Legal Aid Service of Northeastern Minnesota

Legal Aid Service of Northeastern Minnesota 

is dedicated to the principle that equal access to justice is a basic human right.

The COVID-19 pandemic has left countless people with new and unanticipated civil legal challenges. LASNEM and its partner Minnesota civil legal aid programs are part of the front-line response to protecting the rights, safety, security, and stability of Minnesotans. Legal aid lawyers and staff are helping individuals stay safely in their homes without being evicted, guard against domestic abuse, secure unemployment benefits, protect their already reduced incomes from debt collectors, and much more.

With economically vulnerable populations growing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our front-line legal aid offices need much more support in the face of the overwhelming new need. This support will become even more of a necessity as civil legal problems multiply in the fallout from this crisis. LASNEM is asking for your support to help ensure we can meet the growing need of the communities in Northeastern Minnesota.

Thank you for considering a donation to LASNEM to help us continue to provide essential legal assistance to all those who need it. We are all in this together.

Legal Aid Service of Northeastern Minnesota (LASNEM) has been the legal aid provider to the northeastern region of Minnesota since 1952. In that time, it has become an integral part of the justice system and a cornerstone of the community’s commitment to the proposition that equal access to justice is a basic human right.

LASNEM is a non-profit regional law firm. Its offices are in Duluth, Virginia, Grand Rapids, Brainerd, and Pine City.  LASNEM’s service area encompasses Aitkin, Carlton, Cass, Cook, Crow Wing, Itasca, Kanabec, Koochiching, Lake, Pine, and St. Louis Counties.

LASNEM opens the doors of the justice system to the most vulnerable in our community. Our staff provide critical legal representation to people in poverty in matters that impact their security, safety, and well-being.  

To learn more about our team,  programs, or to apply for services, please visit our website or call our office at 800-933-1112.

What is Legal Aid?

Civil legal aid is the assistance of counsel and legal advocacy for people living at or near poverty in legal matters that fall outside of the criminal justice system. For people facing civil legal challenges, such as evictions, foreclosure, domestic abuse, or denial of government assistance, navigating the justice system without a lawyer can be impossible.

Civil legal aid assures fairness for all in the justice system, regardless of how much money you have. It provides access to legal help for people to protect their livelihoods, their health, and their families. Civil legal aid makes it easier to access information — whether through easy-to-understand forms, including online forms; legal assistance or representation; and legal self-help centers — so people can know their rights.

Civil legal aid also helps streamline the court system and cuts down on court costs. We need programs like civil legal aid to ensure justice for all, not only for the few who can afford it.

Legal Services Corporation. 2022. The Justice Gap: The Unmet Civil Legal Needs of Low-income Americans. Prepared by Mary C. Slosar, Slosar Research, LLC.

LASNEM's services, benefits, and facilities are for use by all people. LASNEM does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital or familial status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression.