CASA of Dane & Columbia Counties  
2445 Darwin Rd. Suite 15
Madison, WI 53704
608-729-1136 

• Approximate hours of work requested: Approximately 3 hours per week. Students must plan to participate for one full year.
• Schedule: Once training is completed, the time commitment will consist of weekly visits with the family each volunteer is assigned to, travel time to and from those visits, and time spent documenting observations and writing reports. The timing of visits is dependent on the family's schedule. Most volunteers visit weekday afternoons and evenings, some do weekend or daytime visits. Volunteers can attend hearings, team meetings, and IEPs, which are conducted during regular business hours.
• Training: A mandatory 30-hour training will be provided on: the Dane County legal system, cultural competency, domestic violence, and other issues facing families. Students will also be trained to write reports to the court based on observations. Please see the application and contact info below to express your interest.
• Location: At various locations throughout Dane County such as the family's home or the child's school. Additional work will be performed at the CASA office (address above) and the Dane County Courthouse.
• Transportation: Visits can happen on the bus line, but a personal vehicle would be helpful.
• Desired course or clinic experience: All levels (1L-3L) welcome.
• To participate: Complete an online application and then contact Dane County CASA Program Director Cheri Dvorak to let her know that you're a pro bono student and that you've submitted an application for the program.

Center for Patient Partnerships
Ag Hall
1450 Linden Drive,
Suite 1 Madison, WI 53706

• Legal Resource Navigator

  • Description: Undergraduate students work with patients to help them connect with needed community resources and follow-up with them regularly to help them stay healthy. Law students receive referrals to help patients with health-harming legal needs. Patients receive preventative legal information and guidance as they navigate legal issues. 
  • Approximate hours of work requested: 2-4 hours per week
  • Location: Agriculture Hall (Suite 1, On Campus)
  • Training: Required to attend selected training sessions necessary for competency, become a UW Health Volunteer and Pro Bono ethics training. 
  • Desired course or clinic experience: Preference will be given to students who have client-services experience. Fluency in Spanish or other languages a significant plus, as well as experience working with people with disabilities. Open to 1Ls, 2Ls, and 3Ls. 
  • To participate: Contact Curran Cauldwood for more information.

• LIFT WI Legal Tune Up – Child Support Clinics

  • Approximate hours of work requested: 2-3 hours per clinic (2-3 clinics per semester)
  • Schedule: Flexible, as needed 
  • Location: Variable - Madison based clinics
  • Commitment: 1 semester minimum Training: no previous training required - training will be done prior to clinics
  • To participate: contact Curran Cauldwood. 

• LIFT WI Legal Tune Up – Module Development

  • Approximate hours of work requested: 2-4 hours per week
  • Schedule: Flexible
  • Location: Remote, CPP Offices (Ag Hall)
  • Commitment: 1 semester minimum
  • Training: no previous training required - students will meet with an advisor to go over expectations and goals
  • To participate: contact Curran Cauldwood 

Community Immigration Law Center
Christ Presbyterian Church
944 E. Gorham St.
Madison, WI 53703
608-640-4447 

CILC provides legal information regarding immigration to individuals and groups who might otherwise not have access to the legal system. CILC does this through legal clinics, know-your-rights presentations, and other community outreach activities. CILC grew out of a series of meetings with people from various legal, social, and faith-based organizations who shared a concern about the lack of affordable legal services for noncitizens in our community.

• CILC Friday Consultation Day: 

  • Description: CILC conducts in person consultations with the immigrant community to provide immigration legal information and advice on their options. Volunteers will be trained to work with participant's to complete CILC's intake tool and collect information about the participant's case. The intake tool is then reviewed by one of our volunteer immigration attorneys or a CILC attorney who provides legal advice to the participant. 
  • Schedule: 2nd and 4th Friday of the month
  • Location: Christ Presbyterian Church (address above)
  • Approximate hours of work requested: 9am-12pm (morning shift - bilingual Spanish-English speakers only); 1pm-5pm (all volunteers welcome whether they speak Spanish or not)
  • Transportation: Accessible by foot or bus
  • Training: Volunteers must watch a 1-hour webinar training how to complete the CILC intake tool.
  • To Participate: Complete this Google Form.

• Pro Se Asylum Clinic

  • Description: CILC seeks Spanish-speaking student volunteers to assist with the Pro Se Asylum Clinic. Volunteers will work in pairs to help participants complete the asylum application form. Spanish fluency is required. 
  • Schedule: 1st Friday of every month 
  • Approximate hours of work requested: 3.5 hours per shift (morning shift: 9am-12:30pm; afternoon shift: 12:30pm-4pm) 
  • Training: Volunteers must watch a 1-hour webinar training on asylum and how to complete the asylum application. Volunteers are also asked to review materials that are used during the clinic. 
  • Location: Christ Presbyterian Church (address above) 
  • To participate: Complete this Google Form.

