Receiving Legal Assistance
The University of Minnesota Law School Clinics is an opportunity for second and third year law students to work on real cases with real clients. Under the Student Practice Rule adopted by the Minnesota Supreme Court, clinic students are permitted to represent clients in actual court and administrative agency proceedings under the supervision of clinic faculty.
While we attempt to help all we can, each clinic has limited case capacity, as our attorneys are either full-time students, faculty, or attorneys at other organizations who have additional responsibilities besides their clinic work. Please review below to see what our program can assist with or who to contact for assistance.
How to Receive Help from Each Clinic
Frequently Asked Questions
What are legal clinics?
Clinics are an experiential class for second and third year law students. Here, they can apply the things they’re learning in their doctrinal classes to real world cases. Since they are students, they have to follow strict guidelines set by the Minnesota State Board of Law Examiners. Clinics can only take limited cases, as students still need time to attend class, study for exams, and eventually, study for and pass the bar exam.
Do you offer free legal advice?
No. We cannot provide any legal advice or guidance unless you are a current client of the clinics.
Do you offer document review?
No. This falls under the “advice” category, and we cannot provide this service without first establishing an attorney-client relationship.
Can you connect me to a faculty member if the clinics can’t assist with my matter?
No. If our clinics are unable to take on your case, we cannot refer you to another faculty member for representation. Faculty in the greater law school are full-time professors, and many do not work on active cases or have a current attorney’s license and therefore cannot ethically or legally give advice or represent clients.
Do you offer referrals?
Yes. While we are not a referral service, we do have a list of some organizations we work closely with or recommend folks reach out to. Please see our referrals section for details.
Referrals
For assistance finding additional legal resources:
Pro-Bono/Low-Cost Organizations
Volunteer Lawyers Network
Offers free legal help to qualifying clients in areas such as:
- Bankruptcy
- Criminal Expungement
- Debt Collection
- Employment
- Family Law (divorce, custody)
- Housing Law (eviction, eviction expungement)
- Immigration
- Deportation preparedness
Other general civil legal issues
They cannot assist with:
- Criminal defense
- Public benefits
- Wills and estates
- Fee-generating cases (i.e. medical malpractice, personal injury)
Business and non-profit law
Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid
Offers free legal help in the following areas:
- Consumer protection
- Disability
- Family & Youth
- Housing
- Immigration
- Litigation
- Project Care
- Public Benefits
- Seniors
Taxes
Tubman Center
Offers legal assistance for low-income individuals in the following areas:
- Criminal Court Advocacy
- Protective Orders
Family Law
The Advocates for Human Rights
Offers pro-bono legal services for:
- Asylum seekers
- Unaccompanied children
- People in immigration detention
Victims of human trafficking
Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota
Provides low-cost/pro-bono assistance for the following:
- ICE Detentions
- DACA Renewals
- U.S. Citizenship Applications
- Green Cards for Refugees and Asylees
- Special Immigrant Juvenile Status
- Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
- Human Trafficking Survivor Visas
- Violent Crime Survivor Visas
Abuse & Domestic Violence Survivor Visas
Southern MN Regional Legal Services
Offers free legal help to low-income and senior citizen clients in a full range of civil matters. Areas they cover are:
- Family law
- Government benefits
- Housing
- Immigration
- Education law
- Senior law
Other civil legal issues
Indian Child Welfare Act Center
Provides legal service and advocacy for Indian families. Focused exclusively on the Indian Child Welfare Act.
Great North Innocence Project
Provides free legal services for people convicted of crimes they did not commit.
Legal Corps
Offers non-litigation transaction business and intellectual property protection legal aid to entrepreneurs, business owners, inventors, and nonprofits with limited resources and/or access to the legal system.
Prepare and Prosper
Offers free tax preparation assistance.