What is the Neighborhood Law Project?
The Neighborhood Law Project (NLP) is a community-based poverty law clinic located on South Park Street in the heart of Madison's South Side. NLP students provide individual representation in landlord-tenant, public benefits, and wage and hour cases; they also work on community advocacy projects, such as legislative analysis, community legal education, and community mobilization projects. NLP students work under the close supervision of the NLP clinical faculty. NLP's service mission is to provide a broad range of legal and advocacy services to low-income people in the communities surrounding the Law School. Our educational mission is to create a learning environment where, by assuming responsibility for matters affecting low income persons, students develop "lawyering skills" and learn how to think critically about the role and limits of law as a force for justice and social change. Students engage in traditional litigation practice, using skills such as fact investigation, legal research, analysis, drafting, negotiation, counseling, and trial work. Students also learn to participate in and consider less traditional lawyering activities, such as public speaking, drafting community education materials, and participating in local campaigns for social and economic justice.
Download the NLP brochure in English or Espanol.
Review NLP's pedagogical philosophy and expectations (PDF)
Educational Aspects of NLP
What Do NLP Students Do?
NLP students maintain regular weekly office hours at the Park Street office located at the Villager Mall (frequent bus service and ample parking make this easy). Examples of cases and projects include:
Housing
- Representing a tenant who is being illegally evicted, whose security deposit has been unlawfully retained, or who has had other housing rights violated;
- Assisting a tenant living in uninhabitable conditions by helping the tenant report those conditions to appropriate authorities and enforcing the landlord's duty to maintain the apartment;
- Researching differences among various local municipalities' landlord-tenant ordinances and working with other local agencies to advocate for stronger protections where necessary;
- Educating the community and community advocates about various aspects of landlord-tenant law;
- Collaborating with other tenants' organizations on projects of mutual interest, including proposed legislation and other "impact" projects.
Workers' Rights
- Representing a worker seeking unpaid wages in either the state agency that enforces wage claims or in civil litigation;
- Assisting a worker with filing a complaint of discrimination on the basis of race, sex, criminal history, or other basis;
- Conducting workshops for welfare recipients, neighborhood residents, or others on workers rights;
- Working with the local Workers' Center to meet the legal needs of low-wage workers, including immigrant workers.
Public Benefits
- Represent W-2 and Medical Assistance recipients whose benefits are being terminated or reduced because of an alleged rule violation.
- Collaborate with other anti-poverty workers to address barriers to W-2, Food Stamps, Emergency Assistance and other safety net programs.
- Represent Section 8 housing program participants whose vouchers are being terminated because of an alleged rule violation.
- Assist with testimony and/or analysis of proposed legislative activity.
Classroom Component
Professor Mansfield teaching NLP students
In addition to weekly office hours on Park Street, NLP students participate in a weekly seminar. The seminar includes materials on: (1) the substantive topics students will encounter in their client work; (2) simulations and exercises in the various lawyering skills used; and (3) theories of community lawyering, and the role of lawyers in various movements for social and economic justice. Students also conduct structured "case rounds," in which they brief each another about their client work and brainstorm new approaches to client issues and projects.
Registration
NLP operates a full-time summer clinic, in which students work 40 hours/week for 12 weeks, and earn credit and a small stipend followed by a two-semester academic year clinic where students work for fewer credits. A two semester commitment is required. Registration is with consent of the instructor. Application materials and deadlines are publicized through usual Law School channels.
If you are interested in further information about the NLP contact Director Marsha Mansfield at 262-9142; or by email at mmmansfield@wisc.edu.