Dori Rapaport

Dori Rapaport is the Executive Director of Legal Aid Service of Northeastern Minnesota (LASNEM). Since 2017, Dori has led LASNEM through continuous transformation to effectively serve its 27,000 square mile region of Minnesota through use of technology, process improvement, and coordination with statewide justice partners. 

Her passion for public interest law began while clerking for nonprofits such as the Minnesota ACLU and Standpoint while she attended Hamline University School of Law. She began her practice as a staff attorney at Indian Legal Assistance Program, a small but busy nonprofit in Duluth, Minnesota, that provides civil and criminal law services to the indigent and Native American communities. In 2011, Dori was hired as the Executive Director of the Volunteer Attorney Program (VAP), where she worked to revitalize the pro bono commitment of the private bar in the Northeastern region.

In 2020, Dori helped establish Minnesota’s statewide Reach Justice Project, where the Minnesota Legal Services Coalition received CARES Act funds to invest in technological initiatives, such as Minnesota’s Legal Kiosk Project. Dori currently serves on multiple statewide committees focused on access to justice, including serving as co-chair of Minnesota’s Civil Justice Committee, where she is currently working on initiatives that embrace virtual services and coordination with the courts to help legal aid continue serving more individuals than they have historically been able to, particularly in rural areas. 

 Dori has received recognition for her leadership and commitment to public service: the Bernard P. Becker Award from the Minnesota State Bar Association, (2016); a 20 Under 40 Honoree from the Duluth News Tribune (2014), and the Arthur T. Pfefer Memorial Award from the Twin Cities Cardozo Society (2008).