Upcoming Events/Opportunities
Volunteers Needed to Help Local Heroes
Wills for Heroes needs more volunteers for its upcoming Saturday clinics. No experience is necessary. Volunteers sign up for a half (or whole) day, and then work directly with local first responders, firefighters and other heroes to prepare a will and related documents. Law students when you sign up for an event, mark yourself down as a witness.
Upcoming Clinics include:
Saturday, April 13, 2013
9am – 4pm – Wauwatosa Police Department
Wauwatosa Police Department
1700 N 116th St, Wauwatosa
To register: http://wauwatosapolicedept.eventbrite.com/#
To learn more about Wisconsin's Wills for Heroes Program, or to view all of the clinics currently scheduled go to: http://www.eventbrite.com/org/384683063
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Legal Action of Wisconsin is Seeking a Legal Intern
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Legal Action of Wisconsin
31 South Mills Street
Madison, WI
(608)256-3304
www.legalaction.org
Legal Action of Wisconsin (LAW) provides free legal services to low-income people who would be denied justice without LAW’s help. This position is for a law student who wants to learn how to administratively manage pro bono in a public interest setting. The ideal candidate possesses a background with strong organizational skills/paralegal experience, and worked full-time in an office setting prior to attending law school. Job tasks include drafting letters to attorneys and clients, basic case management, administrative support, compiling legal resources and manuals, and providing assistance with pro bono attorney recruitment.
Number of student volunteers requested: 1
Project start date: Immediately
Project end date: 3/15/14
Approximate hours of work requested: Approximately 5 hours/week; flexible days and times
Training: Attorney Erica Lopez will provide training in case management, general office procedures and protocol, including the preparation of documents.
Work will be performed: Legal Action of Wisconsin-Madison Office
Transportation: Accessible by walking (10-15 minutes) or bus transportation (10 minutes) from the Law School.
Desired course or clinic experience: 1 or 2Ls with prior work experience in an office setting. Spanish and Hmong speakers preferred, but not required.
To apply: Submit a resume and a brief statement of interest (no more than half a page) to Erica Lopez via email (ekl@legalaction.org)
Brown Bag Lunch Seminar on Alternative Winter Break Pro Bono Service Trips
April 9th, 2013 in Lubar Commons from 12pm-1pm
This past winter break the Elder Law and Estate Planning Society and the Legal Assistance for Disaster Relief went on alternative winter break trips and provided much needed pro bono services to those in need.
The Elder Law and Estate Planning Society went on the Indian Wills Caravan Trip and provided a number of wills clinics for tribal members throughout western Wisconsin from Jan 14-18th. The Legal Assistance for Disaster Relief (LADR) traveled to New Orleans and New Jersey. The students worked at local non-profits and assisted direct and indirect victims of the disaster with legal issues arising out of the disaster, including access to public benefits, employment, housing, patient dumping, and discharge of pre-disaster financial obligations.
Bring your lunch and come learn more about these trips and how to get involved!--
Law Day 2013
Where: Dane County Courthouse
When: Wednesday, May 1, 2013 from 12:00-4:30pm
Presented by: The Dane County Bar Association
Please come join the DCBA at the Dane County Courthouse and participate in Law Day Activities. Students will have the opportunities to take Continuing Legal Education seminars on Pro Bono and other interesting topics, eat free food, and visit the pro bono fair. If you want to sign-up for the classes, please send an e-mail with your name and a note that you are a law school student wanting to attend a CLE class. Note: You do not have to stay for the entire event.
Contact: law@dcba.net
For Information about the Event, please click here.
Latest News
2L Greg Vanevenhoven talks about his experience on the Indian Wills Caravan
March 11th, 2013
The UW Law School Media Department asked 2L Greg Vanevenhoven, one of ten students participating in the Pro Bono Program's Indian Wills Caravan, what the opportunity meant to him. Read his responses here.
2L Law Student Greg Vanevenhoven helping a client.
3L Jen Cunha Wins Outstanding Public Interest Law Student Award
March 8th, 2013
3L Jennifer Cunha, shown here with Brynne McBride, Assistant Director at ABC for Health, has won the state bar’s Outstanding Public Interest Law Student Award. She received the award at the Wisconsin Equal Justice Conference. Congratulations! To learn more about the Law School's public interest clinics and pro bono opportunities, click here.
