The July/August edition of Hennepin Lawyer magazine features an article on the newly redesigned LawHelpMN.org, by Tom Walsh, executive director of Volunteer Lawyers Network. Appropriately placed in a section titled Community Connections, LawHelpMN 2.0: The Supercharged Legal Resource and Referral Tool for Lawyers and the Public, makes a case for the usefulness of the site for the entire community: pro bono attorneys, legal navigators, the public and any advocate looking for a meaningful range of legal resources and referrals.

Notably, Walsh’s piece introduces the reader to the site’s pivotal tool, the LawHelpMN Guide, and with it, a user’s ability to generate personalized results (legal education materials, links, legal services) based on their unique situation. Read the full article.

Earlier this month, State Support held a training for legal services staff who work with intake and make referrals using the new LawHelpMN.org and it’s powerful LOON (Legal Services Online Network) database. One of the training components was a presentation by panelists from four of Minnesota’s newer legal services programs for people who aren’t financially eligible for traditional legal aid services or those needing service beyond the scope of legal aid. This one-hour segment was recorded and is now available as a free webinar for advocates wanting to familiarize themselves with these new programs in order to make more accurate and meaningful referrals.

The webinar includes information on the following organizations:

Minnesota Unbundled Law Project (Steve Marchese, Minnesota State Bar Association)
Low-Fee/Modest Means Referral Project (Dana Miner, Hennepin County Bar Association)
Collaborative Community Law Initiative (Kathleen Gomez, CCLI MN)
Community Mediation of Minnesota (Sharon Press, CMM)