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Our Appeals Self-Help Clinics are among our most popular services. The State Law Library currently offers two self-help clinics: the Unemployment Appeals Clinic, started in 2013, and the Appeals Self-Help Clinic, started in 2016. These clinics were started in partnership with the Minnesota State Bar Association in response to rising numbers of self-represented parties in appeals: 24% of all appeals now have at least one self-represented party and that figure rises to 40% for family law cases and 81% for unemployment appeals. Volunteer attorneys staff the clinics and help self-represented people with questions about their appeals, including how to fill out forms, deadlines for filing, motions, fee waivers, service, and briefs. Unlike many other clinics, there are no income restrictions for the appeals clinics. To date, the clinics have helped hundreds of parties navigate the appellate process and the clinic's founders have been honored among Minnesota Lawyer's Attorneys of the Year in 2016.
Resource Spotlight: Elements of an Action, Minnesota Practice Series
Many library users will already be familiar with the Minnesota Practice Series because of its Jury Instruction Guides, but the series contains many other useful resources for practitioners and self-represented parties alike. Elements of an Action is another title in the series and is an invaluable resource for anyone bringing a civil case in district court. This handy resource sets out each of the elements that make up a cause of action (such as Nuisance or Wrongful Death actions) along with the authority for the action. You will also find forms, checklists, remedies, and defenses for each action. You can find Elements of an Action in Volumes 28 and 28A of the Minnesota Practice Series. Print copies are available for use in the library, or you can access Elements of an Action through Westlaw on the library computers.
We've all seen the compilations of strange state laws that make the internet rounds periodically, but how many of those strange laws are actually real laws? Many Minnesota entries (such as "A person may not cross state lines with a duck atop his head" or "It's illegal to tease skunks" are myths, but Minnesota actually did have a law on its books until 2015 that prohibited senior centers from hosting bingo more than twice a week. Curious about so-called "loony laws?" Read more on our "Loony Laws" Legal Topics page, or stop by the library to view our display on the oddities of Minnesota law!
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