Community Immigration Law Center (CILC) Training Session
February 15th, 2013
Over 10 students came to the CILC Volunteer Training session to learn how to provide legal services to immigrants and their families here in Dane County. To learn more about CILC, click here.
Law students learning about immigration lawVeterans Law Center Student Training Session
February 8th, 2013
Over twenty students came to the VLC Student Volunteer Training session to learn how to provide civil legal services low income veterans and their families here in Dane County. Learn more about the Veterans Law Center, click here.The Court-Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Dane County Comes to the Law School
February 7th, 2013
Representatives from CASA came to talk about this amazing volunteer opportunity! Serving as a CASA is a great way to earn APPROVED Pro Bono Society hours, learn about the child welfare system, and get involved in the community. To learn more about CASA, click here. For more information, contact Kellyn McCullough.
1L Alex Lewein talks his experience volunteering at CASA (on left) and CASA staff talk about their organization (on right)
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ro Bono Program Director awarded the "Leaders in Law" Award
February 6th, 2013
Ann Zimmerman, director of UW Law School's Pro Bono Program, has been named a 2013 Leaders in the Law honoree by Wisconsin Law Journal. Each year, the Leaders in the Law program recognizes Wisconsin attorneys, judges and educators who have demonstrated outstanding leadership, vision and expertise in the legal profession. Read more here.
3L Jennifer Cunha wins Super Lawyer Pro Bono Award
February 5th, 2013
Jennifer Cunha is in her final year at the University of Wisconsin Law School, where she’ll earn her J.D. and a master’s degree in public affairs. In her tenure at the university, Cunha served as president of Legal Assistance for Disaster Relief (LADR), supported and expanded the law school’s Pro Bono Program and participated in a number of academic clinical courses. To learn more about her endeavors, click here.
3L Law Student Jennifer Cunha pictured above.
Tenant Resource Center Comes to UW Law School
February 2nd & 3rd, 2013
Tenant Resource Center trained law students who want to volunteer at TRC this semester. Students completed a mandatory 12 hour training in federal, state, and local housing laws. They will then help local tenants in need of assistance in the community this semester.
Tenant Resource Center volunteer Caroline (on left) and LLM Law Students Hua Yao, Yujia Wei, and Yue Zhang (on right).
2013 Pro Bono Pizza Panel
January 28th, 2013
Over 50 law students joined the Pro Bono Program for an informational panel and learned more about pro bono opportunities happening during spring semester. Panelists include student and attorney representatives from Legal Assistance for Disaster Relief, the Veterans Law Center, Community Justice Inc., Tenant Resource Center, Indian Wills Caravan Winter Break Trip, and the Time Bank Youth Court!
Students and staff listening to the panelists speak about their pro bono experiences
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For more Pro Bono Program news items, visit our News page here.
The mission of the University of Wisconsin Law School's Pro Bono Program is to provide its students and faculty with opportunities to deliver pro bono legal services to underserved members of our community.
What is Pro Bono?
The term comes from the Latin "Pro Bono Publico," which means "for the public good."
Commitment to Excellence
The UW Law School is committed to excellence in legal education, which involves offering substantial opportunities for student participation in pro bono activities. Students who participate in the Pro Bono Program are provided with hands-on opportunities to develop professional skills under the supervision of practicing lawyers, law faculty members, and other licensed professionals while exploring the ABA's ethical standards, which state that lawyers should aspire to provide 50 hours per year of pro bono legal services to people of limited means or nonprofit organizations that serve the poor.
"The Pro Bono Program is an excellent resource available to the
students here at the University of Wisconsin. It provided me with a
great opportunity to obtain real world experience beyond the lessons
learned in the classroom, writing memos, reviewing expert testimony,
providing research in a capital case, and assisting valued members of
the community to prepare their wills. This can be especially helpful to
students who do not have time outside of school and family to pursue a
full-time internship. A key part of our role as future lawyers is to
help people, and the Pro Bono Program helps you do just that."
