Pro Bono services are defined as:

"Pro Bono Publico"  means providing or assisting to provide quality legal services in order to enhance access to justice for persons of limited means; charitable, religious, civic, community, governmental and educational organizations in matters that are designed primarily to address the legal needs of persons with limited means; or individuals, groups or organizations seeking to secure or protect civil rights, civil liberties or public rights.

Community Service is defined as:

 “Community Service” is defined as volunteer activities that would not meet the definition of pro bono, as adopted by the delegates in Resolution 99F-4 and is further defined as unpaid services that are volunteered by individuals to benefit an organization, community, or its institutions that are provided through the direction of a non-profit organization as defined under the Internal Revenue Code.  The definition focuses on volunteer services that improve the quality of life for community residents, or to solve particular problems related to their needs. 

Opportunities

Fourth Judicial District Ethics Committee

Volunteer as an investigator with the 4th District Ethics Committee (DEC). The purpose of the 4th DEC is to investigate ethics complaints against attorneys who have their primary practice in Hennepin County. The 4th DEC meets on alternating Wednesdays at 8:00 a.m., and meetings typically run anywhere from 1 – 2 hours. You are not expected to attend every meeting; however, you are welcome to attend as many meetings as you would like. Investigators receive approximately 2 investigations per year. You are required to attend meetings in person when you have an investigation due (all investigations are due 90 days after their assignment).

The Committee hears investigators’ reports, discusses them and recommends to the Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility (OLPR) whether discipline is warranted. Volunteer investigators may serve two consecutive three-year terms, take one year off, and serve an additional two consecutive three-year terms. We ask that people commit to at least one year on the Committee. New investigators must attend a training session (held at the HCBA, approximately 2.5 hours long) before receiving their first investigation.

Contact Sarah Mayer | 612-752-6625 for more information on the 4th District Ethics Committee.

MN LAWYERS PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY BOARD

The MN Lawyers Professional Responsibility Board invites members of the Minnesota Paralegal Association to serve on local District Ethics Committees. These Committees are charged with investigating complaints of lawyer alleged unprofessional conduct and submitting reports and recommendations about those complaints.  This is a great opportunity to contribute to your community, to help safeguard high ethical standards for Minnesota attorneys, and to help ensure the integrity of the judicial system.

Candidates should have an interest in justice, the law, and/or legal procedures. Candidates do not need to be lawyers or to work in the legal profession to qualify –  members of the Minnesota Paralegal Association, including students, are strongly encouraged to apply.  Candidates must also be comfortable investigating claims thoroughly and impartially (which will include interviewing people by phone and in person), be able to adhere to strict confidentiality rules, be comfortable working under deadlines, and be able to write clearly and concisely. Training and support are provided.

District Ethics Committee volunteers are appointed to a three-year term and can expect to investigate one to two complaints a year.  The time commitment is flexible and varies.

There are 21 District Ethics Committees throughout Minnesota. Candidates will be appointed by the District Bar Association in their area.

If you are interested, please submit your resume to the Volunteer Coordinator

Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility
1500 Landmark Towers
345 St. Peter Street, St. Paul, MN 55102
tel. 651-296-3952/email: DECCoordinator@courts.state.mn.us

JUSTICE NORTH Civil Legal Aid

Approved Legal Paraprofessional’s of the MN Legal Paraprofessional Pilot Project are invited to volunteer with Justice North Civil Legal Aid through their established Private Attorney Involvement Program (PAI) to provide high quality legal services to eligible low-income clients in civil matters. Case priorities are those areas of law that impact an individual's safety, stability or security.

How much time will I need to spend? Is it at a set time?

Every case is different – Justice North PAI tries to place every client for at least advice and counsel. If further services are needed, PAI can review the client’s matter at that time. If the Legal Paraprofessional who advised the client is unable to assist further, PAI will look for alternate representation for the client. Typically, advice consultations are phone calls and take between a half hour to an hour depending on the complexity of the matter. Clients are informed of the level of placement when the placement materials are sent to level set expectations. PAI is happy to collaborate with volunteers to allow them to engage as much or as little as they choose and in the areas they choose.

What training or support is available?

PAI offers mentoring from other volunteer attorneys and Legal Paraprofessionals in a variety of legal practice areas. PAI also provides volunteers with ongoing training opportunities from several sources, reduced tuition to MSBA institutes like the Family Law Institute and Elder Law Institute, and free trainings and CLE credits through Justice North.

  • Counties Served: Aitkin, Carlton, Cass, Cook, Crow Wing, Itasca, Kanabec, Koochiching, Lake, Pine, Saint Louis.
  • Volunteers may participate long-distance: Yes.
  • Area of law: Some family law cases that involve allegations of domestic abuse or child abuse and provide advice and representation for petitioners in some order for protection (OFP) and harassment restraining order (HRO) cases as detailed by the MN Legal Paraprofessional Pilot Project.
  • Populations Served: Low Income, MN.
  • Hours for Pro Bono Opportunities: Flexible.
  • Malpractice insurance is provided for volunteers: Yes.
  • Training Provided: Yes.
  • Training Required: No.
  • CLE credit for trainings: Yes.
  • CLE credit for pro bono: Yes.
  • Mentoring or supervision offered: Yes.
  • Volunteer lawyers need to meet a caseload or hours requirement: No
  • Other Case Load Requirements: No requirement, hours vary from 30 min/1 hour for advice calls up to full representation.

