The Legal Connector
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Vol. 3, No. 1 January 2016
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Dear Reader:
On Monday the 19th (MLK Day), I had lunch with several folks who, like me, are part of a downtown Minneapolis service club. The purpose of the meeting?
To discuss creation of the club's very first diversity and inclusion committee.
The club, now 30 years old, has never before focused on the need for such a committee. Given that the club--like most other service clubs in Minnesota--is predominately white and male, certainly now's the time to begin real work toward greater diversity and inclusivity.
Someone in the group commented on how fitting it was that on all of the days in the year, we were meeting on Dr. King's birthday. I couldn't have agreed more.
As we wrapped up the meeting, a person spoke of how there's a difference between "talk" and "action." He wanted the new diversity and inclusion committee to be action oriented. It was heartwarming to hear.
I've sat in on many, many meetings where there was great talk about the existence of a problem or about how to solve a problem. Far more infrequently is there ever creation of a concrete immediate action plan where people walk away with specific tasks to perform. For me personally, that's always quite frustrating since I'm of the ilk to make things happen. I think that's part of my DNA.
For those of you like me, here's to being oriented to action as we start the new year!
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Here are some happenings within the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota legal and social services landscapes.
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Some of What's In This Issue:
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Save the date for our upcoming Spring Fundraiser with musical guests Black Market Brass!
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© Call for Justice, LLC. Note:
The Legal Connector seeks to better inform the Minnesota nonprofit legal and social services communities of relevant developments that might impact their work in helping low-income Minnesotans connect with legal services. This publication may only be reproduced and used for noncommercial, personal and education use. All other rights reserved. To the extent opinions are expressed in the
TLC, they are solely opinions of Call for Justice, LLC. In the event we get something wrong or incorrect, let us know and we'll make the appropriate correction. As much as we hate to admit it, we're not perfect.
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1. Training: Employment Discrimination
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From Legal Services State Support
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Have you ever had a client describe a situation at work, or tell you about being fired, and they want to know if they were discriminated against? If this isn't a case you would typically handle, you may be wondering what to do next...
Join Legal Services State Support for an online webinar training on Employment Discrimination: Identifying and Referring Cases on Wednesday, February 17, 2016 from 9:00-11:00am. The cost ranges from $10-$40 depending on whether you are a law student or employed at a non profit vs. for profit organization. For more information and to register visit the event's website here.
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2. New Pro Bono Clinic for Domestic Abuse Victims
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New organization to help victims of Domestic Violence
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Starting in February 2016, a pro bono legal clinic providing legal services to the clientele at Women's Advocates, Inc., will commence. The goal is for this to be a once-a-month clinic. The clinic will be provided by a new entity, Domestic Abuse Legal Advocacy Center, PSC. For more information, contact Rachel Schromen at rachel@schromenlaw.com.
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3. Representing Youth in Foster Care
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Children's Law Center CLE for new volunteer attorneys
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Children's Law Center's next CLE training will be held on from 8:00am -12:30pm, Friday, February 19, 2016 at Lindquist & Vennum. The topic will be "Representing Youth in Foster Care." This half-day training earns you 3.75 CLE credits and is the perfect fit for anyone's busy schedule! This training program focuses on preparing pro bono lawyers to represent foster children and includes a comprehensive overview of the child protection system in Minnesota, as well as an opportunity to learn from current CLC attorneys, child advocates, and experts.
For more information and to register visit the website here.
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4. 2016 Child Protection Symposium
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Sponsored by Children's Law Center and the Child Protection Program at Mitchell/Hamline School of Law
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The 2016 Child Protection Summit will be held on Friday, February 26, 2016 - 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
at Mitchell Hamline School of Law.
A Critical Look at Parent and Child Representation: Can Improved Representation Impact Reentry and Other Outcomes for Families in Minnesota's Child Protection System? Come to learn from local and national experts in the field about how improvements to parent and child representation in the system are linked to positive outcomes for children and families. This event is open to the public, but we believe it will be especially pertinent for judges, attorneys, elected officials and policy makers.
Cost: $25.00. Lunch is included. Application will be made for 6.5 standard CLE credits.
