CENTRAL MINNESOTA LEGAL SERVICES INCORPORATED
The mission of Central Minnesota Legal Services is to increase access to justice by providing high quality legal services to individuals experiencing poverty, challenging inequities, and empowering community members to participate in our civil legal system.
About CENTRAL MINNESOTA LEGAL SERVICES INCORPORATED
Central Minnesota Legal Services (CMLS) is a 501(c)(3) civil legal aid organization that provides free legal help to low-income individuals and families across a 21-county service area in central Minnesota. The organization operates multiple regional offices (including Minneapolis, St. Cloud, Willmar and Anoka) and delivers services through direct representation, brief advice, community clinics, volunteer attorney placements, and community legal education. CMLS focuses on preserving basic needs and protecting clients from abuse by handling matters such as family law, housing, consumer issues, public benefits, and disability access. The organization remains active and donor-facing, with recent leadership changes (a new executive director announced in 2023), ongoing community partnerships, and up-to-date audited financial filings indicating multi-million dollar annual operating budgets in recent years.
Notable achievements
Longstanding multi-county legal aid network
For more than four decades CMLS has provided civil legal services across a 21-county region in central Minnesota, establishing sustained local presence and service continuity for low-income residents.
Robust Volunteer Attorney Program & clinics
CMLS operates an established Volunteer Attorney Program and regularly staffs regional legal advice and self-help clinics to expand access to counsel and assist large numbers of people who cannot afford private representation.
Recent leadership and community partnerships
CMLS completed a leadership transition with a new Executive Director in 2023 and has been featured for collaborative work—including partnerships with local libraries and community partners—to address housing- and justice-related needs.
At a glance
- Total assets
- $2.7M
- Annual revenue
- $4.6M
- Tax status
- 501(c)(3)Public charity
- EIN
- 41-1299151
- Location
- Minneapolis, MN
- Website
- centralmnlegal.org
- On Mahalo since
- September 2026
Financial figures from the IRS Business Master File, the IRS’s registry of tax-exempt organizations.
Recognition
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