In August, the MSBA filed comments supporting a petition filed by the Legal Services Advisory Committee (LSAC) proposing a pro hac vice process and fee for out-of-state attorneys appearing in Minnesota courts. The $450 fee would support civil legal aid programs. Currently Minnesota is one of only three states without a pro hac vice fee. The Court’s Advisory Committee on the General Rules of Practice submitted a report and recommendation to the Court regarding the LSAC petition and proposing specific amendments to Rule 5. The public hearing on this issue (Court File ADM09-8009) is scheduled for September 15.
On the same day, the Court will hold a public hearing on the MSBA’s petition (ADM10-8002) for amendments to the Rules on Lawyer Registration. The petition requests that attorneys be required to report the number of pro bono hours they complete each year. (Any answer, including zero, would be acceptable.) In addition, lawyers would be required to complete a yes/no checkbox indicating whether they contributed to civil legal service programs for low-income Minnesotans in the past year. There is currently no mechanism to track the number of pro bono hours lawyers across the state are contributing.