Welcome to Lezlie Paulus, Esq.
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We are excited to welcome Lezlie Paulus, Esq., to the SMRLS Executive Team as the new Director of Business Administration. Ms. Paulus will be working to advance SMRLS' strategic plan as well as overseeing IT, Client Intake and Hotline, Volunteer Attorney Program teams, and regional leaders. Before joining SMRLS, Ms. Paulus served as the Head of Admissions at Argosy University and volunteered with the Children’s Law Center of Minnesota, representing children in the foster care system.
“Before joining SMRLS I knew of the important work it conducts and the strong reputation the organization has in the community,” Ms. Paulus says. “I believe that our obligation as attorneys is to ensure that everyone has access to our justice system and I love being part of an organization dedicated to that principle.”
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Vote SMRLS Today for Mayo Clinic Shared Value Award
Vote for our project, “Eviction Prevention,” to be the next Mayo Clinic Shared Value Award winner!
SMRLS and Legal Assistance of Olmsted County will create a one-stop shop in the Olmsted County Court House where tenants can access information and resources to avoid evictions and gain financial stability.
The Shared Value Award supports collaborative efforts to address a complex social challenge impacting health and vibrancy in Olmsted County, MN.
Hurry and vote for SMRLS now by clicking
here
. Voting Ends August 30!
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SMRLS' Minnesota Supreme Court Victory
SMRLS attorneys successfully argued an appeal at the Minnesota Supreme Court. The case,
Christensen v. Healey
, was centered on whether to apply the Minnesota best-interests-of-the-child standard or the endangerment standard to the father’s motion to increase his parenting time to every other week. As a result of the Minnesota Supreme Court’s
decision
, district courts must evaluate modification motions under the totality of the circumstances to decide if it is a substantial change that would modify the parties’ custody arrangement. Click
here
to learn more.
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Minnesota Court of Appeals Rules in SMRLS' Favor
On July 16, 2018, the Minnesota Court of Appeals rejected the Department of Human Services and Washington County Community Services' position that Minn. Stat. 256D.024, subd. 1 require lifelong random drug testing of General Assistance and Minnesota Supplemental Aid recipients with a drug felony on their record. The Court instead adopted SMRLS' interpretation of the statute, construing it narrowly to impose only a carefully-circumscribed and time-limited drug testing requirement that could apply only in certain circumstances arising within the first five years after an individual completes a sentence for a drug felony. Based on that narrow construction, the Court reversed the agencies' actions on statutory grounds. Read the full decision
here
.
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Volunteer Attorneys Needed
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We need YOU to volunteer at a new legal clinic!
SMRLS is pleased to announce that, beginning in mid-July, SMRLS and the Volunteer Lawyers Network will run a new eviction expungement clinic at the Ramsey County Housing Court.
This is an exciting opportunity to provide much needed services to our community. More than 3,000 eviction actions were filed in Ramsey County last year and more than 90% of the tenants in these cases represented themselves.
We know that clients get better results when they have the legal advice they need. This clinic is intended to improve tenants’ access to legal services, as volunteer attorneys will staff the clinic and provide advice to low income tenants.
The clinic will run every Tuesday and Thursday morning, 8:00 am – 12:00 pm at the Ramsey County Courthouse in St. Paul.
We are looking for new and experienced volunteer attorneys to staff the clinic.
A training video for prospective volunteers is available on our website.
This video focuses on landlord/tenant law and how to address the issues that you can expect to see at the clinic. Click
here
to learn more.
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The 11th annual Social Justice Uncorked fundraiser was held on June 14 at Target Field. Guests enjoyed craft beer and wine tastings, upscale fan food, raffles and a live auction. SMRLS supervising attorney Meghan Maes explained SMRLS' long history of impact litigation in her presentation.
Thanks to our guests and sponsors, we raised $183,000! This record breaking year was a 26% increase in revenue from last year's event. Click here to
here
to read more.
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UCare Healthcare Legal Fair
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On Wednesday, June 6, SMRLS held its first UCare Healthcare Legal Fair in Saint Paul. Our 200 guests attended this free educational event to learn about the connection between their health and legal needs. Two free legal clinics were also available for guests, including the opportunity to have a will and health care directive completed and to get a "legal checkup" to identify their potential legal needs. Special thanks to Dr. Kathryn Freeman, Bethesda Family Medicine Clinic, for delivering the event's keynote speech.
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2018 Fall Appreciation Luncheon
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Save the date,
Tuesday, November 20, 2018
at the InterContinental Saint Paul Hotel, for our annual Fall Appreciation Luncheon. Keynote speaker
John Pollock
, head of the National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel, will discuss the growing national movement for an individual’s right to a free attorney for critical civil cases. Click
here
to learn more.
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- SMRLS attorney Paul Mundt retired in May 2018 after 34 years working at SMRLS.
- SMRLS attorney KyLee Manthei received the June 2018 FEAST Award (Family law Excellent Acts on behalf of SMRLS) Award for going above and beyond for her clients and colleagues.
- SMRLS attorney Gerry Kaluzny retired in June 2018 after 32 years working at SMRLS.
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SMRLS Board Member and longtime supporter Emma Hilliard passed away on June 3, 2018.
Ms. Hilliard was a lifelong civil rights leader, including in the turbulent days of the 1950s and 60s in Louisiana. She also served on the Board of Directors for Shreveport Legal Aid.
"She will be remembered for her passionate advocacy for economic, social, and legal justice,"
SMRLS CEO Jessie Nicholson fondly says.
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Follow us on Social Media
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Join the conversation! Follow SMRLS on social media for the latest news, alerts, and stories.
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Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services | (651) 228-9823 | smrls.org
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