Minnesota Government Access (MGA)The Minnesota Judicial Branch offers Minnesota Government Access (MGA) accounts to government agencies. New MGA accounts allow government agencies to view appropriate electronic court records and documents stored in the Minnesota Court Information System for cases in Minnesota district courts.

Integrations

Court Integration Services is an enterprise-wide strategy of the Minnesota Judicial Branch to facilitate application-to-application electronic exchange of data between the courts and their business partners.

Document integrations are an application-to-application electronic exchange of certain documents between the courts and their business partners.

• Request a new document exchange from your agency to the courts (Word Doc)

Minnesota OA/MGA Login AccountsGovernment Partner Resources: This resource page provides important information for government agencies maintain their Minnesota Government Access (MGA) login accounts and to maintain or change their Odyssey Assistant (OA) login accounts. Read more about MGA/OA login accounts for government agencies. If you are not part of a government agency, please read about the Minnesota Trial Court Public Access (MPA) Remote View.

• eFiling Information for Government Partner Agencies
• Criminal Search Warrant Filing Information
• Criminal Search Warrants Public Administrative File Numbers
• FAQs: Understanding MNCIS Sentencing Data
• Pretrial Release Initiative
• Local Ordinances and Administrative Rules in MNCIS Offense Table
• Adult and Juvenile Charging Information
• Statewide Payables Lists
• Statewide Standard Citation/eCitation Resources
• Level of Sentence Fact Sheet (revised 11/2009) (PDF)
• Statewide Sentencing Order Fact Sheet and FAQ (April 2010)
• Minnesota Statute Table
• MOC Codes (revised 8/2019) (PDF)

CHIPS Parent Attorney Roster

 

Resources for New and Returning Parent Attorneys

Fast Facts – Changes to Requirements for Qualified Parent Attorneys

To apply to be listed on the roster of qualified CHIPS parent attorneys or to edit an existing attorney profile or roster application, login to / register for the CHIPS Parent Attorney Roster.

• Instructions for registering to be on Parent Attorney Roster
• Instructions for updating email address and contact information
• Instructions for withdrawing current PAR application and re-applying using a different qualification
• Instructions for editing PAR profile and adding additional counties

Resources for Judges, County Commissioners, and Others

Search Parent Attorney Roster by County or Attorney Name

Resources for Understanding the Requirements for Qualified Parent Attorneys

Review these Fast Facts – Changes to Requirements for Qualified Parent Attorneys for a summary of the recent changes to requirements for qualified parent attorneys. 
 

Current Requirements

Minn. Stat. § 260C.163, subd. 3(i), states: “Counsel retained by the county [to represent parents in juvenile protection matters] must meet the qualifications established by the Judicial Council in at least one of the following: (1) has a minimum of two years of experience handling child protection cases; (2) has training in handling child protection cases from a course or courses approved by the Judicial Council; or (3) is supervised by an attorney who meets the minimum qualifications under clause (1) or (2).”

Consistent with statute, Policy 604 - Qualifications for Attorneys Appointed by the Court to Represent Parents, Guardians, and Legal Custodians in Juvenile Protection Matters provides that attorneys appointed by the court to represent parents, guardians, or custodians in juvenile protection matters must submit to the State Court Administrator proof that they meet one of the following minimum qualifications: 

A. Experience: The attorney has at least two years of experience representing parties or participants in juvenile protection matters.  

B. Training: The attorney has completed qualifying training specific to parent representation in Minnesota juvenile protection matters offered or approved by the State Court Administrator that includes the following content areas:

• Types and purpose of CHIPS hearings: EPC hearings, admit/deny hearings, pretrial, trials, intermediate disposition hearings, permanency progress review hearings, permanency, and post-permanency review hearings;

• Stages of a CHIPS proceeding: removal, EPC, adjudication, disposition, review, permanency, and post-permanency;

• Overview of relevant statutes and rules regarding the purpose of child protection proceedings, the process, timelines, CHIPS and permanency dispositions;

• ICWA;

• Common challenges clients face, such as poverty, trauma, domestic violence, and behavioral health needs;

• Understanding case plans, parenting capacity assessments, chemical health assessments, mental health assessments, UAs, etc.;

• Understanding the impact of trauma on children and parents;

• Ethical and professional responsibility requirements of working with a parent client who is incapacitated because of mental health or chemical health issues;

• Working with the attorney for the child, county child protection workers, GALs, and tribal child protection workers; and

• Best practices for engaging clients, establishing trust, defining client goals given the statutes, and client communication/contact.

Currently, the State Court Administrator has approved a virtual, on-demand core skills training curriculum from Mitchell Hamline’s Institute to Transform Child Protection (ITCP) that is available at a low cost to interested parent attorneys.  For more information and/or to register, please contact Katie Olson at Katie.Olson@mitchellhamline.edu or Joanna Woolman at Joanna.Woolman@mitchellhamline.edu. 

C. Supervision: The attorney is supervised by a qualified attorney.  This means the attorney is under the supervision of an attorney who is listed or could be listed on the roster of approved attorneys under paragraphs A or B.  The supervision may be either by virtue of employment or by written supervision agreement. If by written agreement, a copy of the agreement must be submitted to the State Court Administrator's Office by emailing it to CHIPS.ParentAttorneyRoster@courts.state.mn.us with the attorney’s attestation establishing qualifications by supervision.

An attorney providing supervision under this policy has the ethical obligations of Rule 5.1 of the Minnesota Rules of Professional Conduct. Supervision must include all juvenile protection matters on which the attorney is appointed through county contract or otherwise retained at county expense and shall, at a minimum, mean there is regular and routine access by the attorney to the supervisor for consultation on case-related legal issues and strategies and review of the progress of each juvenile protection matter handled by the attorney while under supervision. 

There is no continuing education requirement, distinct from the requirements attorneys already have to retain their law license, to remain on the roster of qualified CHIPS parent attorneys.

Questions?

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