The Minnesota Justice Foundation (MJF) strives for justice by creating opportunities for law students to perform public interest and pro bono legal services.

The University of St. Thomas School of Law MFJ Student Chapter provides a forum for law students to work together on issues of social justice and professional responsibility. The St. Thomas-MJF Student Chapter is dedicated to supporting law students in their desire to work in non-profit, legal aid and public service professions. The St. Thomas-MJF Student Chapter organizes programs on public interest law and coordinates group volunteer opportunities. Further, St. Thomas Law students can volunteer for opportunity to design their own summer fellowship in the public interest legal field. The student chapter hosts annual fundraising events, including the Paddle Battle and Chili Cook-Off, to raise money for summer public interest fellowships. These monies, alongside money raised by the 3L class gift and donations, fund summer public interest fellowships.

Core Values

Social Justice
We recognize that many people in our society are unable to protect their rights and to obtain justice due to their inability to afford legal services.

Professional Responsibility
We believe that it is a privilege to be trained in the law, and that it is the duty of law students and lawyers to exercise the privilege in service to the community.

Inspiration
We seek to instill in law students, and in all lawyers, an ethic of providing high quality public interest and pro bono legal services.

Integrity
We uphold high ethical standards and vigilantly protect MJF’s role as an honest broker of public interest and pro bono opportunities among law students, law schools, public interest agencies, and law firms.

Autonomy
MJF was founded by law students and derives its energy and direction from students. We value MJF’s autonomy from any particular law school, its administration, and its faculty and from any particular public interest agency.