Page 11 - Minnesota Vol 8 No 2

“We try to leverage work in coalitions,” says Webster. “ ose pro bono research hours were an incredible gi from the law rm community. ey provided us with important data we could call upon at the legislature. Since there are only three of us, we de- pend on partnerships to extend our reach.”
LSAP attorneys work with leg- islators across the political spec- trum, and Legal Aid is well-re- spected on both sides of the aisle.
“If we tell them something, they know it is credible,” Elwood says. “ ey can feel comfortable repeating that fact or legal analy- sis.”
“We have solid relationships with both Democrats and Repub- licans,” adds Webster. “We work hard to gain everyone’s support for our positions and every issue is di erent. We respect the pro- cess and all of the people involved in that process. You never know
who has personal experience or deep knowledge on a given issue, and alliances are sometimes un- predictable.”
In the same way that court- rooms can be inaccessible to indi- viduals with a lack of legal train- ing, the Capitol is not set up as an accessible place for the working public. LSAP is the voice for Legal Aid clients at the legislature.
“Just as Legal Aid ful lls the access to justice promise that is at the heart of our democracy in the court system, LSAP does in the public policy arena,” Webster says. “It’s the perfect complement to individual representation. We provide equal access to justice in a policy forum.”
MID-MINNESOTA LEGAL AID PRO- VIDES FREE CIVIL LEGAL ADVICE AND REPRESENTATION TO MINNESOTANS WHO CANNOT AFFORD AN ATTOR- NEY. LEGAL AID SERVES PEOPLE WITH LOW INCOMES IN 20 COUNTIES AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES STATE- WIDE.
“We have solid relationships with
both Democrats and Republicans,” adds Webster. “We work hard to gain everyone’s support for our positions and every issue is di erent. We respect the process and all of the people involved in that process. You never know who has personal experience or deep knowledge
on a given issue, and alliances are sometimes unpredictable.”