The Clarion
A Newsletter from
Call for Justice, LLC

Vol. 3, No. 3 
September 2014
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Thoughts & Words 
Ellie Krug (Executive Director)

   

Dear Friends, Supporters, and Colleagues:

 

The last several months have proven to be both rewarding and challenging.

 

On the reward front, we're still hearing great things about our first-ever fundraiser in April which featured the string quartet, "Well-Strung." Our donors and friends really came through for C4J, giving us nearly $21,000 in net contributions. Hooray!

 

Thank you so very much dear friends and donors!  

 

The summer sailed along with the help of a summer intern, Caitlin Miles, a 2L from William Mitchell Law School, who performed exceptional work organizing reports from thirty months of data relative to United Way 2-1-1 legal referrals. (See our brief summary of the reports elsewhere in this newsletter.) In short, the data clearly show that our trainings at 2-1-1 are making a difference in referral patterns!

 

There's also one more very positive thing to share--in a year, YouTube views of our 2-1-1 training videos have shot from 1,150 views to more than 27,000 views! For those like me who weren't math majors, that's an increase of more than 2100%!

 

We're also extremely grateful that our videographer, Dan Burton of Court Videographer Services, Inc., has graciously agreed to donate his time because he so believes in our work. Thank you, Dan!

 

As for challenges, this has been a summer of losses in my larger family, something which has taken me out of the office far more than I would ever want. Also, on August 11th, C4J and the world at large lost attorney and community activist Kelly Phillips, who was the victim of horrific violence. Our condolences go to Kelly's fianc�, Nathon Bailey, and to Kelly's family and co-workers at Boston Scientific. Kelly will be greatly missed!

 

As we head into the fall with 2015 (!) on the horizon, we're mindful that much work remains--both with our mission to increase access to justice for low-income people and for sustaining C4J. Stay tuned as we progress with our important work!

 

ellie

In This Issue
Friends
Become a Friend
Support C4J in 2014 by becoming one of C4J's Friends of Justice. Consider a $15 monthly pledge. You'll receive your very own certificate and our deep appreciation!  
C4J's Legal Clinics List
We do our best to maintain an up-to-date listing of Twin Cities legal clinics listed by legal topic. Feel free to direct clients seeking legal resources to the existing list. If you host a clinic and would like to have it listed, please contact Emily Lindholm.

C4J Welcomes Lisa Lamm Bachman to the Board of Directors!  

 

In July we welcomed a new member to the Call for Justice Board of Directors:      

 

Lisa Lamm Bachman is a partner in Foley & Mansfield's Minneapolis office. In her more than 20 years of practice, Lisa has tried numerous bench and jury cases and has handled more than a dozen appellate proceedings. Her practice is focused on employment law and litigation, and matters involving discrimination, retaliation, whistleblower, FMLA, ERISA interference, FLSA, misappropriation of trade secrets, and non-compete agreements. Lisa is also very involved in the community as a board member of the Battered Women's Legal Advocacy Project and the Hennepin County Bar Foundation.

Again, welcome Lisa and thank you for your work with C4J!
"On the Horizon"

September 5: Ellie will present to the Steele County Bar Association in Owatonna about
state-wide legal resources available for low-income people and the expanding role of C4J in working to increase civil legal access.
  
October 29: Our ninth Legal Liaison Program meeting will take place on Wednesday, October 29th from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Greater Twin Cities United Way building in downtown Minneapolis. There is no charge to attend this event. Please send your RSVP to Emily at emily.lindholm@callforjustice.org

October 30 (Tentatively): C4J plans to host our first-ever Legal Liaison Program in southern Minnesota! This pilot LLP meeting seeks to convene legal and social service providers from Owatonna, Rochester, Mankato and the surrounding counties to heighten awareness of local resources and also to highlight some Twin Cities initiatives that offer legal help regardless of location. If you would like to RSVP for this meeting, or if you know of organizations that would like more information, please email Emily at emily.lindholm@callforjustice.org.

November 12: C4J's second annual "I Didn't Know That!" CLE will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Minnesota CLE's offices in downtown Minneapolis. More information coming soon.  
C4J's Taxonomy Report 2014: A Statistical Round-Up
  

As referenced above, C4J has now completed a comprehensive review of thirty months of United Way 2-1-1 referral data. We did so to determine if our training of 2-1-1 on Twin Cities legal resources is having any effect.

