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Legal Assistance
The following organizations provide legal representation, mediation and arbitration services for Wisconsin residents. Some services are restricted to low-income individuals.
- Community Justice Incorporated
A law firm that represents low-income individuals and families involved in landlord/tenant, disability and mental health, employment, family, child welfare, education, discrimination, consumer/credit, land use, environmental issues. - Economic Justice Institute (UW Law School)
Home to the law school's legal assistance programs:- Consumer Law Clinic
- Family Court Assistance Project
Provides legal information, forms and guidance to self-representation litigants involved in family court-related issues, including temporary restraining orders. - Neighborhood Law Project
Provide representation in landlord-tenant, public benefits, and wage and hour cases.
- Legal Action of Wisconsin
Provides civil legal services for WI low-income persons. Assists people with legal issues involving divorce, child custody/support, domestic violence, elder abuse, health care, Medicare, Social Security, public benefits, employment, guardianship, migrant workers, landlord/tenant, and more. Offices in Green Bay, La Crosse, Madison, Milwaukee, Oshkosh, and Racine. - Modest Means Program (State Bar of Wisconsin)
Part of the State Bar's Lawyer Referral and Information Service. Assists people whose income is too high to qualify for free legal services, but too low to pay a lawyer’s standard rate. - Wisconsin Judicare
Serves low-income people in 33 northern counties of WI. Handles cases involving bankruptcy, social security and SSI, family law, health, housing, income maintenance, wills, and Indian law.
Directories
- Consumers' Guide to Legal Help
Guide to legal resources available in your state. - Legal Services Directory
Search by city, county or zip code. - State Bar of Wisconsin Lawyer Referral and Information Service
- Wisconsin Legal Service Providers by County (WI Dept. of Justice)
Civil Rights
- American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin
Selects cases which are believed to have the greatest impact on protecting civil liberties in Wisconsin. - Lambda
Legal information and assistance with discrimination related to sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and HIV status.
Elder Law
- Benefit Specialists (WI Dept. of Health Services)
- Elder Law Center (Coalition of Wisconsin Aging Groups)
Offers legal information & assistance to Wisconsin senior citizens and people who work with the elderly. Services include:- Benefit Specialist Program
- Elder Financial Empowerment Project
- Wisconsin SMP (Medicare)
- Prescription Drug Helpline for Medicare Beneficiaries
- Upper Midwest Pension Rights Project
"Offers free legal assistance in the form of pension counseling, pension claims assistance, and advocacy for pension participants of Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin." - Wisconsin Guardianship Support Center
- Senior Law (Legal Action of
WI)
Open to Milwaukee County residents over the age of 60 who have questions related to their public benefits or have legal issues involving elder rights, consumer scams or housing.
Health & Disabilities
- ABC for Health, Inc
Legal staff may help you "challenge health insurance claim denials, negotiate with creditors, and represent you in appeals before government agencies." - AIDS Network
Provides legal services in south central Wisconsin. Legal information and advice are given to those affected by HIV and AIDS, and to those with questions about related legal issues. - AIDS Resource Center
of Wisconsin Legal Services
Attorneys who specialize in the complex legal issues associated with HIV/AIDS including confidentiality, disability benefits, power of attorney for health care, bankruptcy, wills and guardianships. Represents and counsels people regardless of their ability to pay. - Disability Benefit Specialist Program (WI Dept. of Health Services)
- Disability Rights Wisconsin
Offers individual advocacy for people with developmental disabilities identified prior to age 22, mental illness who live in institutions or the community, or people with mental, physical, sensory or neurological disabilities who face discrimination, face barriers to independence, or lack need services due to their disability.
Military & Armed Forces
- ABA Military Pro Bono Project
- U.S. Armed Forces Legal Assistance
A joint project of Armed Forces legal assistance offices. Includes directory, FAQs, and topical contacts.
Wisconsin Communities
- Pro Bono in Wisconsin (State Bar of Wisconsin)
Low-cost or free legal services resources for those unable to afford representation. - Wisconsin Forms by County
Check your county to learn whether there is information available about court assistance programs or court procedure. - Wisconsin Legal Service Providers by County (WI Dept. of Justice)
- Dane Co.
- Dane County Legal Assistance Calendar (Dane Co. Clerk of Court)
- Family Court Assistance Project
Provides legal information, forms and guidance to self-representation litigants involved in family court-related issues, including temporary restraining orders. - Family Law Assistance Center
Provides unrepresented family law litigants one on one assistance with forms and procedures and referrals to community resources. - Low-Cost Legal Assistance in Dane County (Dane Co. Legal Resource Center)
- Small Claims
- Restraining Order Clinic
- Milwaukee Co.
- Centro Legal
Provides affordable legal representation for low-income people involved in a family law or criminal misdemeanor case in the Milwaukee County court system. - Coalition for Access to Legal Resources (CALR)
Legal resources to low-income people in the Milwaukee area. - Family Law Self-Help Clinic
- Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee
Provides representation in family law, consumer and bankruptcy matters, housing issues, public benefits, HIV issues, elder law, tax controversies and civil rights. - Marquette University Legal Clinic
Provides basic legal information and referrals. - Milwaukee
Bar Association Referral & Information Service
Provides referrals to attorneys, mediators & other community resources. Attorneys are available for: bankruptcy, consumer law, corporation/partnership, criminal law, employment law, elder law, family law, immigration law, landlord/tenant, mediation, personal injury, probate, real estate, small claims, Social Security, taxation, wills, estate planning, and workers' compensation. The first half hour consultation with an attorney will cost $20 or less. - Milwaukee Justice Center
- Small Claims Self-Help Clinic
- Centro Legal
- Waukesha Co.
- Winnebago Co.
County Resources
Recommended links from our County Resources database:
Legal Assistance
- Community Immigration Law Center
(608) 257-4845
Offers brief consultations on basic legal immigration issues on a first come, first serve basis. Case assessment and legal advice provided by our volunteer immigration lawyers. Assistance with immigration forms and fillings. - Lawyer Referral and Information Service - Milwaukee Bar Association
(414) 274-6768
Low-income and modest means legal assistance. Provides referrals to attorneys, mediators & other community resources. Attorneys are available for: bankruptcy, consumer law, corporation/partnership, criminal law, employment law, elder law, family law, immigration law, landlord/tenant, mediation, personal injury, probate, real estate, small claims, Social Security, taxation, wills, estate planning, and workers' compensation. The first half hour consultation with an attorney will cost $20 or less. - Wisconsin Legal Assistance For Military Personnel
(414) 382-1753
Legal clinics for service members, veterans, and their families.
- Community Immigration Law Center
Guides
- Low-Cost Legal Assistance in Dane Co (Dane Co Legal Resource Center)
- Pro Bono Directory (Milwaukee Bar Association)
Last Updated: December 13, 2011 | Up to Top 
