Bridging the Justice Gap: Wisconsin's Unmet Legal Needs

Access to Justice Study Committee State Bar of Wisconsin - 070042

Abstract Number: 070042

June 2007

The State Bar of Wisconsin's Access to Justice Committee released "Bridging the Justice Gap: Wisconsin's Unmet Legal Needs" on March 9, 2007. The report relies on a professional legal needs survey of low- and middle-income households throughout the state. The report found that 80% of households with legal problems do not receive legal assistance, and that 60% of the time, the other party is represented by a lawyer. The report also found that residents of urban areas were more likely to have had a legal problem than rural residents, and that legal problems were more frequently encountered by households with the lowest incomes, minority households, and households with children. The report contains twelve recommendations to help close Wisconsin's justice gap, including increased state funding, the establishment of a permanent Access to Justice Commission, and the establishment of self-help centers for unrepresented litigants in every courthouse. The State Bar of Wisconsin's Board of Governors approved all 12 recommendations and various committees of the state bar will meet to begin discussing how to properly implement these recommendations.

To access Bridging the Justice Gap: Wisconsin's Unmet Legal Needs please click here ( 637k).

Contact Information:

Jeff Brown
(608) 250-6177
jbrown@wisbar.org

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