Report out of Minnesota on Barriers Low-income Clients Face to Accessing Legal Services
By: Steve Grumm
We’re a few days late to the party on this, but FYI, from the Minnesota Judicial Branch’s website:
The Minnesota Client Access, Barriers and Solutions Study (“MN-CABS Study”) was a joint project of the Minnesota State Bar Association, the Bremer Foundation, the Minnesota Legal Services Coalition and the Legal Services Advisory Committee. The purpose of the MN-CABS Study was to identify specific groups of legal services-eligible clients around Minnesota, the barriers they face to obtaining legal services, and strategies for overcoming those barriers.
This study was the first of its kind in Minnesota and in the country. Its innovative methodology – using direct surveys and focus groups of eligible clients, much of it conducted by staff from legal services and pro bono programs that have been trained by University of Minnesota researchers – provides a model of client-centered analysis that goes well beyond generic needs assessments.
The study was released on September 13, 2011 and is available at the following link: Final MN-CABS Report
