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Self-help legal services expand to Chisago, Isanti, Kanabec & Pine counties

Posted: Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Responding to the growing number of people choosing to represent themselves in court proceedings, Minnesota’s Tenth Judicial District is expanding self-help legal services in Chisago, Isanti, Kanabec, and Pine counties.
 
Last year, the Tenth Judicial District opened a new self-help center at the Anoka County Courthouse to provide legal information and resources to self-represented litigants. The center was designed to serve residents throughout the district, which includes Anoka, Chisago, Isanti, Kanabec, Pine, Sherburne, Washington, and Wright counties. In its first nine months of operation, staff provided walk-in, e-mail, and phone assistance to self-represented litigants on nearly 2,000 legal matters.
 
In order to make it more convenient for district residents to take advantage of this no-cost service, staff have begun offering weekly walk-in hours at the courthouses in Chisago, Isanti, Kanabec, and Pine counties.
 
“As we see more and more people trying to navigate our legal system without an attorney, we have been exploring new ways to provide resources to these individuals to help them capably seek justice through our courts,” said Tenth Judicial District Administrator, Michael Moriarity. “The self-help center in Anoka County has proven so successful and popular, that we quickly identified the need to offer this assistance in even more communities. We hope many more people will be able to take advantage of this important resource.”
 
A complete schedule of walk-in hours – along with information on self-help services available online, by e-mail, and over the phone – are provided below:
 
New Tenth Judicial District Self-Help Center Walk-in Hours and Locations:
  • Anoka County Courthouse (Second Level Central, C210)
    325 East Main Street, Anoka, MN 55303
    Monday – Thursday
    9:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. &
    1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
  • Chisago County Courthouse (Court Admin.)
    313 N Main Street, Center City, MN 55012
    Wednesday
    8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
  • Isanti County Courthouse (Court Admin.)
    555 18th Ave SW, Cambridge, MN 55008
    Wednesday
    1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
  • Pine County Courthouse (Court Admin.)
    635 Northridge Drive NW, Pine City, MN 55063
    Monday
    8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
  • Kanabec County Courthouse (Law Library)
    18 North Vine Street, Mora, MN 55051
    Monday
    1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

  
Tenth Judicial District Self-Help Center Phone and E-Mail Services:
 
Tenth Judicial District staff are also available to provide assistance over the phone and by e-mail to residents of Anoka, Chisago, Isanti, Kanabec, Pine, Sherburne, Washington, and Wright counties:
  • Phone: Subject to staff availability, self-help center phone service hours are Monday through Thursday between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. by calling (763) 279-4325.
  • E-mail: Self-represented litigants can also submit questions to self-help center staff via e-mail at 10CourtHelp@courts.state.mn.us. Normal response time for e-mail questions is expected to be two to three business days.

Services Available from Self-Help Center Staff
 
Self-help center staff are able to provide instructions on how to complete court forms; review filled-out forms for completeness; help self-represented litigants locate free or low cost legal services and programs; and provide information about court process, practice, and procedure.
 
Self-represented litigants can seek help filling out court forms related to a wide variety of court proceedings, including: civil actions; conciliation court matters; criminal expungement; divorce, child support, custody, and family law; landlord and tenant law; name changes; and much more.
 
While self-help center staff are not able to directly provide legal advice, strategy, or research, they will be able to connect visitors with services that offer legal advice and guidance.
 
Statewide Self Help Center Available to All Minnesotans
 
Minnesota is a nationally-recognized leader in providing services to those representing themselves in court.
 
The statewide Minnesota Self Help Center provides online resources, as well as phone and e-mail support, to self-represented litigants across the state. Every courthouse in the state is also equipped with self-help workstations consisting of a desk, computer, printer, and phone, which can be used at no cost to find court information, print court forms, and talk over the phone with Self Help staff about forms, procedures, and legal resources.
 
For more information on resources available to self-represented litigants in Minnesota, visit http://www.mncourts.gov/selfhelp or call (651) 259-3888.