About Us

LegalCORPS is an innovative Minnesota nonprofit that aims to increase access to the legal system by providing assistance in transactional matters to limited-resourced entrepreneurs, business owners, inventors, and small nonprofits. LegalCORPS provides excellent opportunities for attorneys to make a positive impact in Midwest communities.

Learn more about the impact LegalCORPS makes in our community by watching our 20th Anniversary Video below.

Our Attorneys

We accomplish our mission through the services of primarily volunteer business and intellectual property law attorneys. We have one full-time staff attorney. LegalCORPS has over 500 volunteer attorneys on our roster, and we serve thousands of clients annually. Attorneys volunteer for a variety of personal and professional reasons — but a unifying motivation is Rule 6.1 of the Rules of Professional Conduct, which expresses the legal profession’s aspiration to serve those in the community who cannot afford legal services on their own.

Pro bono legal assistance is the kind of volunteer community service that only attorneys can provide.

A Positive Impact on Minnesota Communities

Sound guidance on business law matters is essential to the success of any venture, both for profit and nonprofit entities. This is preventative legal support, and while receiving front-end guidance won’t guarantee freedom from legal concerns down the line, we aim to reduce the likelihood. The success of the small businesses and nonprofits that our clients start is essential to not only their personal financial stability, but to the economic vitality of the Midwest. LegalCORPS programs are designed to help make all our communities great places to live, raise families, do business, and serve others.

Mission Statement

LegalCORPS expands access to business law services for individuals and organizations to promote economic development and strengthen communities. As Minnesota’s only business law legal aid organization, LegalCORPS programs empower individuals and families to build noble legacies for generations to come.

Core Values

How we work shows up most clearly in the moments nobody is watching. It is how we answer the phone at the end of a long day, what we say to a client who does not qualify for the program they inquired about, and whether we speak up when something is not working.

Our values were not written by a consultant or handed to us by a funder. We found them by looking at the people who make this place work and asking what they have in common. Three things came back. These are not aspirations. This is who we are and how we work.

LegalCORPS is Minnesota’s only business law legal aid organization. We are client centered, community focused, and volunteer driven, and we exist so that people with limited resources can get the legal help that lets them build lasting wealth.

Underneath all of it is economic empowerment. Every piece of advice we give moves a little access, and a little power, to someone who did not have it before.

Our History

LegalCORPS is Minnesota’s only statewide business law pro bono program and regional patent pro bono program. It emerged in 2004 as an independent 501(c)3 non-profit organization, following recommendations by a Minnesota State Bar Association appointed task force that was formed in 2002. That task force conducted thorough research on unmet transactional legal needs of small businesses and nonprofits in Minnesota.

Task Force and Collaborative Partners

The Minnesota State Bar Association (MSBA) task force that created LegalCORPS sought new ways to improve access to free legal services for low-income communities and non-profits that serve them.

The task force convened 39 collaborative partners representing legal service providers, volunteer lawyer service coordinators, law firms, law schools, and technical assistance providers to nonprofits and microenterprises.

A number of the task force members subsequently became members of LegalCORPS’ founding board of directors. Some of those founders continue to serve on the board.