Upper Midwest Law Center

What Upper Midwest Law Center does

Upper Midwest Law Center (UMLC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public interest law firm founded in 2019 by Douglas P. Seaton and headquartered at 12600 Whitewater Dr., Suite 140, Minnetonka, Minnesota. The firm accepts cases through a Lawyers Advisory Board–vetted intake process and provides pro-freedom litigation in the areas of constitutional rights (First and Second Amendment, religious liberty, due process, equal protection), government accountability, and public union accountability. Its docket spans state and federal courts across Minnesota and the Upper Midwest and includes matters such as Schmitt v. Rebertus (Eighth Circuit religious-liberty preliminary injunction), challenges to Minnesota's 2024 Omnibus Bill, election-integrity disputes represented on behalf of Minnesota Voters Alliance, and a municipal mandamus action against the City of Minneapolis over police staffing.

UMLC operates a contingency-style model in which attorneys provide representation without charge to clients and a portion of legal recoveries is recycled to fund additional litigation. The primary funding stream is donations solicited through an Anedot donation portal, weekly email newsletter, social channels, and regional media relations. As of mid-2026 the team comprises roughly 5 employees per firmographic count with an additional 8+ credentialed attorneys including Senior Litigation Counsel Richard Morgan, Senior Litigation Attorney Rachel Paulose (former U.S. Attorney), Senior Appellate Counsel Nicholas Nelson, Senior Counsel for Religious Liberty Brent Robbins (former General Mills Deputy GC), Trial & Appellate Counsel Austin Lysy, and Trial Counsel Martha Astor, supported by a paralegal and staff. The organization does not employ proprietary technology, software products, or AI tooling; its core "technology" is legal expertise, advisory-board curation, and a co-counsel network that includes the Center of the American Experiment, Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute, Pacific Legal Foundation, Liberty Justice Center, True North Legal, and Public Interest Legal Foundation.

Name

Upper Midwest Law Center

Legal name

Upper Midwest Law Center

Website

https://umlc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Upper Midwest Law Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public interest law firm in Minnetonka, Minnesota providing pro bono constitutional, government-accountability, and public-union litigation for individuals, businesses, and advocacy organizations throughout Minnesota and the Upper Midwest.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Interest Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Human Rights Organizations (813311), Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Civil Liberties & Constitutional Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM), Public Defense & Legal Aid Services (BPAIAFAC)

Keywords

• Public interest litigation
• Constitutional law services
• Pro bono legal services
• Government accountability
• Civil rights litigation

Headquarters

HQ city

Minnetonka

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public interest law firm, UMLC is primarily funded through donations and contributions from supporters who share its mission of protecting constitutional rights and limiting government overreach.
2. Legal Recoveries: UMLC lawyers work without charge to clients, and legal recoveries are repurposed to fund additional litigation, creating a sustainable model for ongoing pro-freedom cases.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Upper Midwest Law Center is a nonprofit public interest law firm that provides pro-freedom litigation services to protect citizens against government overreach, constitutional violations, special interest agendas, and public union corruption. Attorneys work without charge to clients, with legal recoveries repurposed to fund additional litigation. Practice areas include constitutional rights litigation (First Amendment, Second Amendment, due process, equal protection), government accountability litigation, election integrity cases, and public union accountability services.