To volunteer or ask questions, please contact: Eve Utyro (she/her), Manager, Private Attorney Involvement Program at eve.utyro@justicenorth.org or 218-623-8108.

The Advocates for Human Rights

For Spanish language speakers:

The Advocates for Human Rights is currently looking for Spanish-speaking volunteers to assist with client intake via phone. Their client line operates on Tuesdays between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. and Thursdays between 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. The Advocates aim to increase the number of individuals trained to answer the phone line and ask potential clients eligibility screening questions and/or conduct intake interviews as the organization averages around 50 calls per day (12,000 per year!). Nearly all the individuals who have contacted The Advocates recently have been Spanish speakers, so Spanish-language skills are essential.

The Advocates are looking for volunteers who are interested in:

  1. Answering the client line and asking initial intake and eligibility questions. Potential clients would then be transferred to a staff member or intake volunteer or scheduled for an intake interview depending on staff availability. The Advocates will conduct all necessary training. No prior knowledge of Advocates programs, etc. necessary. This would be a fixed-time, regularly scheduled opportunity (at least one shift of two hours per month).
  2. Conducting intake interviews (i.e., be the person a call is transferred to after the eligibility screening). Volunteers will shadow staff and receive more intensive training on conducting intake interviews and completing the internal intake forms. This would be a fixed-time, regularly scheduled opportunity (at least one shift of two hours per month).

The Advocate’s office is skyway connected in downtown Minneapolis and located at: 330 Second Avenue South, Suite 800, Minneapolis, MN 55401. Volunteer shifts are to be completed on location.

As paralegals, we are uniquely prepared to assist with The Advocates client intake process as they work to address some of the most pressing issues of our time.

Please feel free to reach out to MPA’s Pro Bono Chair, Kiersten McMahon (probono@mnparalegals.org) or Theresa Dykoschak, Pro Bono Counsel with the Advocates for Human Rights (tdykoschak@advrights.org) with any questions and to begin volunteering.

Immigration Court Observation Project:

The Immigration Court Observation Project draws on the international human rights practice of trial monitoring to identify, bring visibility to, and end systemic human rights violations arising in the context of civil immigration enforcement.

The project brings observers from the public into the Fort Snelling Immigration Court in Minnesota to observe and document immigration hearings. The project launched in 2017 to monitor hearings of people facing deportation while held in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention. Today, volunteers observe hearings on the detained, non-detained, and dedicated families and children dockets.

The Immigration Court Observation Project is a collaboration among The Advocates for Human Rights, the James H. Binger Center for New Americans at the University of Minnesota Law School, and Robins Kaplan LLP in Minnesota.

Interested persons may Register to Volunteer here.

WATCH Court Monitoring:

WATCH became part of The Advocates for Human Rights in June 2019. WATCH has been monitoring Hennepin County Courts for 30 years and has recently added court monitoring in Ramsey and Washington counties. Its established court monitoring of trafficking cases complements The Advocates' decade of work to combat sex trafficking in Minnesota.

Without monitoring and accountability, systems fail to protect women. By integrating new and existing volunteers, The Advocates will continue to use court monitoring and documentation to change and implement laws to end violence against women.

Interested persons may Sign Up to Volunteer here.

Translation Services:

The Advocates for Human Rights has an ongoing need for volunteers to translate documents and interpret during in-person meetings or interviews. Interpreters are typically needed for services during normal business hours. Translators can often perform services outside of normal business hours. Their clients come from all over the world, but they especially need volunteers who speak:

  • French,
  • Amharic,
  • Oromo,
  • Somali,
  • Arabic,
  • Spanish, and
  • Hmong.

The Advocates for Human Rights will train, support, and provide resource materials to volunteers.

Requirements: Interpreters do not need to attend a training before beginning work on a case. All volunteers must complete a confidentiality agreement.

Interested persons may Sign Up to Volunteer here.

Wills For Heroes

The Wills for Heroes (WFH) program was started in Columbia, South Carolina after 9/11 and is designed to assist emergency personnel in preparing Wills to protect themselves and their families. Launched in Minnesota in 2007 by the MSBA Probate and Trust Section, the Minnesota program is now part of the Amicus Society, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, and is one of 27 programs nationwide.

The WFH program provides first responders and their spouse with a volunteer attorney to assist in preparing wills and other estate planning documents at no charge. Those eligible include:

·        Police officers

·        Firefighters

·        EMTs and Paramedics

·        Corrections officers

·        Spouses or widow/widowers of such personnel

To volunteer, please check the clinic schedule on the website and contact the Program Director(s) with your name, contact, information, and date/location you wish to volunteer.

