June 4, 2025 – When J.J. Moore was seven years old, sheriff’s deputies came to evict his family. Decades later, he’s made it his mission to ensure others in crisis don’t face those moments alone.

Now a staff attorney at Legal Action of Wisconsin’s Volunteer Lawyers Project, Moore is the 2025 recipient of the State Bar of Wisconsin’s Young Lawyers Division Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year award – an honor recognizing early-career attorneys who make a meaningful impact in their practice, their communities, and their profession.

Since graduating from law school in 2018, Moore has dedicated himself to public interest law. “My role is a little bit unique where I do direct representations for clients but I also refer cases out to the private bar to try to place cases that we can’t handle internally,” Moore said. “It’s a unique mix and I really enjoy that aspect of it because my day is never the same.”

In addition to his placement and referral work, Moore runs the bankruptcy advice and petition clinic, where he supervises law students and volunteers. In 2024, students working under his guidance prepared 55 bankruptcy petitions and helped secure nearly $4 million in debt relief – support that improved housing stability and reinstated driver’s licenses for many.

Driven by Lived Experience

“I remember being 7 years old and sheriff’s coming into my house when my mom was evicted for non-payment and she didn’t have anyone that you could go get advice from,” Moore said. “So being able to be on the other side of that and provide the prevention or maybe the guidance to say we can buy you a little bit more time with something is probably the other thing that made me do what I do and why I enjoy the work that I do.”

Beyond his work with Legal Action, Moore volunteers weekly at the Marquette Volunteer Legal Clinic and through ABA Free Legal Answers, providing brief legal advice on a range of civil legal issues. He also previously served as a director of the Young Lawyers Division, contributing to both the division and the broader State Bar.

Placing Cases and Making Connections

When asked about what keeps him engaged in his practice, Moore says, “I really enjoy the relief someone has when I tell them their case has been placed.” It’s rewarding to hear some say, “‘Oh I didn’t think I was going to have representation. Now I feel so much better that I have someone that’s going to be in my corner and I’m not facing the judge or the opposing party by myself.’”

Encouraging Volunteers to Step Outside Their Comfort Zone

The most challenging part of his practice, says Moore, is making volunteers feel they are capable of taking on cases that aren’t in their normal practice area. “Whether that is getting people to represent people in consumer debt defense cases where they may do regular transactional work, we have the trainings and we have the resources and the internal knowledge to be able to provide that support to them.”

“It is the most difficult part getting someone over that final hump to say ‘Oh I can sit down with a client with resources behind me and advise on something that I don’t do in my normal workday and I’m still helping this individual with a problem that they have no better idea of where they could have gone but I have the legal knowledge to be able to support them in to navigate that difficult situation for them.’”

Advice for Fellow Lawyers: Don’t Be Pigeonholed

When it comes to advice to his fellow young lawyers, Moore says his biggest recommendation is to branch out and try different things.

“You don’t have to be pigeonholed into one area of law,” Moore said. “You may get comfortable in what you do but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try to take on a small aspect of something outside of your expertise.”

“Try it in a protective setting of pro bono” or “even in areas where you know you have some time to work on it.”

Describing himself as a jack of all trades, Moore says being a generalist helps him find innovative approaches to cases. “I’m not the master of any one type of law but I know a lot of different types of law that I can help navigate different problems and use them and interconnect them in different ways to try to solve new problems.”

Looking Ahead

Asked what the future holds for him, Moore says that in five years he hopes to continue his career in public interest law. “I enjoy the work that I do. I enjoy helping people in the way that I’m able to help them. So I’m content to say I’ll probably still be in public interest – but where that goes, it’s likely not going to be the role that I am now because my role has changed four times since graduating in 2018. It’ll change probably four more times in the next five years.”

Celebrate these Leaders in the Law Making a Difference

They are members of the legal community who make a difference – by living a lifetime of service, mentoring others, offering their pro bono services, and going the extra mile. Congratulations to these award recipients, all leaders in the legal profession. Read on...

These award recipients will be honored in person at the Member Recognition Celebration during the State Bar Annual Meeting & Conference, June 18-20, in Madison.