Dec. 21, 2022 – State Bar of Wisconsin’s Lawyer Referral and Information Service (LRIS) is again partnering with the Wisconsin Newspaper Association to produce and distribute legal columns – Know Your Legal Rights – to its 200-plus member media outlets across the state.

LRIS members are invited to serve as a subject matter expert by writing for this bi-monthly column (500 to 800 words). Stories may appear in print, online, or both in publications across the state.

In 2022, newspapers picked up 16 legal stories and placed them 203 times between April and November. The result? An estimated 650,000 Wisconsinites saw the articles. And we believe our audience is growing based on the increased number of newspapers publishing our columns later in the year.

A great example of a legal column was penned by Megan A. Phillips, “Challenges for split households over the holidays” This was the most widely published column article in Wisconsin newspapers in 2022.

“Writing for ‘Know Your Legal Rights’ is an excellent PR opportunity for participating members – and is a great service to Wisconsin residents looking for legal help,” said Katie Wilcox, State Bar customer and consumer services manager.

For 2023, we have a new set of topics, which include:

• How do I know if I am the victim of employee discrimination?

• Considerations before filing for divorce.

• On what grounds can a landlord refuse to rent to a tenant?

• Who can carry a firearm in Wisconsin?

• Legal avenues in dealing with bad neighbors.

Know that:

• Interested authors receive a copy of writing guidelines and tips, an editorial calendar with deadlines for each topic, and a sample article.

• Authors are selected on a first come, first served basis. If you are interested in writing for more than one topic, please indicate your first, second, third, etc., choices.

• This opportunity is available only to LRIS panel members.

Interested? Contact Mike Wiltse, State Bar public relations specialist, at mwiltse@wisbar.org or 608-250-6025 for more information.