The Fall 2004 semester at the University of Wisconsin Law School will mark the debut of a new pilot project, the Divorce Court Assistance Project, created by the Law School's Economic Justice Institute in response to the fact that 60 percent of family law litigants are unrepresented in court ? more than in any other area of law.

The new Divorce Court Assistance Project (DCAP) is under the supervision of attorney and Clinical Assistant Professor Marsha Mansfield, who brings many years of experience in all aspects of family law. Students will work with self-represented parties to prepare divorce cases for decision. They will not serve as advocates for either party, but rather as facilitators designated by family court judges to guide individuals through the legal process.

Students will learn the nuts and bolts of Wisconsin's divorce law, both substantively and procedurally. They also will undergo in-depth skills training in interviewing, counseling, and negotiating.

In addition to handling individual cases beginning with an intake interview and guiding participants through the divorce process, DCAP students will also staff the Economic Justice Institute's Neighborhood Law Project community office so that members of the community can obtain forms and information.

The Economic Justice Institute (EJI) is a program of the University of Wisconsin Law School's Frank J. Remington Center. In addition to the new Divorce Court Assistance Project, the EJI comprises the Neighborhood Law Project, Consumer Law Litigation Clinic, and Elder Law Clinic.

Submitted by on August 24, 2004

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