LegalCORPS Debuts New and Improved Online Experience

LegalCORPS, legal assistance for entrepreneurs and small business owners with low-incomes, debuted its new website in mid-December 2023 offering an improved experience to visitors. After a yearlong process lead by Sarah Lewis, small business and nonprofit programs manager, and with the expertise of pro bono partner SKOL Marketing, LegalCORPS is excited to have a fresh and more navigable website that helps make business law more accessible.

In addition to a range of updated information, the new site makes it easier for both clients (entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and inventors) and supporters (community partners, volunteers, and donors) to access other useful resources. A new contact form will allow LegalCORPS to better serve clients, and the new site has already seen an uptick in requests for assistance since its introduction.

Introducing Justice North: A Fresh New Era for Legal Aid in Northeastern Minnesota

Legal Aid Service of Northeastern Minnesota (LASNEM) is thrilled to announce its transformation and rebranding as "Justice North." Beginning today, October 30, 2023, LASNEM officially changes its name to “Justice North.”  

This new name reflects the organization's unwavering dedication to access to justice and its geographical scope in serving Northern Minnesota. This change represents a more accessible and modern identity, making it easier for clients to connect with the essential legal services they need. 

With a renewed commitment to providing accessible legal assistance, Justice North is ushering in this new era with a new name, a new website, and new office locations. To celebrate this exciting milestone, ribbon-cutting ceremonies and open houses are scheduled at new Justice North office locations throughout the region. 

Justice North invites community members, legal professionals, government representatives, and anyone interested in supporting Justice North and their community to join their ribbon-cutting and open house events. Justice North believes that access to justice is a fundamental right for all, and this new identity reflects their unwavering commitment to making this belief a reality. 

Ribbon-Cutting and Open House Events

Join us for the ribbon-cutting celebrations and enjoy refreshments while touring the newly rebranded office locations. 

Duluth: November 1, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. 
Wells Fargo Building, 230 W. Superior Street. Suite 200, Duluth, MN 55802 

Virginia: November 2, 2023, at 12:00 p.m.  
Olcott Plaza, 820 N. 9th Street, Suite 150, Virginia, MN 55792 

Brainerd: November 9, 2023, 3:00 p.m.  
603 Oak Street, Brainerd, MN 56401   

Grand Rapids: November 10, 2023, at 1:00 p.m. 
111 Golf Course Road, Suite 5, Grand Rapids, MN 55744 

Justice North, formerly known as LASNEM, is a nonprofit civil law firm providing representation, limited services, advice, or information to individuals with issues that fall outside of the criminal justice system. For people facing civil legal challenges such as the threat of losing their home, safety, health care, income, or even their families, navigating the justice system without a lawyer can be nearly impossible. 

Justice North opens the doors of the justice system to the most vulnerable in our communities by providing critical legal assistance to preserve our clients’ safety, security, and stability.  

SMRLS Shares New Website for Clients and Visitors

The familiar URL for the Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services’ (SMRLS) website remains constant, but visitors to www.smrls.org will find a new look and feel for the program’s online presence.

Lara Otsuka, SMRLS’ director of business development, spearheaded an organization-wide team that provided insight and suggestions for the new website’s design. The teams’ priority was ease of use for potential clients, donors, or visitors seeking more information about SMRLS' work. In addition to a smoother navigational experience, the new website provides a clearer picture of overall site analytics and demographics, allowing SMRLS’ to better understand and interact with the visitors and clients they serve. A2JTech developed the site in partnership with SMRLS’ staff.

LSC Innovations in Technology Conference Videos Now Available

For those unable to attend LSC’s recent Innovations in Technology Conference (ITC) in Phoenix, you’re in luck. Videos from many of the conference sessions are now available on LSC’s YouTube channel.

In LSC’s Tech Download newsletter announcing the availability of the videos, several notable sessions were recommended to readers including Deserts No More featuring Rachel Albertson, development and communications manager with Legal Aid Service of Northeastern Minnesota (LASNEM). Albertson, along with fellow panelists from the Lagniappe Law Lab and the Louisiana State Bar Association, discuss the digital divide and the existence of legal deserts in more isolated communities. They explain how to make user-friendly choices that accommodate the realities of limited resources and tackle geographic barriers to justice, as well as how their organizations created partnerships connecting rural locales to a continuum of virtual and in-person services.

Other available videos include Googling Justice, a session on SEO optimization for legal aid organizations, and Next Generation Eviction Diversion Programs, which looks at how courts are designed to provide community-driven solutions for landlords and tenants that are propelled by technology.

In addition to LSC’s YouTube channel, it’s popular “Talk Justice” podcast features recent tech-focused episodes including “A Recap of LSC’s Innovations in Technology Conference”, recorded live during this year’s ITC, and “Technological Improvements in Pro Bono Services.” All episodes of “Talk Justice” are available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and other podcast platforms. 

LASNEM Featured in January/February 2023 Edition of Duluthian Magazine

In “Striving to Provide Safety, Security, and Stability,” Duluthian Magazine offers its readers a thorough introduction to the far-reaching work of the Legal Aid Service of Northeastern Minnesota (LASNEM).

The publication’s overview begins with LASNEM’s 1952 charter by members of the local bar association and delves into how the organization’s mission has remained primary, as its services and priorities have expanded.

With a service area of 27,683 square miles, LASNEM is led by executive director Dori Rapaport and a staff of dedicated professionals serving eleven counties with offices in Duluth, Brainerd, Grand Rapids, Virginia and Pine City.

The article explains how much of LASNEM’s advocacy work accelerated during the pandemic with unprecedented opportunities to respond to client needs with more precision, speed, and efficacy. Some of the projects discussed include virtual housing court and staff expansion through virtual services, the Legal Kiosk and Justice Bus initiatives for meeting clients where they are, incorporation of a business improvement model that includes a call center intake process, and other outreach efforts aimed at “taking it to the streets” to raise awareness of legal aid and the importance of funding civil legal services.

“We want people to understand the critical nature of the work we do,” Rapaport said. Read the article (PDF).