State Bar of Wisconsin

Inside the Bar
July 2008

Volunteers needed to serve on Modest Means Panel

Bar rolls out program to assist people who don't qualify for free legal assistance

On July 1, the State Bar implemented another recommendation from the report, Bridging the Gap: Wisconsin's Unmet Legal Needs, by rolling out its new Modest Means Program to assist people whose income is too high for free legal services but who need alternative payment options to resolve a legal problem. According to the report, unmet legal needs were most severe for the lowest income families, but, even among the moderate income households, the level of unmet needs was quite high. Forty-eight percent of the lowest income households reported a legal problem, while 42 percent of the moderately low income families reported a problem. The Board of Governors adopted recommendations included in the Bridging the Justice Gap report to address the legal needs of both groups in May 2007.

"There are more than 300,000 Wisconsin households living within the limits of the moderate income guidelines," says State Bar Pro Bono coordinator Jeff Brown. "These potential clients have some means to pay, but they may need some combination of flexible payment plans, lower advances of fees, limits on the scope of representation, or lower hourly rates to obtain the help they need. To be successful, this program needs both well-screened clients and lawyers willing to serve on the Modest Means Panel. I am excited that the Lawyer Referral & Information Service (LRIS) Committee and LRIS staff have stepped forward to implement this recommendation from the Bridging the Justice Gap report."

LRIS will screen requests for referral to a Modest Means Panel attorney. If the family's income and asset situation indicates that it falls within the guidelines for the program, a referral will be made if an attorney is available. LRIS staff will select a Modest Means Panel attorney in the most convenient location possible for the both the caller and the attorney. Lawyers are not obligated to accept referred matters, and clients are not required to retain the referred attorney. There is no set fee schedule. Instead, fees and payment arrangements will be set by individual attorneys to fit the client's needs and the situation.

Initially, the Modest Means Program will only refer requests for help with bankruptcy, pre-charge criminal, consumer, probate, and family law matters. The project is an expansion of the existing LRIS service for full-fee referrals to Wisconsin lawyers.

"We are very pleased to offer this new service to the Wisconsin community," says LRIS committee chair Janice Bensky. "Making legal services affordable to people with moderate incomes is another positive step in our goal of providing access to justice for all Wisconsin citizens."

Inside the Bar