Justice for All: The Role of Legal Aid in our Community

Justice North is a nonprofit organization that provides free civil legal services to low-income individuals in areas of law that impact their safety, security, and stability. In our justice system, people only have a right to a lawyer in criminal matters, not civil ones. The work done at Justice North ensures all individuals have equal access to justice, not just those who have the means to pay for justice. Justice North keeps families housed, domestic violence victims protected, vulnerable seniors safe, and more.

Since she became Executive Director in 2017, Dori Rapaport has led Justice North, formerly known as Legal Aid Service of Northeastern Minnesota, through a myriad of innovations and expansions to increase the organization’s capacity to help more individuals. Dori speaks on statewide and national panels regular on topics such as rural access to justice, technological innovations to increase access to legal services, and collaborations with legal aid and the courts. In Dori’s spare time she and her partner spend time driving their five teenagers all over Duluth (no licensed drivers yet!), and love to walk their golden retriever while birdwatching in Observation Hill.