State Bar of Wisconsin

Bridging the Justice Gap:
Wisconsin’s Unmet Legal Needs

On March 9, 2007, the Wisconsin Access to Justice Study Committee released its report, “Bridging the Gap: Wisconsin’s Unmet Legal Needs,” summarizing the results of Wisconsin’s first comprehensive legal needs study of low-income residents. More than 500,000 of our state’s residents face serious civil legal problems without any assistance, according to survey commissioned by the State Bar of Wisconsin.

Note: This report and its recommendations were adopted by the State Bar Board of Governors on May 8, 2007.

• Download full report 650 KB
• Bridging the Justice Gap: Gauging the Public’s Unmet Civil Legal Needs, Wisconsin Lawyer, April 2007

Access to Justice Committee Report
Table of Contents

• Report at a Glance
• Final Report of the Wisconsin Access to Justice Study Committee
  • Introduction
  • Background
    • The Access to Justice Committee
    • The study methodology
    • Whom we surveyed
  • Wisconsin’s Justice Gap
    • The poor are confronted regularly with serious legal problems
    • These legal needs are not being met
    • The effects of the Justice Gap
      • Effects on the poor
      • Effects on our courts and our government agencies
      • Other effects
  • Why is there a Justice Gap in Wisconsin?
  • Gap remains despite efforts of the legal community
  • The time is ripe for change in Wisconsin
  • Recommendations
  • Conclusion
  • Endnotes

• Appendices
  • Appendix 1: About the Wisconsin Access to Justice Study Committee
  • Appendix 2: Wisconsin Civil Legal Needs Study Final Report by Gene Kroupa & Associates
  • Appendix 3: Wisconsin Civil Legal Needs Study Survey Instrument
  • Appendix 4: Client Stories: Examples of the Difference a Lawyer Makes
  • Appendix 5: Wisconsin Legal Service Providers: 2005 Funding Levels
  • Appendix 6: Executive Summary: State Bar of Wisconsin 2005 Pro Bono Survey
  • Appendix 7: Bibliography of Selected Resources
  • Appendix 8: Liz Elwart, et al., Increasing Access to Restraining Orders for Low-Income Victims of Domestic Violence: A Cost-Benefit Analysis of the Proposed Domestic Abuse Grant Program (2006)

Access to Justice Study Committee