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Frank J. Remington Center

Family Court Assistance Project

What is the Family Court Assistance Project?

FCAP was developed to address one of the most pressing needs and challenges to our court system – unrepresented family law litigants. In FCAP, law students provide legal information, forms, and guidance to unrepresented litigants under the supervision of experienced clinical faculty. Students work at the Dane County Courthouse as well as at a community office, located in a low-income, culturally diverse part of the city. Through their direct service to the community, students learn effective lawyering skills while developing an understanding not only of the social and economic contexts in which the litigants' problems occur, but also of the possibilities and limitations of the legal system. This program has garnered support from Dane County and Wisconsin Supreme Court judges, as well as local community groups.

In 2005, FCAP expanded its services to also assist unrepresented litigants with restraining order (a/k/a protective order) petitions and began working with other agencies involved in ending domestic violence.

What do FCAP Students Do? 

  • Observe court hearings and mediations
  • Assist unrepresented family law litigants with completing forms, and understanding the court process in a particular case
  • Develop and use written materials to guide litigants and to use in educational workshops
  • Provide individual representation in selected cases

Students also partner with the Neighborhood Law Project to offer community education in addition to providing forms and guidance at neighborhood sites.

FCAP'S Educational Mission

The educational mission of FCAP is to expose students to the range of challenges facing unrepresented (pro se) litigants in the court system, to train students in legal research and analysis, drafting, negotiation, litigation, and other skills, while also engaging them in a critical inquiry into the role of law and lawyers in redressing economic injustice and inequality. FCAP students work under a clinical law professor's close supervision, and gain experience in client interviewing, counseling, mediation, and drafting legal documents while developing a practical understanding of Wisconsin's divorce process. The students will also critically evaluate the various responses of the justice system to the needs of pro se litigants.

Classroom Component

In addition to weekly hours spent at the courthouse, at neighborhood sites and in individual supervision, FCAP students participate in a weekly seminar.  The seminar includes materials on: (1) the substantive topics students will encounter in their work; (2) skills development in interviewing, mediation, counseling, and writing; (3) issues pertinent to the substantive topics such as ADR, the use of interpreters in the courts, the role of the guardian ad litem and abuse issues in divorce; (4) issues related to pro se representation and innovative methods for providing legal services.  Students will participate in simulated case studies and exercises for training purposes on interviewing, counseling and negotiations.  The weekly seminar also provides an opportunity for students to brief each other on their case work and to brainstorm new approaches to case related issues and projects.

CONSUMER INFORMATION:

Consumers can contact FCAP for an appointment or to obtain information by calling 262-2301. 

Registration

FCAP operates a full-time summer clinic for seven credits and a summer stipend, followed by a two-semester program for fewer credits.  For more information, stop by Professor Mansfield's office in Room 4318A in the Remington Center or contact her at 262-9142 (mmmansfield@wisc.edu ).