A project of Pro Bono Institute focused on improving reentry outcomes
Legal Support
Successful reentry often depends on resolving outstanding civil legal issues. Attorneys and other legal professionals can help formerly incarcerated people overcome the challenges they may face upon leaving prison, such as resolving child support debt or restoring a driver's license.
MNCJI’s partners provide pro bono legal assistance to help individuals navigate post-prison legal matters and to remove barriers to their successful reentry.
Sean Somermeyer
Attorney
Faegre Baker Daniels
There's a lot of need out there, and we're in a profession where we have ethical and service obligations to do something for others. You can apply the skills you use every day as a lawyer to make a huge impact on someone's life.
Sean Somermeyer
We live our day-to-day lives, and we can lose track of the communities that we live in. By doing pro bono work, you get to connect with the greater community around you.
Stacey Nelson
Attorney Sean Somermeyer discusses some of the legal problems that ex-inmates can face after emerging from prison.
Debt due to child support obligations can complicate post-prison finances for some. Sean discusses how attorneys can help to restructure child support or other debt payments to make them manageable, while still covering obligations.
Sean discusses his experience helping one reentry client restructure child support payments.
Paralegal Stacey Nelson talks about the value of having a driver's license, and why reinstating a license can be beneficial to individuals going through reentry.
Stacey describes the process she follows to re-establish a driver's license for an individual.
Stacey talks about the benefits that reentry can hold for individuals.