Minnesota Professional Responsibility Rule 6.1 states, “A lawyer should aspire to render at least 50 hours of pro bono publico legal services per year.”
 

According to the Minnesota state court administrator’s office over 50% of all civil filings are family law related. This includes dissolution, paternity, child support and child support modification.

In the first quarter of 2009 custody cases have increased 30%; orders for protection are up 20% for the first time in seven years; paternity actions increased about 20%; and child support has risen by 8%. The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office has increased their child support contempt filings by 32%.

In Hennepin County alone the Family Justice Center sees 10,000 new case filings a year and this does not include post-dissolution matters. There are fourteen judicial officers. With post-dissolution matters and modifications of child support and parenting time the average Hennepin family court judge has 1,000 cases on his or her docket.

The Hennepin County self-help center serves about 35,000 citizens per year and on average 16,000 of those citizens have family court matters. The Family Court Self Help Center served an all-time monthly high of 1,600 citizens in April 2009.

“The attorneys from the firms, family law lawyers, volunteer attorney programs and legal aid organizations that provide pro bono services to families in transition is crucial,” said Hennepin County Presiding Family Court Judge Tanja Manrique. “They help manage the volume; make sure those who cannot afford legal services are given equal justice under the law; and allow the court to spend time on matters that need more attention during this difficult econo0ic time.”

Leonard Street and Deinard handles family law cases pro bono through its collaboration with the Minneapolis Phillips Community-University Health Care Center. The law firm recently received the ABA John Minor Wisdom Public Service and Professionalism Award. The ABA Wisdom Award honors individuals and law firms that have made outstanding contributions to the quality of justice in their communities, ensuring that the legal system is open and available to all.

“A high percentage of the cases we see in our legal clinic are family law cases,” said Leonard Street Attorney, Jane Godfrey. “With people losing their jobs because of the economy we’re seeing an increase in motions for child support modification.”

The Minnesota Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) also launched a new program in collaboration with the Second and Fourth Judicial Districts to assist families who want to settle pending cases in Ramsey and Hennepin counties. AAML membership is limited to the most experienced family law experts who must pass extensive testing to gain admission.

“The AAML offered up volunteer mediation services when a couple AAML attorneys could not get a trial date because the Court’s calendar was too full,” said family law attorney Andrea Niemi. “For the most part people want to settle there cases and we have about an 80% settlement rate.”

“Working with the AAML members during this collaborative project has been highly beneficial for the attorneys volunteering their time as well as for the court and litigants. Parties participating in Moderated Settlement Conferences have been pleased with the project,” said Ramsey County Family Curt Operations supervisor, Joe LaPlant. “The court has been relieved of many multiple day trials allowing for other cases to be heard in a timely manner. The project has also afforded judicial officers more time for drafting orders and for tending to administrative duties.”

Interested in doing pro bono? Check out the Volunteer Opportunities Guide