A Guide to Low Cost Legal Resources
in Dane County

Alphabetical

By Category

• Legal Assistance -
  

  • Counseling on application or appeals process for many public benefits programs.
    
  • Legal consultation and representation when informal advocacy and health benefits counseling fails to revolve a problem.
    
    
• Eligibility - Children and families, particularly those with special health care needs or with problems accessing health care.
  
  
• Costs - Free services if the income of the client is below 200% of the federal poverty level. If income is above 200% of the federal poverty level, fees are determined on a sliding scale basis.
  
  
• Contact - Bob Petersen, Executive Director (Email : bobbyp@safetyweb.org)
  
  
• Staff - In - house counsel, volunteer attorneys
  
  
• Publications -

  • Web site at http://www.safetyweb.org

• Legal Assistance - Phone interviews are conducted to determine eligibility for legal services. Those eligible are assisted by volunteers, and clients are referred to volunteer attorneys for representation when needed. Information and referral is provided with respect to a wide range of issues, including: employment discrimination; insurance; housing; bankruptcy; estate planning; guardianship; divorce, government benefits appeals; powers of attorney; and disability claims.
  
• Eligibility - People living with HIV/AIDS and their families.
  
  
• Costs - Free services
  
  
• Contact - Attorney Lynne Solomon
  
• Staff - One staff attorney who works with a panel of over 100 volunteer attorneys.
  
  
• Publications -

  • Web site at http://www2.powercom.net/~aidsnet/index2.html

  • Two handbooks available at many area public libraries:
    - HIV and Your Rights : A Legal Guide to Wisconsin (1999)..- Your Rights in the Workplace : A Legal Guide for People Living with HIV in Wisconsin (1999).
    

• Legal Assistance - help and support with legal issues surrounding civil liberties. No legal advice is given.

  • Support
  • Counseling
  • Information and referral
  • Public Education

  
  
• Eligibility - Services provided to all regardless of ability to pay
  
  
• Costs - Free services
  
  
• Contact - No particular contact person
  
• Staff - Legal assistants. Will have one attorney in the near future
  
  
• Publications - A number of publications accessible via ACLU's web site (http://www.aclu-wi.org) including:
  

  • Issues of Our Time: Public Policy Issues Confronting Wisconsin Residents at http://www.aclu-wi.org/issues
  • Wisconsin Data Privacy Project at http://www.aclu-wi.org/issues/data-privacy
  • Outrage Archive (overviews on current and controversial issues) at
    http://www.aclu-wi.org/outrage
  • Hot Item (coverage of recent and prominent issues) at http://www.aclu-wi.org/hot
  • Young People at http://www.aclu-wi.org/youth
  • Resources and Related Sites at http://www.aclu-wi.org/resources
    

• Legal Assistance - Up to two hours of free consultation with a business attorney on areas such as taxes, securities law, employee benefits, intellectual property, labor law,environmental law, etc.
  
  
• Eligibility - Small and emerging businesses in Wisconsin. Services provided regardless of financial status .
  
  
• Costs- Free consultation
  
  
• Contact - No particular contact
  
  
• Staff - Volunteer business attorneys
  
  
• Publications - Web site at http://www.wisbar.org/bar/pbbap.htm
  

• Legal Assistance - Volunteer attorneys mediate civil and family law cases (financial issues only) filed in Dane County Circuit Court through voluntary or court ordered mediation.
  
  
• Eligibility - Open to all parties with litigation pending in the Dane County Circuit Court.
  
  
• Costs -$50.00 per party payable to the WI Law Foundation.
  
  
• Contact - Bob or Le Jordan
  
• Staff - Volunteer attorneys who are members of Dane County Bar Assocation.
  
  
• Publication - Web site at www.co.dane.wi.us/clrkcort/casemed.htm

• Legal Assistance -

  • Information and links to a wide variety of sources of support for patients.
  • Helping patients with cancer and other serious or chronic diseases make informed decisions and get the care they need. Patient "advocacy" will focus on problem solvingand communication to help patients and providers make good decisions together, and for patients to then get access to the desired care or treatment. The Center will not litigate on behalf of patients.

  
  
• Eligibility - Patients with cancer or other serious chronic or life-threatening illnesses.
  
  
  
• Costs - No costs
  
  
• Contact - Meg Gaines
  
  
• Staff - Medical and Nursing School Faculty who are experts in health policy and management.
  
  
• Publications - Web site at http://www.law.wisc.edu/patientadvocacy/index.htm
  

• Legal Assistance - UW law students offer information about the law surrounding specific legal issues and provide referrals. Cannot offer legal advice, but will provide referrals to attorneys and advocates authorized to give such advice
  
• Eligibility - UW Madison Students, faculty, staff and residents of the Madison community.
  
