Central Minnesota Legal Services

1.the highest priority area of Legal need is family law. Cmls prioritizes representing victim/survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in orders for protection, dissolution of marriage and other family law cases cmls accepts applications by phone, on-line applications, and referrals for a wide range of family law cases. Cmls prioritizes cases where there is domestic violence and child related relief is needed. In hennepin county, the largest county in the cmls service area which includes minneapolis, cmls partners with hennepin county's domestic abuse service center. Cmls staff attorneys are present daily to speak to victims and to answer questions for Legal advocates. Victims are offered advice and representation in order for protection matters. Victims who have other family law issues associated with an order for protection case are frequently accepted as clients and receive representation from cmls attorneys. Cmls staff provide advice and assistance to self-represented litigants through community clinics. In anoka county, cmls staff attorneys hold twice-monthly clinics for people with family law problems in partnership with the anoka county law library. Clients receive advice and help with Legal forms. Cmls participates in a weekly eviction clinic with community partners. In the st. Cloud area, cmls staff hold regular clinics with the st. Cloud veteran's administration and with domestic violence programs in mille lacs and todd counties. In the willmar area cmls partners with a domestic violence program in marshall, mn. 2. Housing cmls prioritizes housing cases that will prevent homelessness and preserve access to low-cost safe and sanitary housing. Cmls accepts applications by phone, on-line applications and referrals for housing cases throughout our service area. Cmls staff attorneys participate in a housing court eviction project in anoka county. The project partners include the volunteer lawyer network, the anoka county law library, anoka county district court and mediation and restorative Services of anoka county. Cmls staff attorneys also participate in an eviction court project in the 8th judicial district. 3.volunteer attorney program cmls operates a vibrant pro bono program in 19 of the 21 counties it serves and is expanding into anoka county. Cmls staff provide the infrastructure to facilitate the ability of private attorneys to take pro bono cases through the cmls volunteer attorney program. They do this by conducting intake and completing client applications, providing training for volunteers, processing requests for interpreters, expense payments and contract fees, and providing recognition to volunteers who perform Legal work for clients. Another activity is providing mediation Services in family law cases. Attorney mediators provide a service for low income people required to use mediation by the judicial system as there are very few options for mediation in the rural counties of the cmls service area. The volunteer attorney program provides attorneys in cases where cmls staff attorneys may have a conflict of interest. Regular clinics are held with partners such as the wright county law library, the great river regional library in st. Cloud, isanti county district court and the sherburne county law library. Cmls uses technology resources to help overcome transportation barriers for clients. Clients have the option of attending clinic appointments in person or by zoom. The volunteer attorney program includes a reduced rate contract attorney program similar to the judicare model. The program is for family law cases, most of which are contested in court proceedings, and helps meet the need of low income people for help with family law cases.