Wisconsin Access to Justice Commission
MEDIA ADVISORY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JULY 24, 2012

CONTACT:
Jeff Brown
(608) 318-3108
jbrown@wisatj.org

Wisconsin Access to Justice Commission Hosts Hearing TODAY

Green Bay, WI – On Tuesday, July 24 at 4:00 p.m., the Wisconsin Access to Justice Commission is hosting a community hearing to gather information from the public on the challenges facing low-income residents when they need legal help.

The Wisconsin Access to Justice Commission was created by the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the State Bar of Wisconsin to expand access to the civil justice system for low-income Wisconsinites. The hearing is designed to increase awareness and give community members an opportunity to help identify needs and close what organizers call the “justice gap.”

“There are hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites each year who face civil legal matters alone without the assistance of an attorney, even when they are facing a party in court who does have a lawyer. This is truly a justice gap,” said Access to Justice Commission member Maury Rice. “Navigating the court system without help can be very detrimental, affecting a family’s health, housing, and the custody of their children. It is also harmful to our justice system, resulting in loss of faith in the courts and inefficient delivery of justice. We need to do something before further damage is done to the system and so many of our fellow Wisconsinites.”

Panelists:
Howard Bichler, Attorney with the Forest County Potawatomi tribe
Sherry D. Coley, Attorney at Godfrey & Kahn S.C.
Hon. David Keck, Court Commissioner in Winnebago County
Hon. David Raasch, Associate Judge for the Stockbridge-Munsee Tribal Court
Fr. Bill Ribbens, Member of the Norbertines of St. Norbert Abbey in De Pere
Hon. Margaret Vergeront, Judge on the Wisconsin Court of Appeals for District IV

What:
Wisconsin Access to Justice Commission Community Hearing

When:
July 24, 2012, starting at 4:00 PM

Where:
July 24, 2012, starting at 4:00 PM
(Building 6, Executive Dining Room)
2740 W. Mason St.
Green Bay, WI

The Wisconsin Access to Justice Commission was created by an order of the Wisconsin Supreme Court in response to a petition filed by the State Bar of Wisconsin. Our mission is to develop and encourage means of expanding access to the civil justice system for unrepresented low-income Wisconsin residents. We are governed by a 17 member board appointed by our stakeholders: the Wisconsin Supreme Court, the Governor, the State Bar of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Legislature, Marquette University Law School, the University of Wisconsin Law School and the Wisconsin Trust Account Foundation. Learn more at www.wisatj.org.