School of Law Magazine

ARCHBISHOP IRELAND JUSTICE FELLOWS

and his wife are interested in the legal access issue for two primary reasons: They want to support the School of Law and “for us, the best way is to find a cause that both assists the school and also serves our primary charitable goal of assisting the least advantaged members of society and helping serve the ‘common good,’” he said. The second reason is that “the legal system is confusing at best and intimidating; yet, without access, these folks face huge issues around housing, health care, family matters, etc., that prevent them from having a fair shot at a dignified, if not fulfilling life,” he continued. The first fellowship recipient at CMLS, Jessica Melheim ’15 J.D. , is now a permanent member of the team. “I knew I was in the right place and didn’t want to leave,” she said. “It is a privilege to be part of a law firm that works toward access to justice.” CMLS provides legal representation and advice to hundreds of domestic abuse survivors every year and Melheim said she’s most proud of the work CMLS does with orders for protection cases. “Having legal representation or even legal advice prior to an order for protection trial or hearing significantly increases the likelihood that the client will be successful in their case,” she said. “For example, I was referred a client who had an order for protection hearing the same day. The client was terrified to see her abuser. She was trembling and having a difficult time articulating the facts of her case,” Melheim said. With about 30 minutes to prepare, Melheim gathered relevant criminal history information on the opposing party, interviewed her client’s adult son who had observed the abuse and outlined her client’s testimony. “Because of the serious physical abuse and continued fear my client experienced, I requested that the judge grant a 10-year order for protection instead of the traditional two-year order,” she said. The judge granted her request. “Having legal counsel helped my client clearly present her story

to the judge with corroboration from her son and resulted in a substantially longer order.” CMLS Executive Director Jean Lastine said she appreciates Melheim’s work “because she brings a passion for serving low-income clients to the position along with law school experiences that enabled her to quickly develop an independent caseload.” The Archbishop Ireland Justice Fellowship provides programs like CMLS the flexibility to take on new attorneys in a way that is mutually beneficial to the organization and the fellowship attorney. “Civil legal aid programs in Minnesota can only represent 40% of the clients eligible for our services,” Lastine said. “Overall, funding sources are not keeping up with our program costs including salaries Jessica Melheim ’15 J.D. started at Central Minnesota Legal Services as an Archbishop Ireland Justice Fellow and now is a full-time employee.

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