Legal Services State Support

Founded in 1981, State Support is operated by an association of seven Minnesota regional legal services programs that help low-income Minnesotans with a broad range of civil legal matters. State Support provides services to these programs, other civil legal services providers, and other segments of the justice community. Its primary goals are to:

• support and train legal services advocates, including through innovative uses of technology;
• support pro bono volunteerism; and
• educate and empower pro se litigants.

In its efforts to accomplish these goals, State Support’s primary offerings to the justice community include:

• LawHelpMN.org, a comprehensive state-wide legal education and referral website, including live navigational assistance through LiveHelp;
• ProJusticeMN.org, a website for legal services and pro bono practitioners, law students, and others, including poverty law materials and volunteer opportunities;
• new, innovative models of service delivery, including online intake and online advice;
• automated form completion interviews for pro se litigants and pro bono and legal services attorneys;
• poverty law practice group coordination and maintenance of subject area listservs;
• poverty law trainings, both in person and online;
• plain language community legal education materials, in multiple formats and languages;
• community outreach throughout the state to prospective clients and community partners who serve them; and
• a bi-weekly e-newsletter for the statewide justice community.

State Support carries out its activities with a small staff and help from a wide network of collaborators, including legal service providers throughout the State, pro bono coordinators and placement programs, the state bar, the courts, law schools, public and law librarians, community organizations, and others.