April 21, 2014
FaegreBD-founded Legal Clinic Celebrates 20 Years
Press Release
April 2014 marks the 20th anniversary of the Minnesota Indian Women's Resource Center (MIWRC) pro bono legal clinic. MIWRC is a non-profit social and educational services organization in Minneapolis committed to the holistic growth and development of American Indian women and their families.
The legal clinic was founded by Faegre Baker Daniels in 1994 and is a member of the Volunteer Lawyers Network (VLN) pro bono clinic system. Over the course of 20 years, 1,980 clients have been served, and volunteers have contributed more than 15,200 hours.
For many MIWRC clients, the opportunity to consult with a volunteer lawyer at the legal clinic may be their only access to meet critical legal needs involving housing, family stability, personal safety or economic security. Volunteer attorneys identify legal issues, offer brief legal advice and counseling, assist in completing pro se forms, and offer full representation or referral services, as appropriate.
"FaegreBD's relationship with MIWRC, and with the Native American community as a whole, serves as a model of how non-Native organizations can work respectfully and collaboratively with Native organizations," said MIWRC Interim Executive Director Patina Park. "Many of our clients come from very traumatic experiences, and are often still living in stressful or harmful situations. FaegreBD attorneys do not just provide legal advice. They give our clients the dignity and positive feelings that a person gets from having their problems heard and validated. We are blessed to call FaegreBD part of our MIWRC family and look forward to the next 20 years."
FaegreBD hosted a luncheon for clinic volunteers, and leaders from MIWRC and VLN to commemorate the legal clinic's 20-year anniversary on April 13.
Founded in 1984, MIWRC provides a broad range of programs designed to educate and empower American Indian women and their families, and to inform and assist those who work providing services to the community. For more information, visit miwrc.org.
The legal clinic was founded by Faegre Baker Daniels in 1994 and is a member of the Volunteer Lawyers Network (VLN) pro bono clinic system. Over the course of 20 years, 1,980 clients have been served, and volunteers have contributed more than 15,200 hours.
For many MIWRC clients, the opportunity to consult with a volunteer lawyer at the legal clinic may be their only access to meet critical legal needs involving housing, family stability, personal safety or economic security. Volunteer attorneys identify legal issues, offer brief legal advice and counseling, assist in completing pro se forms, and offer full representation or referral services, as appropriate.
"FaegreBD's relationship with MIWRC, and with the Native American community as a whole, serves as a model of how non-Native organizations can work respectfully and collaboratively with Native organizations," said MIWRC Interim Executive Director Patina Park. "Many of our clients come from very traumatic experiences, and are often still living in stressful or harmful situations. FaegreBD attorneys do not just provide legal advice. They give our clients the dignity and positive feelings that a person gets from having their problems heard and validated. We are blessed to call FaegreBD part of our MIWRC family and look forward to the next 20 years."
FaegreBD hosted a luncheon for clinic volunteers, and leaders from MIWRC and VLN to commemorate the legal clinic's 20-year anniversary on April 13.
Founded in 1984, MIWRC provides a broad range of programs designed to educate and empower American Indian women and their families, and to inform and assist those who work providing services to the community. For more information, visit miwrc.org.