Minnesota State Bar Association


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Access to Justice

2012 Becker Awards: Call for Nominations

Nominations are being received for the 2012 Bernard P. Becker Awards. These awards recognize the dedicated service and outstanding achievements of legal services staff and volunteer law students. The awards include $1000 for each legal services staff recipient and $350 for each law student recipient. Each recipient will also receive free MSBA membership for the next bar year.

Eligibility information, list of past winners, and nomination forms and instructions are here.

Civil Gideon Task Force Final Report Now Available

The final report of the Civil Gideon Task Force is now available. Access to Justice: Assessing Implementation of Civil Gideon in Minnesota contains detailed information about low income people's needs for representation in matters involving basic human needs, the impacts when counsel is not available, and recommendations for addressing the justice gap. The report has been accepted by the MSBA Assembly and is being reviewed for potential further action by the Bar.

More information about the Task Force is here. Questions about the report can be directed to MSBA staff liaison to the Task Force, Steve Hirsh.

Minnesota Client Access, Barriers and Solutions Study

The Minnesota Client Access, Barriers and Solutions Study ("MN-CABS Study") was a joint project of the Minnesota State Bar Association, the Bremer Foundation, the Minnesota Legal Services Coalition and the Legal Services Advisory Committee. The purpose of the MN-CABS Study was to identify specific groups of legal services-eligible clients around Minnesota, the barriers they face to obtaining legal services, and strategies for overcoming those barriers.

This study was the first of its kind in Minnesota and in the country. Its innovative methodology - using direct surveys and focus groups of eligible clients, much of it conducted by staff from legal services and pro bono programs that have been trained by University of Minnesota researchers - provides a model of client-centered analysis that goes well beyond generic needs assessments.

The study was released on September 13, 2011 and is available at the following link: Final MN-CABS Report.

For more information about the report, contact MSBA Access to Justice Director Steve Hirsh at shirsh@mnbar.org.

MSBA Pro Bono Standard

The MSBA Pro Bono Standard encourages participating firms to meet the Standard by achieving a minimum level of pro bono service from its lawyers of:

one percent of the firm’s lawyers’ collective billable hours during the first year in which the firm participates and reports,
two percent during the second year, and
three percent during and after the third year for firms with more than 100 lawyers (firms with 100 or fewer lawyers may remain at the two percent level), or.
alternatively, for corporate law departments and governmental or other public law offices, at least one-half of its lawyers participate in pro-bono service during each year.

The Standard shall be met primarily by the delivery of legal services to persons of limited means or to organizations in matters that are designed primarily to address the needs of persons of limited means. Pro bono service that satisfies Minnesota Rule of Professional Conduct 6.1(a) or 6.1(b)(1)-(2) counts toward the MSBA Pro Bono Standard.

Through partnerships with the courts, the legal profession, and the community, the MSBA promotes access to justice on several fronts. The MSBA plays a central role in advancing pro bono activities among lawyers, and supports programs providing legal services to low-income and disadvantaged Minnesotans.

For Lawyers: Resources, networking, and CLEs for pro bono and legal services lawyers.	For the Public: Multi-lingual fact sheets and booklets on poverty law topics and links to legal aid offices.

For the State: Grants for programs targeting legal assistance to the disadvantaged & other initiatives	For the Public: Online Self-Help Center to assist people representing themselves in District Court