Lawrence Reed McDonough
Attorney at Law
1161 Palace Avenue Saint Paul, MN 55105 651-398-8053 |
Summary |
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In almost 40 years of civil litigation practice and teaching, Lawrence McDonough has represented over 11,000 clients, with 250 trials, 1,000 motion hearings, and scores of appellate hearings, written legislation, taught at all of the Minnesota law schools as a visiting and adjunct professor in both clinical and doctrinal courses with over 1,000 former students, supervised legal aid and pro bono programs, presented hundreds of seminars for attorneys in Minnesota and throughout the United States, written practice manuals and law journal articles, and has become a state and national expert on housing law. |
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Education |
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Law |
William Mitchell College of Law, St. Paul, Minnesota Juris Doctor, Cum Laude, June 1983 Recipient, Student Award of Merit Recipient, Pihl Scholarship for Academic Achievement Co-Founder and Executive Editor, 1 Wm. Mitchell Env’t L. J. (1983) Staff Writer, 8 Wm. Mitchell L. Rev. (1982) Co-Chairperson, Environmental Law Society Founder and Student Director, Public Interest Law Clinic Member, Student Code Committee |
Undergraduate |
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota Bachelor of Science, Music Education, June 1978 |
Bar Admissions |
Minnesota District and Appellate Courts, October 21, 1983, No. 151373 United States District Court, District of Minnesota, December 7, 1983 United States Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit, August 21, 1984 |
Practice of Law |
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2022-Present |
Senior Fellow National Housing Law Project Updating HUD Housing Programs: Tenants' Rights (also known as the Green Book) and other publications, and mentoring housing attorneys around the country. |
2022-Present |
Policy Attorney HOME Line Drafting and advocating for housing legislation and mentoring HOME Line attorneys and advocates in litigation and client advice. |
2022-2023 |
Of Counsel Isuroon Helped Isuroon build a volunteer attorney program for it clients. |
2022-2023 |
Consulting Litigation Counsel Legal Services of Northwest Minnesota, Bemidji Office Co-counseled on housing litigation and appeals. |
2021-2022 |
Housing Rights Attorney Housing Justice Center, formerly Housing Preservation Project Litigating housing preservation and habitability, lobbying on housing issues, and writing amici briefs in state and federal appellate courts |
2020 to 2021 |
Senior Minnesota Fellow, National Anti-Eviction Project Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Coordinated eviction defense and tenant protection programs in Minnesota through training lawyers, judges, advocates, tenants, and landlords on housing issues during the pandemic; lobbying on housing issues; writing amici briefs; and working with conventional and social media |
2013 to 2020 |
Pro Bono Counsel Dorsey and Whitney, LLP Directed and coordinated pro bono litigation and clinics for the firm, including housing, domestic abuse, asylum, civil rights, children’s immigration, death penalty, and innocence project cases. In 1993 Dorsey & Whitney was a charter signatory to the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge and met the Challenge every year. During my tenure, Dorsey increased its pro bono from 4% to 6% of billable hours, receiving both Minnesota and national awards. |
2011 to 2013 |
Managing Attorney, Housing Unit Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid and Legal Aid Society of Minneapolis Downtown Office Supervised seven housing attorneys and paralegals in representation of low-income persons in federal and state courts, administrative hearings, the state legislature, and state and local councils and agencies Substantive areas included evictions and unlawful detainer actions, lock-outs and unlawful evictions, housing conditions and repairs, utility service terminations, housing discrimination and reasonable accommodation of persons with disabilities, public and subsidized housing, mortgage foreclosures and contract for deed cancellations, criminal, bankruptcies, credit reporting, and consumer fraud and deceptive trade practices law Practice included litigation, legislative advocacy, community legal education, and mentoring, training and co-counseling with legal aid staff, volunteer attorneys, advocates, and lay persons Created and supervised programs to mail advice letters and provide at home advice to households in foreclosure, provide legal services to tenants whose landlord are in foreclosure, provide legal services to veterans, and assign emergency cases amongst unit attorneys Wrote and administered grants and reports for funders of the work of the housing unit |
2010 to 2011 |
Visiting Clinical Professor of Law Hamline University School of Law Took sabbatical from the Legal Aid Society of Minneapolis to reorganize and teach the Trial Practice Clinic, in which students and student directors learned housing law and client representation skills through course work on housing law and trial practice, trial practice simulations, and client representation, http://hamlinetpc.homestead.com/ Also created the Landlord and Tenant Law Course, in which students researched property, contract and tort law affecting landlord and tenants, wrote advice letters and pleadings, presented motion arguments; one of the only law courses in the county working with mentors in 17 states, http://landlordtenantlaw.homestead.com |
2006 to 2010 |
Managing Attorney, Housing Unit Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid and Legal Aid Society of Minneapolis Southside Office See Managing Attorney, Housing Unit, Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid Downtown Office, Legal Aid Society of Minneapolis, supra, 2011 to 2013. |
