Minnesota Legal Resources
Advocates for Human Rights
General Information: 612-341-3302 or
Immigration Client Intake: 612-341-9845
Volunteer attorneys represent low-income asylum seekers who have fled persecution in their home countries with interviews with ICE asylum officers and in removal proceedings before immigration judges. Also provides brief advice, pro se (self-representation) information and limited assistance in preparing asylum application to asylum seekers not accepted for full representation.
American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota
651-645-4097
Investigates, researches and provides free legal counsel for cases that are taken as civil liberties violations. Takes only a limited number of cases involving fundamental issues and constitutional rights under the U.S. and Minnesota Constitutions.
Central Minnesota Legal Services (Minneapolis Office)
612-332-8151
Free civil (non-criminal) legal assistance to low-income people in many areas of law including housing, family law, government benefits, domestic abuse, immigration, disability and others.
Clemency Project at St. Thomas Law School
The project works with those seeking clemency or a pardon in Minnesota State Court.
Criminal and Juvenile Defense Clinic, St. Thomas Law School
651-962-4961
The St. Thomas Criminal and Juvenile Defense clinic is dedicated to serving the Twin Cities community by representing youth and adult defendants in criminal and delinquency cases who may otherwise be unable to afford legal representation. The mission is to provide diligent, effective, and empathetic representation and advocacy in pursuit of each client’s desired outcome.
Criminal Defense Services, Inc.
criminal.defense.services@gmail.com
612-238-4784
For low-income criminal defendants in Ramsey County who do not qualify for a public defender. Limited to those charged with petty misdemeanors, misdemeanors, gross misdemeanors, or certain low-level felony offenses.
HelpSealMyRecord.org
651-296-3353
Sealing criminal records to enhance justice. This is a free service provided by the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office to help expunge older criminal records.
Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota
Office 651-641-1011 or Legal Assistance 1-800-223-1368
Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota (ILCM) is a nonprofit agency that provides immigration legal assistance to low-income immigrants and refugees in Minnesota.
Innocence Project
612-624-4779
The Innocence Project exonerates the wrongly convicted through DNA testing and works to reform the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice.
Institute to Transform Child Protection
Mitchell Hamline School of Law
childprotection@mitchellhamline.edu
1-888-962-5529
Through an interdisciplinary, holistic approach law students represent parents whose children have been removed from the home through the Child Protection Clinic. Most often, the law students meet their client at the initial hearing and continue to represent them throughout the case, including at trial if necessary.
International Institute of Minnesota
651-647-0191
Each year the Institute assists over 2,000 refugees, asylees, and immigrants with citizenship, lawful permanent residency, replacement of documents, and other immigration-related issues.
Legal Assistance to Minnesota Prisoners (LAMP) Clinic
Mitchell Hamline School of Law
651-695-7672
The LAMP clinic provides help with all types of legal matters to Incarcerated Individuals. They provide assistance in a range of civil cases from lawsuits to stop inmate mistreatment to helping an inmate with a divorce or drafting a will. LAMP does assist individuals seeking a pardon on commutation of a sentence. LAMP does not handle appeals for inmates to contest their convictions.
Minnesota Alliance on Crime
The Minnesota Alliance on Crime connects systems, service providers, and victims to advance the response for victims of all crime.
MAC is a membership coalition of more than 90 crime victim service organizations in Minnesota, including prosecution-based victim/witness programs, community programs, law enforcement agencies, civil legal organizations, and also individuals committed to supporting crime victims. We support our membership through training, technical assistance, resources, public policy and legislative initiatives, and networking opportunities.
Minnesota Council of Churches Refugee Services
612-870-3622
Provides specialized services for individuals with humanitarian protection status to assist them on the path to self-sufficiency and support them as they work towards achieving their dreams.
Minnesota Legal Advice Online
Volunteer attorneys answer legal questions via email for individuals who meet income qualifications.
Neighborhood Justice Center
To schedule an intake for representation in a criminal case or an expungement in Ramsey, Dakota or Washington counties, please call NJC directly at 651-222.4703 and ask for an intake.
Neighborhood Justice Center is one of the longest-standing public defense organizations in Minnesota providing comprehensive criminal defense representation to ensure everyone—regardless of income, race, or immigration status—receives fair treatment in Minnesota’s legal system.
Ramsey County Bar Association Modest Fee Service
651-224-1775
Full representation for those who do not qualify for Legal Aid based on income. Assistance available in Twin Cities Metro counties.
Reentry Clinic
Mitchell Hamline School of Law
651-290-6369
The Reentry Clinic assistants formerly incarcerated individuals and those who are otherwise impacted by the criminal justice system with civil legal matters. Cases include expungements, health licensing appeals, maltreatment allegations, and more.
SealmyRecord.org
651-296-3353
This is a free service provided by the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office to help expunge older criminal records.
Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services (SMRLS)
1-888-575-2954
Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services provides free, high-quality legal help to low-income people in critical civil matters. For 110 years, they have assisted individuals and families secure and protect their basic needs, maintaining freedom from hunger, homelessness, sickness, and abuse.
The Legal Rights Center
612-337-0030
The Legal Rights Center’s mission is “to work with our communities to seek justice and promote racial equity for those to whom it has been historically denied. We do this through criminal defense, restorative justice, advocacy and community education.”
United Way 211
Toll Free: 800-543-7709
Local: 651-291-0211
Operators available 24/7 to provide targeted referrals to legal services and criminal justice resources. All languages
University of Minnesota Clemency Project
The Clemency Project advocates for inmates serving disproportionately long prison sentences.
Volunteer Lawyers Network (VLN)
612-752-6677 (intake by phone available M/W/Th from 9 am to 1 pm)
Statewide legal services available for low-income people through a network of legal clinics and volunteer attorneys. Spanish legal services available. Assistance can range from brief advice to screening for full representation depending on income level, county of residence, legal issue, and merits of the case.
Clinic assistance is available for family, civil, housing, immigration, criminal expungement, bankruptcy, LGBTQ+, and youth legal issues.
Youthlink
612-252-1200
Free clinic for low-income youth (under 21) with legal problems (family, immigration, employment, public benefits, criminal, and housing).
National Legal Resources
Lewisburg Prison Project, Inc.
P.O. Box 128
Lewisburg, PA 17837-0128
The Lewisburg Prison Project assists inmates with the conditions of their confinement by providing inmates across the United States with information and legal bulletins regarding conditions of confinement. This includes prisoners’ rights to personal safety, adequate medical care, religious freedom, freedom of speech, access to information, and a safe, clean environment.
Prison Law Project – Jailhouse Lawyers Handbook
National Lawyers Guild
132 Nassau Street, RM 922
New York, NY 10038
This Handbook is a resource for prisoners who wish to file a Section 1983 lawsuit in federal court regarding poor conditions in prison and/or abuse by prison staff. It also contains limited information about legal research and the American legal system.
The Handbook is available for free to anyone: prisoners, lawyers, families, friends, activists, and others.