 

The verdict?

 

In a word: it sure is!

 

Across the board, we're seeing a direct correlation between the dates when C4J trains 2-1-1 on nonprofit legal providers serving a particular area of need (such as government benefits) and a corresponding huge increase in referrals to those providers following the training. Among the key findings:

  • Our training on government benefits (courtesy of Kathleen Davis at Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid) produced a 273% increase in referrals to various programs helping to protect access to such benefits;
  • Training by the Volunteer Lawyers Network (thank you, Martha Delaney of VLN) increased referrals to VLN programs an average of 269%--and one referral increase was as high as 464%;
  • Repeated training on the resources offered by LawHelpMN.org (the website that supports the Legal Aid organizations in Minnesota) produced a 1500% increase in referrals to LawHelp;
  • Trainings on the self-help centers in Hennepin Family Court and the Ramsey County Law Library produced referral increases of 446% and 720% to those resources, respectively; and
  • In the month and a half that followed training on Minnesota Legal Advice Online (thanks to Mary Kaczorek of Legal Services State Support), 2-1-1 made 64 referrals to MLAO.

Overall, during the time period between First Quarter 2012 and Second Quarter 2014 (which corresponds with when C4J began training 2-1-1 to the present) 2-1-1 referrals to 17 key legal provider/resource programs increased an average of 406%.

 

We believe that deserves a "Wow!"

 

If you have any questions, or would like to view a copy of the 2014 "2-1-1 Referral Outcomes Summary" please email Emily at emily.lindholm@callforjustice.org

C4J's Updated "Legal Resources Cheat Sheet" Now Available

We have updated our "Legal Resources Cheat Sheet" just in time for fall! Get the latest and greatest version of the cheat sheet by visiting www.callforjustice.org/cheat-sheet. The original "Cheat Sheet" was handed out in November 2013 as part of our "'I Didn't Know That!' Relatively Unknown Civil Legal Resources" CLE at Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P.

 Here are a few recent changes:
  • New Index: A Table of Contents has been added to make the search for legal resources easier and more efficient!
  • VLN Website Change: As of May 2, the Volunteer Lawyers Network has changed their website address to www.vlnmn.org.
  • More Information on Existing Resources: Organizational information (income restrictions, hours, etc.) previously left blank has been addressed and filled in.

Here are recent additions to the Cheat Sheet:  

Do you think your organization should be listed on C4J's "Legal Resources Cheat Sheet"? Email Emily at emily.lindholm@callforjustice.org with a brief description of services, guidelines, and location--Your organization could be listed when we do our next round of updates!
Checking In on C4J's Legal Liaison Program

Approximately 40 people attended the eighth meeting of the Legal Liaison Program on June 26, 2014 at the Greater Twin Cities United Way headquarters in downtown Minneapolis, with presentations by Liaisons Kristan Clow (Youth & Community Outreach Manager) on The Bridge for Youth and Lori Skibbie (Practicing Attorney) on Estate & Elder Law Services, Volunteers of America--MN. Of course, the program also included our very own unique hour-long session of "speed networking".

 

Attorney Lori Skibbie describes services offered through Estate & Elder Law Services.

Additionally, we'd like to welcome four new members to the Legal Liaison Program: Hanna Getachew-Kreusser from Avenues for Homeless Youth, Sarah Murphy from the Metropolitan Center for Independent Living, Anna Vangsness from Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, and Jonah Weinberg from the Autism Society of Minnesota. 

 

C4J's Legal Liaison Program is currently up to 55 participating legal and social service organizations. Those who attend these free, fun, and informative events also participate in an hour of "speed networking" with attendees--a unique opportunity to meet community members and collaborate!

 

The next LLP meeting will take place on Wednesday October 29, 2014 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. This program will include a presentation by Emily Baxter, founder of WeAreAllCriminals.org.

Those interested in attending are asked to send their RSVP's to Emily at emily.lindholm@callforjustice.org. Don't wait, we already have 19 RSVP's for this upcoming event.
A Special Thanks to C4J Summer Intern, Caitlin Miles!

C4J would like thank our summer intern, Caitlin Miles, for all of her hard work this summer! Caitlin, a rising 2L at William Mitchell College of Law, worked diligently to compile and analyze United Way 2-1-1's taxonomy, update our volunteer interpreter/translator list, help us with development, and much more.

