On Monday, Minnesota Lawyer introduced the wider legal community to The Legal Kiosk Project, launched this past spring. The Project, a Reach Justice Minnesota initiative, is a statewide network of nearly 270 community-based computer kiosks stationed in a variety of community locations and offering the public the ability to apply for civil legal aid services, access legal resources, and, in some cases, attend online meetings and remote court hearings in privacy.

The article delves into the project’s construction and its impetus — to utilize technology to bridge the physical divide created by the pandemic, as well as the existing and historic digital divide that routinely impacts communities with limited internet access.

Ann Cofell, deputy director of Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid (MMLA) - St. Cloud, and Heather Vlieger, grants manager for MMLA, discuss how the idea for the kiosks developed and the significant impact they’ve had so far. For example, Project CARE, an initiative of MMLA’s St. Cloud’s office, has used the kiosks to work directly with those seeking health insurance to help them apply for coverage. Kiosks are also available at domestic violence shelters across the Minnesota and survivors can talk to an attorney about sensitive topics from the comfort and safety of the shelter.

With technology, additional staffing, and essential community partnerships, The Legal Kiosk Project is reaching communities throughout Minnesota to provide legal help during this unprecedented time, and it will continue when the pandemic is over. Cofell and Vlieger will give a presentation about the project to a national audience next year at the American Bar Association’s Equal Justice Conference in Minneapolis.

Read “With internet kiosks, legal help is a few clicks away” in Minnesota Lawyer.