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."
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