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Low-Cost Legal Assistance and Self Help Tools in Dane County : Criminal Law

A list of legal assistance agencies and clinics in Dane County, WI. Organized by area of law.

Community Justice, Inc.

222 South Hamilton St., Suite 22
Phone: (608) 204-9642
Hours: Monday-Thursday 1:00 P.M. - 4:00 P.M.

Legal Assistance - Representation in many areas, including landlord/tenant, disability and mental health, employment, discrimination, consumer/credit child welfare, land use, environmental, and criminal law.

Eligibility - Individuals who are underrepresented and/or unable to afford an attorney. Potential clients must first participate in an intake phone interview that lasts 10-30 minutes.

Costs - Affordable representation through income-sensitive fees

Staff - Six lawyers, five of whom are graduates of UW

Publications - Web page - http://www.communityjusticeinc.org/ (includes client brochure and an online contact form)

Legal Assistance to Institutionalized Persons

Frank J. Remington Center
University of Wisconsin Law School
975 Bascom Mall, Room 4318
Madison, WI 53703-2208
Phone: (608) 262-1002
Email: fjrc@law.wisc.edu
Hours: Monday - Friday 7:45 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Legal Assistance - Civil legal services to inmates as part of a UW Law School clinical program including: Inmates in minimum-security institutions in the Wisconsin Prison System; Inmates in county jails in Wisconsin; Patients in mental health centers in Wisconsin, including the Wisconsin Resource Center; Inmates in prisons or jails outside of Wisconsin; Individuals on probation or parole supervision; or Any individuals who are not incarcerated.

Eligibility - Prisoners in maximum or medium-security prisons and prisoners in the federal prison at Oxford, Wisconsin. Inmates seeking assistance from LAIP must complete an "interview/information request form" (form # DOC-643) available at the particular institution. Inmates are scheduled for interviews on a "first come, first served" basis, and should bring relevant documents to the interview if possible. LAIP may decline to interview inmates who have already been assisted.

Costs - Free services

Contact - fjrc@law.wisc.edu

Staff - UW law students under supervision of faculty. 

Publications - Information available on a sub page of the UW Law School's web site at http://www.law.wisc.edu/FJR/laip/index.htm.

Restraining Order and Survivor Advocacy (ROSA) Clinic

Part of the Univ of Wisconsin Law School's Economic Justice Institute

Phone: 608-263-9574

Email: ROSA@law.wisc.edu

Legal Assistance - Law students assist victims/survivors of intimate-partner violence and/or crime by assisting with Restraining Order petitions, providing direct representation at injunction hearings (restraining order hearings), and providing relevant resources under the supervision of experienced clinical faculty

Eligibility - provides direct legal services to victims/survivors of intimate-partner violence and/or crime in Dane, Jefferson, Rock Sauk and other surrounding counties.

Costs - Free

Contact - Phone, email, or request an appointment online through the clinic's website (toward bottom of page)

Staff -  Law School students, supervised by a clinical law professor. 

Publications - Website

Restorative Justice Project

Frank J. Remington Center
University of Wisconsin Law School
975 Bascom Mall, Room 4318
Madison, WI 53703-2208
Phone: (608) 262-1002

Legal Assistance - The Restorative Justice Project focuses on victim-initiated communication involving felony offenders and their victims, in conjunction with the Wisconsin Department of Corrections' Office of Victim Services and Programs. Students work with victims and offenders to prepare for meetings, and then facilitate in-person meetings, which usually take place in Wisconsin prisons, or other forms of contact.

Eligibility - For more information, contact fjrc@law.wisc.edu.

Costs - Free services

Contactfjrc@law.wisc.edu.

Staff -- UW Law Students under the supervision of Faculty

Publications - Web page - http://www.law.wisc.edu/fjr/rjp/