Volunteer Lawyers Network

Established in 1966, Volunteer Lawyers Network, Ltd. (VLN) is a 501(c)3 non-profit which provides civil legal services to low-income people through volunteer attorneys. VLN’s mission is to protect and promote the basic human needs of people in poverty through the power of legal volunteers.

VLN has volunteer opportunities in most areas of civil law and opportunities for all experience levels. Substantive training resources, seminars and experienced mentors are available in most areas. Administrative support, mailing addresses and malpractice insurance is available to all volunteers representing or advising a VLN client.

VLN has volunteer opportunities for paralegals, paralegal students, law students and anyone interested in supporting VLN’s mission. Please see the Non-Attorney and Intern Application for more information.

Minnesota Guardian ad Litem Board

The State Guardian ad Litem Board was established by legislation in 2010 to administer a statewide, independent guardian ad litem program to advocate for the best interest of children in Juvenile and Family courts.

The Program Administrator, who reports to the board, supervises the program managers from the ten judicial districts. Each judicial district program is configured to service the needs of the judicial district. Within each judicial district, there are part-time and full-time Guardians ad Litem with the Second and Fourth Judicial District utilizing primarily volunteers in addition to paid staff.

The mission of the State Guardian ad Litem Board is to provide well trained, effective guardians ad litem to advocate for safe and permanent homes for the children we represent in Juvenile and Family courts.

The program requirements establish minimum qualifications for Guardians ad Litem, define the role of the Guardian ad Litem, specify minimum annual training and continuing education and supervision responsibilities.

Olmsted County - Victim Services Crisis Line

Volunteer advocates go through a 40-hour training after which they are Certified Volunteer Advocates in the state of Minnesota.

After completing training, volunteers answer our 24/7 crisis line offering a caring voice to provide emotional support, referrals, and information for victims of sexual assault and other crimes. Additionally, volunteer advocates assist victims/survivors at the hospital during a sexual assault exam as well as law enforcement interviews.

Crisis line shifts are nightly from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. as well as weekend and holiday days from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Crisis line advocates can respond to crisis line calls from their homes.

When a volunteer has the crisis line, they are required to stay at their house the entire shift unless they are called out to respond to Saint Mary’s Emergency Department. Volunteers will be trained to answer crisis calls, help with de-escalation, safety planning, and connecting callers to resources. Volunteers are also trained to respond out to Saint Mary’s Emergency Department to support a victim of sexual assault. Before volunteering all volunteers must take the free 40-hour Sexual Assault Training and pass background check.

Please contact the Volunteer Coordinator for more information on becoming a Certified Volunteer Advocate.

Hennepin County Family Court Services (FCS)

Volunteer with the Department of Community Corrections and Rehabilitation Current openings: Counselor Aide to assist Family Court Services staff with a variety of functions, such as, responding to busy phone lines, assisting with in-person intakes, and navigating families through the court system adding a touch of care and empathy to the complexities of the divorce and custody process.  Wednesday, Thursday (full day or half a day 8:30-4:30) and Friday mornings at the Justice Center, 110 South Fourth Street, Minneapolis MN 55401.

Contact: Tatiana.Przytula@hennepin.us; 612-348-6893

LegalCORPS Seeks Spanish Speaking Volunteers

LegalCORPS is a non-profit organization with a roster of 500 volunteer business law attorneys who help Minnesota’s low-income entrepreneurs get the legal advice they need for their businesses at no cost. LegalCORPS and the Latino Economic Development Center have partnered on a monthly business legal advice clinic which is held every 3rd Tuesday of the month for 2 hours in the evening at the East Side Enterprise Center in St. Paul. They are searching for Spanish speakers, both attorneys and interpreters for English speaking attorneys to volunteer at the clinic. Bilingual, Spanish-speaking paralegals would be ideal for this position given their knowledge of the legal field and their ability to translate legal language from English to Spanish.

If interested, please contact LegalCORPS’ Entrepreneurs of Color Program Development Coordinator, Louis Enriquez-Sarano at lsarano@legalcorps.org or 612.278.6347.

LegalCORPS Seeks Spanish Speaking Volunteers 

LegalCORPS is a non-profit organization with a roster of 500 volunteer business law attorneys who help Minnesota’s low-income entrepreneurs get the legal advice they need for their businesses at no cost.  LegalCORPS and the Latino Economic Development Center have partnered on a monthly business legal advice clinic  which is held every 3rd Tuesday of the month for 2 hours in the evening at the East Side Enterprise Center in St. Paul. They are searching for Spanish speakers, both attorneys and interpreters for English speaking attorneys to volunteer at the clinic. Bilingual, Spanish-speaking paralegals would be ideal for this position given their knowledge of the legal field and their ability to translate legal language from English to Spanish.

If interested, please contact LegalCORPS’ Entrepreneurs of Color Program Development Coordinator, Louis Enriquez-Sarano at lsarano@legalcorps.org or 612.278.6347.

Do you want to add new pro bono or community service opportunities? Email probono@mnparalegals.org

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