1999 to 2006 |
Staff Attorney, Housing Unit Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid and Legal Aid Society of Minneapolis Southside Office Represented low-income persons in federal and state courts, administrative hearings, the state legislature, and state and local councils and agencies in housing and consumer law Substantive areas included evictions and unlawful detainer actions, lock-outs and unlawful evictions, housing conditions and repairs, utility service terminations, housing discrimination and reasonable accommodation of persons with disabilities, public and subsidized housing, mortgage foreclosures and contract for deed cancellations, criminal, bankruptcies, credit reporting, and consumer fraud and deceptive trade practices law Practice included litigation, legislative advocacy, community legal education, and mentoring, training and co-counseling with legal aid staff, volunteer attorneys, advocates, and lay persons Created programs to mail letters to eviction defendants and clinics to advise them, provide legal advice clinics at the courthouse, and orient and mentor new pro bono counsel |
1997 to 1999 |
Staff Attorney Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid and Legal Aid Society of Minneapolis Northside Office See Staff Attorney, Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid and Legal Aid Society of Minneapolis Southside Office, 1999 to 2006, supra |
1996 to 1997 |
Visiting Clinical Professor of Law University of Minnesota Law School of Law Took sabbatical from the Legal Aid Society of Minneapolis to teach law students on poverty law representation in the Civil Practice Clinic; created the first free-standing housing law clinic in Minnesota, in which students and student directors learned housing law and client representation skills through course work on housing law and trial practice, trial practice simulations, and client representation, http://www.minnhousingclinic.homestead.com |
1993-1996 |
Staff Attorney Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid and Legal Aid Society of Minneapolis Northside Office See Staff Attorney, Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid and Legal Aid Society of Minneapolis Southside Office, 1999 to 2006, supra |
1986 to 1993 |
Staff Attorney Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid and Legal Aid Society of Minneapolis Downtown Office See Staff Attorney, Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid and Legal Aid Society of Minneapolis Southside Office, 1999 to 2006, supra |
1983 to 1986 |
Staff Attorney Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid and St. Cloud Area Legal Services Little Falls Office, Little Falls, Minnesota Represented low-income persons in consumer, employment, family, government benefits, housing, non-profit organizations, unemployment compensation, and utilities law |
1984 |
Of Counsel, Minnesota Public Interest Research Group, Minneapolis, Minnesota |
Law School Employment |
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1980 to 1983 |
Consultant, Minnesota Project, Minneapolis, Minnesota |
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Chairperson, Minnesota Public Interest Research Group, Minneapolis, Minnesota |
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Law Clerk, Honorable Harry H. MacLaughlin, United States District Court, District of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota |
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Law Clerk, Legal Aid Society of Minneapolis, Minnesota |
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Law Clerk, Minnesota Attorney General’s Office, St. Paul, Minnesota |
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Research Assistant, Professor Richard Ihrig, William Mitchell College of Law, St. Paul, Minnesota |
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Solar Energy Consultant, Energy Committee, Minnesota House of Representatives, St. Paul, Minnesota |
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Research Assistant, Professor Neil Hamilton, William Mitchell College of Law, St. Paul, Minnesota |
Law School Teaching, Significant Cases, Legislation, Programs and Projects, Affiliations, Publications, Presentations, and Awards |
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See lists of law school teaching, significant cases, legislation, programs and projects, affiliations, publications, presentations, and awards at http://povertylaw.homestead.com/Biolarrymcdonough.html. |
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Computer Proficiency |
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Word Processing |
Word, WordPerfect, and Adobe Acrobat |
Spread Sheet |
Exel and Quattro Pro |
Slide Shows |
Power Point and Corel Presentations |
Web Design |
HTML: developed and maintain the websites discussed above and below |
Music |
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Currently |
Jazz pianist, vocalist, composer and arranger http://www.larrymcdonoughjazz.homestead.com Perform at concert halls, jazz clubs and coffeehouses, and on radio, television and the internet, within and outside of Minnesota, both solo and with groups, and compose and arrange music for school concert bands, jazz ensembles and clinics Recorded several CDs and written many commissioned pieces Teach individual music lessons and school clinics |
1978-1980 |
Assistant Band Director, Edison and Lincoln High Schools, Minneapolis and Bloomington, Minnesota |
Other Information |
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Interests include grand-parenting, running, bicycling, canoeing, and photography. References are available on request. |
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