Mid Minnesota Legal Assistance, Legal Aid, is the umbrella corporation for Legal Aid Society of Minneapolis (LASM), St. Cloud Area Legal Services (SCALS), Western Minnesota Legal Services (WMLS), and the Minnesota Disability Law Center (MDLC).

The problems of people who need but cannot afford legal help know no boundries, and our clients are as likely to come from small, central Minnesota towns as from the city neighborhoods of Minneapolis. Legal Aid provides free civil legal services in 20 counties in Minnesota, and for people with disabilites throughout the state.

When you support Legal Aid with your gift, you are helping to:

* Prevent homelessness
* Keep children in school
* Secure resources for basic needs
* Improve substandard living conditions
* Provide equal opportunities for people with disabilities at home, at work and
at school
* Protect consumers
* Aid victims of domestic violence/sexual assault to have safe lives
* Fight housing discrimination
* Provide help for immigrants seeking a better life

To understand what Legal Aid is, you first need to know that if you are accused of a crime in the United States and cannot afford an attorney, it is mandated that you be provided one free of charge. There is no such mandate for civil issues. For the family swindled out of their home, for the woman who loses her benefits, for the mother and children living in unsafe housing rented from a landlord who will not make repairs, for the child fleeing an abusive home, for the boy denied an education because of a disability, for the woman turned away from housing because of the color of her skin - for these and so many others, there is Legal Aid.

One Case.
Victims of domestic abuse find their way to Legal Aid's St. Cloud Area Legal Services by way of the Domestic Violence Court Project. When a felony level abuser is arrested and admitted to court, an advocate helps connect the victim to Legal Aid. This is one woman's story.

A young woman was connected with Legal Aid's St. Cloud Area Legal Services office after being in court because of her husband's physical abuse. Initially she came to Legal Aid because of her financial situation, which was in part the result of her abuser's actions. It became apparent when she spoke with an attorney at Legal Aid that she wasn't ready yet to sever her ties to her husband; the attorney told her that Legal Aid would keep in touch, and that's exactly what we did. Three months later, she returned the call. This time she needed an Order For Protection, and she was ready to leave the marriage. Her Legal Aid attorney got the Order For Protection for her, and helped her to move ahead with the divorce. Legal Aid didn't walk away from her; she was never really unconnected to the help waiting for her, and she picked up on that connection when she was ready to. Because of Legal Aid, she now has the opportunity to live her life free of fear.

OUR PROGRAMS:
Legal Aid Society of Minneapolis - (LASM) providing legal aid in Hennepin County

Minnesota Disability Law Center -(MDLC) Providing legal help to children and adults with disabilities in Minnesota

St. Cloud Area Legal Services: (SCALS) Legal Aid's office in St. Cloud, serving people in Benton, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Sherburne, Stearns, Tood and Wright counties.

Western Minnesota Legal Services (WMLS) - Legal Aid's office in Willmar, serving people in Big Stone, Chippewa, Kandiyohi, Lac qui Parle, Lincoln, Lyon, Meeker, Renville, Swift and Yellow Medicine counties.

To learn more about Legal Aid and the people we serve, please go to www.midmnlegal.org