CMLS clients and pro se clinic participants speak on panel for Civil Gideon

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.

Sadie Samuels had not seen her husband for over twenty years and she felt it was time for a divorce, however, she had no idea what paperwork to file.  She went to the Anoka County Law Library and received a packet of documents for a divorce.  It was too confusing for her to fill out on her own so she made an appointment to meet with an attorney from Central Minnesota Legal Services at the pro se clinic at the Anoka County Law Library.  Attorney Connie Baillie helped Ms. Samuels fill out the necessary forms, obtain service on her absent husband and file her documents.  Over the next four months, Ms. Samuels returned to the pro se clinic on a near-monthly basis for assistance in the next steps in her divorce.  She was able to eventually obtain a successful default divorce from her husband and protect her future assets and estate.

Deb is a survivor of domestic abuse at the hands of a boyfriend.  Attorney Tracy Reid at Central Minnesota Legal Services helped Deb to obtain an Order For Protection to keep her and her two children safe from their father (her ex-boyfriend).  After that the ex-boyfriend brought a custody and parenting time action and attorney Emily Cooper agreed to represent her.  With the help of her attorneys, Deb and her children are safe and a guardian ad litem has been appointed to represent the best interests of the children in the custody action.

Deb, Greg and Sadie all agreed to speak on a panel at a presentation on the topic of Civil Gideon on October 30, 2009.