JOB ANNOUNCEMENT – FOR POSTING ONLY
 
POSITION AVAILABLE: MANAGING ATTORNEY
Central Minnesota Legal Services (CMLS) is seeking a managing attorney for its St. Cloud area office.
 

LIFE Camp provides children (grades 2-6) of inmates currently or formerly detained in a Minnesota or North Dakota correctional facility the opportunity to create positive, life-long memories at no cost to their families. During the week-long camp, the kids have a chance to participate in activities like fishing, swimming, hiking and more. There is also a special focus on their specific emotional needs and life skills training.
 
For more information about this program, click here.

In a recent article, the Star Tribune highlighted the increase in use of law libraries by pro se litigants and highlighted the Anoka County Law Library.  Central Minnesota Legal Services works closely with the Anoka County Law Library and offers a pro se clinic at the law library once per month.
 
Congratulations to our friends Gene Myers and Merry Conway, the Anoka County Law Library staff, for being featured in this article and for being recognized for their hard work in helping pro se litigants in our court system.
 
A link to the full story is here:
 
http://www.startribune.com/local/north/91560404.html?elr=KArks:DCiUHc3E7_V_nDaycUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiUr

 Watch the District Court Show broadcast with Judge Stephen Halsey and guests in a discussion on the process for obtaining an Order for Protection in Minnesota Courts.  CMLS is mentioned in the discussion as an organization that assists people with Orders for Protection in Anoka County.
 
http://www.qctv.org/districtcourtshow/index.php

 For those involved in paternity matters, the Minnesota Legal Services Coalition has created a community education booklet called "Rights and Responsibilities of Unmarried Parents".  If you are an organization that works with unmarried parents, you can order copies of the booklet to distribute by going to the Coalition's website.  
 
If you are an unmarried parent looking for information, you can download the booklet for free in both PDF and HTML format at LawHelpMN.org.
 

The 4th District Self-Help Center and the Minnesota Legal Services Coalition collaborated to create a user-friendly document assembly tool for the new state-approved "Petition for Harassment Restraining Order".  This tool was designed to be used in all counties in Minnesota.  After you use the tool, it will create the Petition, Law Enforcement Sheet and Proposed Harassment Restraining Order and it comes with printable instructions to tell the user how to file and serve the paperwork.
 
To get to the online Harassment Restraining Order tool, go to this link:
 
https://www.npado.org/login_form?template_id=template.2009-09-18.7162719137

Greg had an attorney when he went through his divorce.  The process was long and he was disillusioned by the legal system.  After his divorce, he needed help to gain custody of his teenage son and to assure that he would not accrue unnecessary child support by leaving his divorce decree unchanged.  He knew enough about the legal process to get started but was unsure of what language he needed in his documents.  That is when he came to the Central Minnesota Legal Services pro se clinic at the Anoka County Law Library.  He met with attorney Emily Cooper who helped him draft the documents he needed for custody and child support and explained the next steps.  After that, Greg got his documents filed, custody changed and his child support stopped so that he could move on with his life with peace of mind.