In fiscal year 2007 - 08, the State Bar Legal Assistance Committee granted $14,850 to support three pro bono programs and now is soliciting proposals for the next round of grants. Grants of up to $5,000 are available for individuals or organizations to develop or expand pro bono legal assistance projects in their communities. Applications are due Nov. 14.
Inside the Bar
September 2008
Apply for grants by Nov. 14
Pro bono programs receive grants
The following individuals spearheaded programs that received Pro
Bono Initiative grants:
- Hannah Dugan helped expand Catholic Charities' legal
assistance
program to immigrant victims of domestic abuse in Waukesha,
Sheboygan, and
Racine counties.
- Dan Idzikowski and Marquette Law School helped develop the
M-LINC
project to assist Milwaukee area nonprofits.
- Bobby Peterson and ABC for Health helped to
expand a project to assist people
with financial difficulties resulting from medical debt and health
care
coverage denials.
In fiscal year 2007 - 08, the State Bar Legal Assistance Committee
granted $14,850 to support three pro bono programs and now is soliciting
proposals
for the next round of grants. Grants of up to $5,000 are available for
individuals or organizations to develop or expand pro bono legal
assistance projects
in their communities. Applications are due Nov. 14.
According to State Bar Pro Bono Coordinator Jeff Brown,
"Volunteer
lawyers are a vital part of the delivery system for legal services to
low-income
and disadvantaged people in Wisconsin. We are constantly looking for
ways to
support volunteers when they make the commitment to provide pro bono
legal services."
Grants for fiscal year 2008 were awarded to the following
organization
and projects:
- Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee: Legal
Services, $4,850, to expand its successful pro bono training and
referral project
into Waukesha, Sheboygan, and Racine counties. The project focuses
on expanding
legal assistance to immigrant victims of domestic abuse through the
development
of panels of trained volunteer attorneys who can help resolve their
immigration issues.
- Marquette Legal Initiative for
Nonprofits, $5,000, to develop and maintain a pro bono project
using attorneys and law students to assist
Milwaukee area nonprofits.
- State Bar Public Interest Law Section Medical Debt/Health Care
Coverage Denial Project, $5,000, to expand an initial training
program and
referral project for volunteer attorneys to assist clients
experiencing
financial difficulties resulting from medical debts and health care
coverage denials.
The State Bar's Pro Bono Initiative helps Wisconsin lawyers meet
the
challenge of addressing the unmet legal needs of low-income residents
through
a variety of methods, including the grant program, the Just Take Two
Program, providing free LexisNexis for pro bono cases, reimbursement
of costs on pro
bono cases, and offering free insurance for volunteer lawyers.
Through projects that involve collaboration between the
judiciary,
legal services providers, community organizations, and bar associations,
the Pro
Bono Initiative works to eliminate barriers to effective public access
to the
civil justice system. Since June 2006, the Pro Bono Initiative has
provided
grants totaling $74,350 to pro bono projects around the state.
To apply for a grant, visit Legal
Assistance Committee to download a
grant application, send an email to Pro Bono, or call Brown at the
State
Bar at (800) 444-9404, ext. 6177. The next deadline for grant
applications is
Nov. 14.
Inside the
Bar