We are very grateful for Caitlin's dedication to helping us continue our mission, and wish her all the best as she returns to school this fall!
Why Not Donate to C4J Now and Get a Personalized "Friend of Justice" Certificate!

As some of you know, C4J has moved from a start-up nonprofit to a sustaining, constant presence in helping low-income people connect with Twin Cities lawyers and legal resources. As such, financial support is more crucial than ever.   

 

Many people have stepped up to help us--in a year, the number of people who've contributed to C4J directly has increased from 20 persons to 55--an increase of 175%! Please consider making a donation today and, if not already a "Friend," you'll receive your very own numbered "Friend of Justice" certificate (as we say, it's suitable for framing!).

 

If you're already a "Friend," we'd love for you to renew your financial contribution to C4J!

 

We hope to be around for a long time working to increase access to justice! We can only do that with your generous financial assistance.

 

Thanks to those who have supported us and to those who will newly step up to help us!

Thank you for supporting the work and mission of Call for Justice, LLC!
Ellen (Ellie) Krug
Executive Director
ellen.krug@callforjustice.org

Emily Lindholm
Program Manager
emily.lindholm@callforjustice.org
Call for Justice, LLC
608 2nd Ave South, Suite 465
P.O. Box 2380
Minneapolis, MN 55402
612-333-4000
www.callforjustice.org

Board of Directors
Lisa Lamm Bachman, Charlie Clippert, Cheryl Dalby, Paul Floyd, Tom Fraser,  Jim Long, Peter Michaud, Tom Tinkham and Mike Unger.

Donors & Friends

The Dorsey & Whitney Foundation, F.R. Bigelow Foundation, Hennepin County Bar Foundation, Leonard, Street and Deinard Foundation, Ramsey County Bar Foundation, The Saint Paul Foundation, Aafedt, Forde, Gray, Monson & Hager, P.A., Arthur Chapman Kettering Smetak & Pikala, P.A., Barry, Slade & Wheaton, LLC, Bassford Remele, A Professional Association, Best & Flanagan LLP, Chestnut Cambronne PA, Cooper & Reid, LLC, Cousineau McGuire, Chartered, Dorsey & Whitney LLP, Faegre Baker Daniels LLP, Fish & Richardson P.C., Foley & Mansfield, PLLP, Fredrikson & Byron, PA, Gray Plant Mooty, Henson & Efron, P.A., Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP, Kennedy & Graven, Chartered, Larkin Hoffman Daly & Lindgren Ltd., Larson King, LLP, Lind, Jensen, Sullivan & Peterson, P.A., Lindquist & Vennum LLP, Maslon Edelman Borman and Brand, LLP, Mansfield, Tanick & Cohen, P.A., Merchant & Gould, Moss & Barnett, A Professional Association, Nilan Johnson Lewis PA, Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly LLP, Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P., Schwegman, Lundberg & Woessner, P.A., Stinson Leonard Street LLP, Unger Law Office, Zelle Hofmann Voelbel & Mason LLP, Bestwestern Normandy Inn & Suites, Boston Scientific, Brending Electrolysis, Court Videographer Services, Inc., Greater Twin Cities United Way, Minnesota Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company, Vicki and Richard Carlson, Emily Cooper, David Couillard, John Daly, Martha Delaney, Paul Dieseth, Liz and Brian Dillon, Phyllis Doman, Charles Ferrell (in honor of Richard Kyle), Al and Ellen Fisher, Paul and Donna Floyd, Donald and Arvonne Fraser (in honor of Tom Fraser), Sara Galligan, Beth Garland, Elise Ginsburg, Jayne and Frank Harris, Catharine Haukedahl, Jacquelyn "Jacq" Hauser, Amy Walsh Kern, Ellen Krug, Mark Krug, Erin and Brian Lindholm, John Medeiros, Caitlin Miles, Alan Miller, Kathy Moran, Ari Murphy, Jean Nead, Melissa Otto, Gary Pederson, Kelly Phillips, David Piper, David Potter, Jill Prohofsky, Paul Quast, Thea Reilkoff, Liz Reppe, Brent Routman, Joseph Satter, Dennis Tharp, Tom Tinkham, Mike Unger, Mary Vasaly, Ella Washington, Paul Wehrwein, and Jodi Williams.

Released on September 4, 2014
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