FAQs
The FAQs aim to answer the most common queries and concerns our clients and supporters have about our pro bono business legal services. Whether you are a business owner, a budding entrepreneur, an innovator, or a nonprofit, this section is designed to offer quick and comprehensive answers to help you understand how our process works.
If you do not find the answer you are looking for, please reach out to us directly through our Contact Us page.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, LegalCORPS assists businesses and nonprofit organizations throughout Minnesota. It is a statewide organization.
The answer will differ for every client, depending on factors that include the nature of the case, attorney availability, the presence of conflicts of interest, and the number of other cases awaiting placement.
LegalCORPS cannot guarantee that a case will be placed but will make a good faith effort to find representation for an eligible client. Some cases may take longer to place than our average week of placement timing.
LegalCORPS does not have ready access to interpreters. We will try to arrange for an interpreter’s services when appropriate.
The LegalCORPS application process is thorough to ensure that the client receives the appropriate service, the attorney understands the nature of the case and the client’s economic situation, as well as to avoid conflicts of interest that may prevent representation by a particular attorney.
Knowing the full story enables LegalCORPS to make a fair assessment of eligibility and find the best match possible. In addition, some of LegalCORPS’s funders require us to follow eligibility guidelines.
If a client applies for a second time to LegalCORPS it may not be necessary for the client to send in all of the same materials as before because everything from the first application is kept on file. It is the client’s responsibility, however, to ensure that LegalCORPS has the most up-to-date information in its files.
Your application will be sent to the attorney who will be assisting you. They should contact you within a week or so. If you have not been contacted in that timeframe, please let LegalCORPS staff know. Effective legal representation relies upon the active involvement and participation of the client. Return your attorney’s calls, show up for appointments (or reschedule when you have a conflict), and provide all requested information in a timely manner. Communication and cooperation are key to a successful attorney-client relationship.
As long as you meet program eligibility, you present appropriate legal issues, and we have the capacity to place your matter, you may continue to receive our services, within reason.
As part of the legal community, LegalCORPS respects the professional relationships attorneys enter with their clients. If you have worked with an attorney on the same or similar legal issue you are presenting to LegalCORPS, we will notify the attorney and ensure that there is no barrier to LegalCORPS providing representation. We will obtain your permission before contacting the attorney.
LegalCORPS determines a client’s eligibility each time the client applies for assistance. LegalCORPS matches attorneys with clients for each new application. For each attorney-client match LegalCORPS makes, the lawyer and client make a new client representation agreement. It is a good practice to formalize this representation through your own retainers and letters of representation as well.
LegalCORPS understands that attorney-client relationships often build over time and that an attorney and client might want to continue to work together. They certainly can do so through LegalCORPS, if the client meets eligibility criteria. Once a client is no longer eligible for LegalCORPS services, the attorney and client are free to continue their relationship without the involvement of LegalCORPS.