders (HRO)

• Applying for Crime Victim Reparations (reimbursement for expenses due to the violence)

• Applying for the Safe at Home Address Confidentiality Program

• Assistance Writing Victim Impact Statements

• Attending court and campus hearings

• Ending a lease due to sexual violence

• Follow up interviews with law enforcement or educational institutions

• Legal advice and representation in civil legal matters including:

• Divorce, child custody, and paternity

• Employment

• Housing (landlord/tenant disputes)

• Immigration

• Orders for Protection/Harassment Restraining Orders

• Title IX (prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or any other education program)

• Provide information about the criminal justice process

• Reporting sexual violence, including trafficking and exploitation

• Safety planning

Volunteer attorneys spend between 15 - 30 minutes per client providing legal advice and/or brief services and assistance in preparing forms on conciliation court claims up to $15,000. Attorneys can usually complete and print the conciliation court claim form and can help prepare for a hearing, draft demand letters, and prepare a counterclaim or cross-claim related to an existing conciliation court case. Conciliation court issues could include:

• Back rent owed

• Damage to property

• Defective goods

• Defective workmanship

• Property recovery

• Security deposits

• Unpaid wage claims

Note: Individuals receive free legal advice or brief services, not representation, from an attorney. The attorneys are volunteers and may have emergencies that may require them to cancel at the last minute.

Provides free legal advice and referrals on most civil legal issues, including:

• Criminal expungement

• Employment law

• Family law (custody related to divorce)

• Landlord/tenant

• Legal Kiosk: Provides a private room with a computer and secure password login for use by youth to maintain court dates, appointments with the county, and other legal appointments. Must reserve the legal kiosk room.

Volunteer Lawyers Network attorneys may or may not specialize in a given area but should be able to point clients towards resources if they are unable to offer assistance in a client's particular need.

Protective and Legal Services:

• Temporary Restraining Order filing office
• Issues warrants, subpoenas, and executions on judgments
• Performs civil marriage ceremonies

Court and Legal Information:

• Landlord/tenant information
• Law Library
• Pro-se forms for self-representation
• Information on other legal issues

Coordination of Court Activities:

• Coordination of public defender
• Jury selection
• Coordinates and schedules court's calendars
• The department is responsible for processing and scheduling of Civil, Family/Probate, Criminal/Traffic, Juvenile, and Conciliation (small claims) cases through the court system. Court calendars reflect scheduled courtroom hearings, but they do not include all matters handled by the court each day. Confidential cases are not posted in this calendar, so if the case does not appear on the calendar, do not assume that court appearance has been cancelled or rescheduled.

Fees and Filing:

• Collection and receipt of fees, bonds, and escrow funds
• Notary Public
• Files Notary Public registration
• Wills
• Minister credentials

Licenses and Records:

• Divorce/custody records
• Other legal records

Provides legal assistance and educational opportunities and resources. Legal issues covered include:

• Debt collection

• Divorce, parenting time, custody, or other family law issues

• Employment

• Impounded car

• Landlord/tenant or property

• Probate

• Purchase or service contracts

• Simple wills and health care directives

• Any other civil legal issues

Administers legal programs and services through offices in Anoka, Minneapolis, Saint Cloud, and Wilmar. Helps eligible clients through direct representation, brief advice, and through participating in community legal education programs and clinics. Services include:

• Family law
• Housing issues
• Public benefits
• Employment
• Criminal expungement
• Consumer dept

Does not provide representation in CRIMINAL law matters

Pre-eviction service to help divert nonpayment of rent, breach of lease and failure to vacate cases from the courtroom. Tenants have access to the services available through the Eviction Prevention Program without having to go to court, including legal advice, mediation/negotiation, and financial counseling and assistance.

Free legal advice and basic services on a variety of civil issues including immigration, housing, and debt collection

Provides legal assistance in criminal matters from petty misdemeanors to felonies, as well as many areas of civil law. Civil Law - General

• Collections

• Commitment

• Expungement

• Garnishment

• General Assistance

• Housing

• Landlord/Tenant

• Name Change

• Native American Enrollment

• Public Assistance

• SSI

• Unemployment

• Unlawful Detainer

? Civil Law - Family

• Child Support

• CHIPS

• Custody

• Dissolution

• Guardianship

• Harassment

• Long Term Foster Care

• Orders for Protection

• Paternity

• Termination of Parental Rights

• Visitation