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  • InsideTrack
  • February 16, 2022

    Evictions, Racial Justice, and Rural Access Headline the Equal Justice Conference March 10

    The Wisconsin Equal Justice Conference returns Thursday, March 10. Find out more about this 6.5 CLE credit event, which is happening both on Zoom and in person.
    access to justice

    Feb. 16, 2022 – Nearly every person in Wisconsin is a tenant at one point in their lives. But there are many myths and misunderstandings about leases and issues – which attorneys like Karen Bauer hopes Wisconsin lawyers can help to eradicate.​

    “Attorneys should understand those issues, because they are the ones people turn to for answers,” Bauer said.

    Understanding eviction and tenant issues is the topic of a panel discussion at the 2022 Wisconsin Equal Justice Conference, which returns after a three-year pandemic hiatus on Thursday, March 10.

    “This conference is a great opportunity to learn about what organizations are doing, and to gain insights into justice issues in our state,” said Karen Bauer, project manager ​of the Eviction Free MKE initiative with the Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee.

    Bauer is one of four attorneys speaking on “Eviction Prevention & Defense in Wisconsin.” Evictions, she says, are on the rise in the state. “Evictions have been increasing since the end of the moratoria. In many places around Wisconsin, they never stopped,” Bauer said.

    And while there are many sources of funding to help tenants with their rent, connecting tenants to those funding sources can be difficult, especially when impatient landlords file an eviction while the funding is pending.

    “We want to see landlords get their rent, and also help the tenants stay in their homes. This is the reason the government chose to allocate funds - to help tenants avoid homelessness,” Bauer said.

    Bauer’s program, Eviction Free MKE initiative, offers an attorney to anyone in Milwaukee with income under 200% of the federal poverty level whose landlord has filed an eviction case. “Because of our collaborations with so many diverse stakeholders in our community and so many other agencies, we’ve already made a huge difference for tenants in Milwaukee County,” Bauer said.

    About the Wisconsin Equal Justice Conference

    The Wisconsin Equal Justice Conference brings together members from the private bar, public interest law, law schools, and others to share information on topics related to access to justice for low-income Wisconsin residents.

    The 6.5 CLE credit conference covers a range of timely topics for 2022 – from the pandemic and racial justice, to Afghan resettlement in Wisconsin, and more.

    This year's conference will be held on Zoom, with the opportunity for a limited number of people to attend in person in Madison.

    For more information, to see the schedule, or to register for the Wisconsin Equal Justice Conference, visit the event page on the WisBar Marketplace.


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