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5. MSBA "I Bank of Justice" Program
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The Minnesota State Bar Association administers an "I Bank on Justice" Prime Partner program which recognizes banks that support access to justice for low income Minnesotans by paying higher interest on IOLTA (Interest on Lawyer Trust Accounts) than is legally required. Currently, Prime Partner banks pay a net interest rate of 0.5%.
Since the recession began in 2006, and with the continuation of historically low interest rates, Minnesota has experienced a catastrophic plunge in IOLTA revenue, from over $3 million annually to under $302,000. The loss of IOLTA revenue translates into millions less in funding for civil legal services and pro bono programs, which in turn means fewer resources to address the legal issues of Minnesota's growing population of low income and disadvantaged people. Paying 0.5% in IOLTA account interest will translate into tens of thousands in additional funding towards meeting the legal needs of legal services' clients. The banks that currently participate as Prime Partners are Stonebridge Bank, Community Bank, Riverland Bank and Unity Bank North. More information about this program can be found
here.
Attorneys: Please consider Prime Partner banks as you make your banking decisions.
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6. C4J's Upcoming 211 Training on Tribal Courts and Indian Law
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Next week (January 28 1:30-3 or January 29 1-2:30) Call for Justice, LLC will conduct its 27th training session for United Way 211. This session's topic will be "Tribal Courts and Indian Law" and will provide a 10,000' view of Minnesota's tribal court system and key aspects of Indian law. Our presenter will be Ron Walters from the Indian Child Welfare Act Law Center (ICWA) (thank you Ron!). The training will be the same both days (we can't pull all of the 211 folks off the phones at the same time); you are welcome to attend. It's free! Contact Kristin Giant at
kristin.giant@callforjustice.org to sign-up.
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7. Remember "#WeAreLegalAid"
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We continue to tip our collective hat to Lindsay Davis at the MSBA for maintaining a great website, "We Are Legal Aid," which reports on Legal Aid (as that phrase is broadly defined) success stories in keeping folks in their homes or protected from abusers or with continued access to government benefits. If you haven't yet checked out the website, we urge you to do so at www.wearelegalaid.org. If you have a nonprofit legal services-related success story, please tag the story with #wearelegalaid or share the story directly with Lindsay at ldavis@statebar.gen.mn.us.
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News about personnel shifts, events, and other items of interest.
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C4J Spring Fundraiser - Save the Date!
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Mark your calendars for April 14th, 2016 from 6:00-8:30pm for our 3rd Annual Spring Fundraiser at the Illusion Theater! This year's event, "A Night with Black Market Brass" will feature one of the most exciting up-and-coming musical acts in the twin cities! More information will follow shortly -- but we promise you won't want to miss this incredible night of music, fundraising, and celebration.
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LSAC Issues Annual Report
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In November, the Legal Services Advisory Committee (LSAC) issued its annual report for Minnesota's legal services-related (as that phrase is broadly defined) recipients of state funding. The report is full of wonderful data about the great work that nonprofit legal providers are doing in Minnesota; included is that stat that in 2014, LSAC grantees achieved a $32 million dollar benefit for clients in the form of either protecting existing benefits or by obtaining new benefits for Minnesotans in legal need. The report (8 pages long) is well worth reviewing. You can see the report here.
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Looking for a Great Addition to Your Team?
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C4J has come across the resume of Robert Rafn, a great communications professional
with extensive experience in print and digital graphics, strong writing skills, recent digital marketing training, and who has an intense desire to work for a nonprofit. Known as a strategic big picture thinker, a proactive problem solver, and a clear and mindful communicator, Rob is extremely experienced in writing copy, organizing events, and graphic design. For more information, contact Rob at
Robert@RobertRafn.com
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It is with sadness that we say goodbye to the current C4J Program Manager, Kristin Giant, who is relocating out of state. We wish you well Kristin!
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We're pleased to announce the hire of Brettina Davis as C4J's next Program Manager. Brettina has a BA in psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Stout and extensive experience in social media marketing. Most recently, she's served as the media and outreach coordinator for the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice for Jamar. We're thrilled to have Brettina (she goes by "B") join the C4J team!
Welcome B!
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If you have an announcement or legal update that you'd like to submit for possible inclusion in our February issue, please contact our incoming Program Manager Brettina Davis at
brettina.davis@callforjustice.org by February 4. We look forward to updating you again soonl!
Sincerely,
Ellen (Ellie) Krug
Executive Director
ellen.krug@callforjustice.org
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