• Costs - Free services
  
• Contact - No particular contact person
  
• Staff - UW law student volunteers
  
  
• Publications - Web site at http://www.thelegalinformationcenter.com
  
• Note* - The LIC is only open during the University’s Fall and Spring semesters. These hours are subject to volunteer availability, so please call before visiting office.
  
  

• Legal Assistance -
  

  • Law related classes, including a "Do Your Own Will" class three times a year.
  • AARP tax assistance
    
    
• Eligibility - Dane County residents 55 and over
  
  
• Costs - $3.50 charge for the "Do Your Own Will" class.
  
  
• Contact - No particular contact person
  
• Staff - An attorney conducts the "Do Your Own Will" class.
  
  
• Publications -

  • The Senior Messenger, a monthly newsletter in which classes and programs are listed .
  • Further information about the senior is available off of the City of Madison's web site at http://www.ci.madison.wi.us/senior, including the two most recent editions of the Senior Messenger.
    

• Legal Assistance - Discrimination claims; prisoner cases; and referrals. Legal Redress Committee investigates claims and refers them to pro bono attorneys.
  
  
• Eligibility - Low income Dane County residents
  
  
• Costs - ??
  
  
• Contact - Ms. Kirbie G. Mack
  
  
• Staff - ??
  
  
• Publications -

  • Crisis Magazine
  • Loop Newsletter
  • See the national organization's web site at http://www.naacp.org
    
• Note* - Information on the NACCP is incomplete
  

• Legal Assistance - Assistance with and accompaniment to proceedings pertaining to the following matters: making a police report, investigative interviews, initial hearings, preliminary hearings, motions, trials, sentencings, revocations, etc. Counselor/advocates are familiar with all these proceedings and can explain what may happen to a victim. They are not legal professionals. Their role is to provide information and support to a victim and her/his support people.
  
  
• Eligibility - Anyone in Dane County with an action involving sexual assault.
  
  
• Costs - Free services
  
  
• Contact - No particular contact person
  
  
• Staff - Counselor/advocates who provide information and support, not legal advice.
  
• Publications - Web site at http://www.danecountyrcc.com
  
• Notes -
  • Crisis line open 24 hours.
  • *The UW community has access to a campus office located in Room 126 of the McBurney Center, 905 University Avenue. Its hours are Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with walk-in hours on the following days: Mondays: 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. ; Tuesdays: 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.; and Fridays: 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. The phonenumber and crisis line are the same as the main office.
  
  
  
  

• Legal Assistance - Mediation between the victims of crime and criminal offenders. Currently, the project's focus is on mediation in two arenas: 1) work with juvenile offenders and their victims in Dane County, in conjunction with the county’s Juvenile Victim Offender Conferencing Services; and 2) work with felony offenders and their victims, in conjunction with the Wisconsin Department of Corrections.
  
  
• Eligibility - Any victim of a crime in which the offender is under the supervision of Wisconsin's Department of Corrections. At the directors discretion, other victims may be deemed to be eligible.
  
  
• Costs - Free services
  
  
• Contact - Pete Dewind, Director
  
  
• Staff - Law students under the supervision of Peter Dewind, Clinical Associate Professor.
  
• Publications -
  • Information availabe on a sub page of the UW Law School's web site at http://www.law.wisc.edu/FJR/restorative.
  • Brochure available in room 4318B.
    

• Legal Assistance - Claims are filed with the clerk of Small Claims Court. The clerk provides the necessary forms. The claimant must complete the forms, pay the fee, and wait for a decision. The forms must contain the following information :

  • Time of incident
  • Names and addresses of all persons involved
  • Specific details about what happened
  • The amount of money involved
    
    
• Eligibility - Claims can be filed in Dane county if one of the following circumstances are present :

  • The person or business being sued resides or does a substantial amount of business in the county.
  • The claim arose in Dane County.
  • Property involved in the claim is in Dane County.
  
  

• Costs - $59.00 filing fee and a $2.00 filing fee for each defendant, payable at the time the claim is filed. If claimant wins, fees will be awarded.
  
• Contact - No particular contact person
  
  
• Staff - Clerk of Circuit Court
  
• Publications
  • Guide to Small Claims Court http://www.wicourts.gov/about/pubs/circuit/smallclaimsguide.htm
  • The State Bar of Wisconsin also has a guide to small claims court as part of their web site available at http://www.legalexplorer.com/legal/legal-QA.asp?PositionPoint=11&Sid=11&Qid=2#quest.
    

Compiled by Sunil Rao
University of Wisconsin-Madison Law Library
Revised: September, 2005
http://library.law.wisc.edu/lowcost/