Product overview

The Upper Midwest Law Center is a center-right, non-profit, public interest law firm founded in 2019 that provides legal services through pro-freedom litigation. Rather than offering a technology product, UMLC delivers legal services including constitutional rights litigation, government accountability cases, and public union accountability matters. Their litigation focuses on cases involving government overreach, First Amendment rights, election integrity, religious liberty, and public transparency. UMLC works without charge to clients and repurposes legal recoveries to fund additional litigation. The organization collaborates with the Center of the American Experiment think tank and has a Lawyers Advisory Board to vet cases.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pro-Freedom Litigation Services
• Constitutional Rights Litigation
• Government Accountability Litigation
• Public Union Accountability Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple constitutional victories including striking down binary trigger ban as unconstitutional under Single Subject Clause
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 December 2024UMLC serves as local counsel for PILF in federal lawsuit challenging Minnesota's exemption from National Voter Registration Act's Public Disclosure Provision.
• Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute (HLLI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 September 2024Joint litigation partnership filing lawsuits challenging unconstitutional laws including Minnesota's deep fake election law (Kohls v. Ellison). HLLI provides legal expertise and resources for constitutional challenges.
• Pacific Legal FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 January 2024Co-counsel in Lance Nistler v. Tim Walz challenging race and sex-based discrimination in Minnesota's farming grant program.
• True North LegalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 January 2024Co-counsel in Schmitt v. Rebertus challenging Minnesota Department of Corrections' cancellation of Christian rehabilitation program. Joint litigation secured preliminary injunction from Eighth Circuit.
• Liberty Justice CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Joint litigation partner in cases including Lackie v. Students United (challenging mandatory student fees for political speech) and CTM Holdings v. USDA (wetlands property rights).
• Center of the American ExperimentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMinnesota's Think Tank with whom UMLC works cooperatively. UMLC represents CAE in lawsuits against Minnesota Department of Education for withholding public data.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• American Center for Law and Justice: ACLJ is a large, established conservative legal advocacy organization with global reach across constitutional and religious liberty litigation. It is a broad incumbent competing for aligned donors and high-profile cases but not regionally specialized like UMLC.
• Alliance Defending Freedom: Alliance Defending Freedom is the largest U.S. conservative public interest legal organization, with a national docket spanning religious liberty, free speech, and family policy. It is a broad incumbent that competes for the same donor pool and ideological plaintiffs as UMLC but operates at materially greater scale.

Direct peers

• Public Interest Legal Foundation: PILF is a conservative public interest law firm focused on election integrity and voter rolls. UMLC serves as local counsel for PILF in the Minnesota NVRA case, evidencing parallel mission and collaborative operating model.
• Goldwater Institute: The Goldwater Institute is a conservative public interest law and policy organization litigating constitutional and limited-government cases across multiple states. Martha Astor's prior role at Goldwater and the substantive alignment of mission make Goldwater a direct peer in the conservative litigation space.
• Pacific Legal Foundation: Pacific Legal Foundation is a national conservative public interest law firm that litigates individual rights and limited-government cases — directly paralleling UMLC's pro-freedom litigation model. PLF and UMLC are co-counsel in Nistler v. Walz, evidencing direct operational alignment.
• Institute for Free Speech: The Institute for Free Speech litigates and advocates for First Amendment political speech rights, including campaign finance and mandatory fee cases — directly paralleling UMLC's Lackie v. Students United work. Martha Astor's prior affiliation reinforces the alignment.
• Liberty Justice Center: Liberty Justice Center is a libertarian-aligned public interest law firm pursuing individual liberty and limited-government litigation. UMLC and LJC are joint litigation partners (e.g., Lackie v. Students United, CTM Holdings v. USDA), making them direct operational peers in conservative public interest law.
• Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute: HLLI is a conservative public interest law firm specializing in constitutional and economic liberty litigation. UMLC partnered with HLLI on Kohls v. Ellison challenging Minnesota's deepfake election law, evidencing near-identical case selection and litigation philosophy.
• Defense of Freedom Institute: Defense of Freedom Institute is a conservative legal and policy organization focused on education, civil rights, and constitutional litigation. Martha Astor's prior role there indicates substantive overlap in case scope and ideological framing.

Regional players

• True North Legal: True North Legal is a Minnesota-based conservative legal organization focused on religious liberty cases, and is a co-counsel partner with UMLC in Schmitt v. Rebertus. Operates in the same geography and overlapping substantive area.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UMLawCenter
• Facebookfacebook.com/UpperMidwestLawCenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/umlc-mn
• Instagraminstagram.com/umlawcenter

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Upper Midwest Law Center