St. Paul, MN, August 1, 2013 -- Rising numbers of Minnesotans are unable to afford an attorney when facing legal issues.  In response, a coalition of legal aid offices and Ramsey County libraries has created RamseyCountyLawHelp.org with the goal of connecting library patrons with high quality, free legal resources. RamseyCountyLawHelp.org is an easy-to-use website for Ramsey County residents that provides critical legal information and referrals on a range of civil legal matters.
Visitors to the website can find help in a wide range of legal areas, including immigration, housing and family law (including divorce, custody and abuse). Other legal topics covered include elder law, taxes, consumer law, public benefits, discrimination and disability law. Visitors can fill out court forms, create demand letters, review fact sheets, and find out about upcoming clinics and classes at their local libraries. The site also creates quick access to the hundreds of resources at LawHelpMN.org, a source of legal materials for low-income Minnesotans, including resources in Spanish, Hmong, Somali and nine other languages.

“We are excited to offer Ramsey County LawHelp to our patrons.  It provides amazing self-help legal resources that are local, current and comprehensive,” said Susan Nemitz, Director of Ramsey County Library. “This website provides patrons with the tools they need to understand and address what can be very complicated and frightening legal problems.”

RamseyCountyLawHelp.org was created with funding from the Legal Services Corporation, and is a collaboration between legal aid programs, libraries, and Pro Bono Net.  Legal aid partners include Central Minnesota Legal Services and Legal Services State Support, a project of the Minnesota Legal Services Coalition.  Library partners include Ramsey County Public Library, Ramsey County Law Library, and St. Paul Public Library.