Minnesota Justice Foundation

Please join MJF in celebrating the 2024 recipients of MJF's Outstanding Service Awards! Our awards event will be on October 9th and we hope to see you there! Advocate Award: Jenna Saverynski, Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services Direct Legal Service Award: Sarah K. Moore, Legal Services of Northwest Minnesota Private Practice Lawyer Award: Clinton E. Cutler, Fredrikson & Byron P.A. and the University of Minnesota Law School’s Bankruptcy Clinic Plunkett Christenson Law Student Volunteer Awards: Benna J. Griffin, Mitchell Hamline School of Law Lizzy Cavanaugh, University of St. Thomas School of Law Haley Van Steenbergh, University of Minnesota Law School Event tickets are available here: https://lnkd.in/gvtmrvDt

Please join us at MJF's 2024 Annual Awards Celebration on October 9th!

We're excited to introduce the 2024 MJF Summer Fellows! Please click through to learn more about them and where they're working. Thank you to all the supporters of this program. Donations provide for stipends for the fellows and support the behind-the-scenes work that MJF staff do to keep this program running. https://lnkd.in/gdm9bqFB If you are now interested in hosting a summer fellow in Summer 2025, we'll be accepting host applications in Fall 2024!

Meet the Summer '24 Public Interest Clerkship recipients! This is a program of the Minnesota Justice Foundation Student Chapter at the University of Minnesota. Thank you to all who donated to make this year's clerkships possible! If you'd like to support this program, please visit: https://lnkd.in/gFVge56y Here is the Student Chapter's Instagram where they share updates about their work: umn_mjf

The Mitchell Hamline student chapter of the Minnesota Justice Foundation (MJF) is hosting our annual silent auction now through Friday! Candidly, there are some seriously cool items this year. All funds raised in the auction go directly to the Public Interest Law Fellowship (PILF) program, which grants stipends to law students who are spending their summer putting their legal education to work in public interest positions that would otherwise be unpaid. Fellowship recipients directly serve our local communities by working with non-profit organizations to provide free legal services to low-income clients and communities. https://lnkd.in/g7CBwJmd

Important information from ILCM!

It's a strike! Several students joined Interim Dean William McGeveran, Assistant Dean of Clinical Education Steve Meili, and Assistant Dean of Students Jay Wong, JD, M.Ed for a bowling match that included some serious bragging rights in support of the Minnesota Justice Foundation (MJF). Tyler Blackmon ’24 won the bowling opportunity during MJF's silent auction this past November, with all proceeds going to MJF. Dean McGeveran won one game, and Tyler, who is reported to have brought his own bowling ball and bowling shoes to the event, won a second game. The group also divided into two teams for a final match-up of students against McGeveran, Wong, and Meili, with students eking out an overall victory by a single pin (730-729).   L>R: Lindsay Maher ’24, Mollie Ahsan ’24, Tyler Blackmon ’24, Lucy Chin ’24, Dean William McGeveran, Dean Jay Wong, and Dean Steve Meili #MNLaw #community  

Thank you for considering MJF in your plans for Give to the Max Day! Your gift today supports the Summer Fellowship Program, and helps increase MJF's chance of winning prizes (additional $). The Summer Fellowship Program has been operating for over 40 years. Hear from one fellow about their experience: "Overall, this job had an immense impact on my professional development. I had so many opportunities to improve skills that are vital to being a public interest lawyer including researching, writing, talking with clients, summarizing the law in a simplified manner, and collaborating with other lawyers. I also made connections with some of the most passionate public interest lawyers I have ever met. I could not have asked for a better way to develop my professional skills and will be forever grateful for this opportunity."

Congratulations to 3L Noor Dastagir (pictured right) who is the recipient of a 2023 Minnesota Justice Foundation (MJF) Outstanding Service Award. He was nominated by adjunct faculty member Shawn Webb, who teaches the law school's Misdemeanor Defense Externship and works as the managing attorney for the First District Public Defender’s Office in Dakota County. From Webb's nomination letter: "During his law school career Noor Dastagir has become a fixture in the Public Defender’s Office in Hennepin County at the Brookdale courthouse where he has found a real passion for helping the indigent and disadvantaged. He has volunteered over a hundred hours to representing indigent clients at various stages as their cases progress through the criminal district court (in addition to the several hundred hours he completed with the Public Defender as part of two externship programs). "Mr. Dastagir has displayed skill, intellect, and understanding in representing indigent clients in the criminal courts and fighting for their fair treatment under the law regardless of their financial resources. Mr. Dastagir has shown a deft ability to learn new skills, work in a stressful environment, and handle issues as they arise in a calm, professional manner. Mr. Dastagir’s ability to learn and think on his feet has distinguished him as an excellent student attorney and a convincing advocate for his clients. "In addition to the work Mr. Dastagir has done helping the clients of the public defender’s office, he has also invested a tremendous amount of time and work in making his law school a more inclusive, welcoming place for Muslim students by starting the annual Ramadan Iftar dinner at the University of St. Thomas School of Law. "Mr. Dastagir has clearly answered the call to serve the disadvantaged, underserved, and those without access to justice while also working to create a more inclusive, understanding environment for his fellow Muslim law students and legal professionals." #ustlawmn #publicservice #lawstudent #lawschool #law #LegalAwards