Mitchell Hamline School of Law

Self Help Clinic

We are now accepting appointments!

To request an appointment with the Self Help Clinic, please complete the relevant appointment request form below. Note that submitting a request does not confirm your appointment date or slot. You will receive a confirmation email from the Clinic once you have been assigned a slot. If you are unable to attend the Clinic and still require assistance, please visit your county’s law library for additional resources.

Assistance with legal forms provided at no charge

Appointments are preferred for family law and criminal expungement. Walk-ins will be accommodated until 11 am on a first-come, first-served basis. Appointments are required for eviction expungement. Additionally, proof of COVID-19 vaccination status and face masks are required to enter the building.

Sponsored by the Warren E. Burger Law Library

About us

We are a group of Mitchell Hamline School of Law students, alumni, and reference librarians who volunteer to help individuals represent themselves in court.

The clinic provides assistance with completing a self-help form for the following legal issues:

Make an appointment

To make an appointment for a family law matter, including: child support modification, divorce, establishing custody and parenting time, or modifying custody and parenting time please fill out the “Family Law Appointment Request Form” below. To make an appointment for a criminal expungement matter, please fill out the “Criminal Expungement Appointment Request Form” below. To make an appointment for a criminal expungement matter, please fill out the “Criminal Expungement Appointment Request Form” below. To make an appointment for an eviction expungement matter, please fill out the “Eviction Expungement Appointment Request Form” below. If you have multiple matters under more than one category, please fill out each corresponding form. If you are unsure which category your matter falls under, please email us at selfhelp.clinic@mitchellhamline.edu and we would be happy to assist you.

NOTE: We are unable to make an appointment for you if you already have an attorney. We can only provide appointment support with the self-help forms for the six services above. However, don’t hesitate to contact us to request other resources in the area.

Clinic schedule

During Spring Semester 2023 the Self Help Clinic is open Saturdays from 10 AM to 12 PM from February 4 to April 22. The eviction expungement pilot program will be held only on February 25, March 25, and April 22. Please note that there is no clinic on Saturday, March 4 or March 11.

What to expect

Our student staff is trained to provide legal assistance with filling out the required paperwork in the areas listed above. Our services focus on the completion of pro se paperwork. If you need assistance with something outside of the six services listed above, we would be happy to refer you to other resources in the area.

We have volunteer attorneys on staff each Saturday who can answer questions about forms you plan to file, answer questions about the legal process, and provide advice on how to obtain the legal result you seek.

Click on the issue above for a list of documents to bring to your appointment. They will allow us to help you as best we can.

We cannot and will not serve as legal counsel or represent anyone in court.

History

In the Fall of 2006, a couple of law students had the vision of establishing a legal clinic on campus to help better serve our community. The Self-Help Clinic finally opened its doors Sept. 12, 2009, for a one-semester pilot program. During our first two semesters, we helped 90 patrons, many of whom came back multiple times to resolve their legal issues. Due to our resounding success, we are now a permanent Mitchell Hamline School of Law clinic.

Links

lawhelpmn.org
A wonderful site with information, documents, and links about Minnesota law

libguides.mitchellhamline.edu/self-help
Self-help resources