Legal Aid Resources

The following legal resources are provided for informational purposes only, and do not constitute legal advice or an endorsement of their content by Wisconsin Equal Justice Fund, Inc.

Pro Bono Civil Legal Aid Organizations:

Legal Action of Wisconsin
LAW serves residents in the southern half of Wisconsin, including Milwaukee, Madison, the Fox Valley, and La Crosse.

Wisconsin Judicare
Judicare serves residents in the northern half of Wisconsin, including Wausau and the Chippewa Valley.

Disability Rights Wisconsin
DRW serves Wisconsin residents with disabilities with offices in Milwaukee, Madison, and Rice Lake.

Lawyer Referrals

Milwaukee Lawyer Referral Service
The Milwaukee LRIS assists people everyday with their legal problems, has been in operation for over 60 years, and takes over 40,000 calls annually, referring over 8,000 callers to attorneys and community agencies.

State Bar of Wisconsin Lawyer Referral Service
If you have a legal problem and you’re looking for an attorney or other legal assistance in Wisconsin, the State Bar of Wisconsin Lawyer Referral and Information Service (LRIS) can help you figure out if you need to hire a lawyer, and how to proceed if you do.

Self-Help and Online Resources

Directory of Self-Help Legal Resources by County
This directory of local county legal resources provides information about more than one hundred programs and services available to self-represented persons in Wisconsin. Some of these agencies and organizations provide free or low-cost legal services or assistance. Other programs offer mediation and services for crime victims.

Wisconsin Free Legal Answers
Wisconsin Free Legal Answers is an online service for low-income residents who cannot afford a lawyer. It offers brief and confidential legal advice when you have a civil (not criminal) legal question. And, it’s free.

Wisconsin Courts Self-Help Law Center
The Wisconsin courts self-help law center is designed to help you find forms, learn about Wisconsin law and court procedures and represent yourself in some court matters. The information provided is not a substitute for legal advice.

Modest Means Program
​​​​​The Modest Means Program of the State B​ar of Wisconsin is designed to assist people whose income is too high to qualify for free legal services, but too low to pay a lawyer’s standard rate. The Modest Means Program is run by the Lawyer Referral and Information Service at the State Bar. Qualifying for services through the Modest Means Program is based on your income level and area of legal need.

Other Resources

Wisconsin Trust Account Foundation
WisTAF is dedicated to equal access to the civil justice system, funding legal services for low-income persons through the fair and effective administration of Interest On Lawyers’ Trust Accounts (IOLTA), Public Interest Legal Services Fund (PILSF), and other sources.

Wisconsin Access to Justice Commission
The Wisconsin Access to Justice Commission was created in 2009 by the Wisconsin Supreme Court at the request of the State Bar of Wisconsin to aid the courts in improving the administration of justice by supporting civil legal services to those who cannot afford them.