Community Justice Inc. 
214 N. Hamilton St. #101
Madison, WI 53713
608-442-3003

Community Justice's mission is to serve low- and moderate-income families and individuals in need of legal service through direct legal services, community awareness, educational programming. Their goal is to provide legal services at a rate drastically below the market cost of representation. They believe that through community collaboration they can advocate for the legal needs of low-income and under- represented people in the courtroom and community.

Law students will help increase access to the legal system for low-income and under-represented individuals by helping to provide direct legal services, community awareness educational programming and policy development advisory work. They will do this by doing intakes, assisting attorneys to prepare documents, doing research and more.

• Schedule: Volunteer shifts are usually 9:00am-1:00pm and 1:00pm-5:00pm. Hours are flexible based on student availability.
• Location: Community Justice (address above) but some off-site work may be possible.
• Approximate hours of work requested: One 4-hour shift per week, though CJI is flexible.
• Training: CJI will individually train all volunteer law students. Training is provided in intake procedure, general office procedures and protocol, including the preparation of documents. Written training materials are provided for reference in all matters volunteers work on, including detailed phone scripts to ensure conflict checks and eligibility checks are properly completed.
• Transportation: Accessible by foot (20-30 minutes) or bus (16-20 minutes) from the Law School.
• Desired course or clinic experience: All levels (1L-3L) welcome. Students who have an interest in or have taken classes on family law and who have an interest in assisting people of very limited economic resources will help.
• To participate: Contact Executive Director Mara Bridgman

Dane County Bar Association Legal Clinics
Dane County Courthouse (or Virtual) 
215 S. Hamilton Street Madison, WI 53706

The Dane County Bar Association offers several programs which provide community members with legal information, free of charge. The programs are staffed by volunteer lawyers, paralegals, and law students.

• The Estate Planning Clinic

  • Description: The Estate Planning Clinic operates in person several Saturdays throughout the year. Volunteers assist low-income individuals prepare basic estate planning documents.
  • Schedule: 8:00 am-12pm on several Saturdays throughout the year.
  • Location: South Madison College campuses in Madison
  • Approximate hours of work requested: approximately 10 hours per semester.
  • Training: Students view a 60-minute training video about the program prior to attendance. Students must also sign a confidentiality agreement.
  • Desired course or clinic experience: All grade levels (1L-3L) are welcome, and no prior experience is necessary.
  • To participate: Interested students in the Estate Planning Clinic should contact Jennifer Binkley. 

• The Veteran’s Law Center (VLC) 

  • Description: VLC operates virtually and in person. Volunteers give information on court procedures, refer clients to community resources, provide legal advice and assistance, and help complete forms and provide filing instructions alongside a volunteer attorney. 
  • Location: Virtually or at the Dane County Courthouse (address above) 
  • Approximate hours of work requested: Approximately 10-20 hours per semester. 
  • Training: Students complete a 1-hour mandatory training session on clinic procedures, professional responsibility, ethics, and a general overview of VLC.  Students must also sign a confidentiality agreement.
  • Desired course or clinic experience: All grade levels (1L-3L) are welcome, and no prior experience is necessary.
  • To participate: Contact Jennifer Binkley for the training information.

This is a remote pro bono opportunity which involves performing research to assist attorneys in answering citizen questions posted to the Free Legal Answers website, hosted by the American Bar Association.

• Schedule and Approximate hours of work requested: Students sign up for a limited number of weeks to be “on call.” During those “on call” weeks (2 per semester), you may be assigned a question by a volunteer attorney. The volunteer attorney assigns the question between Monday and Wednesday during your “on call” week; your draft answer is due back to the volunteer attorney within 48 hours. This is intentional, to mimic real-world practice where clients expect a timely response. The volunteer attorney reviews your draft, makes any changes necessary, and submits it back to the client through Free Legal Answers. The attorney shares their final response with you and gives feedback on the draft. We are using the phrase “on call” and that you “may” be assigned a question because of the nature of the Free Legal Answers site. There may be weeks where there are no questions available or appropriate for a student to draft. That is why we encourage students to sign up for several weeks, so that there is a greater likelihood that they will receive a question.
• Location: Virtual
• Desired course or clinic experience: All levels (1L-3L) welcome.
• To participate: Sign up for your "on call" weeks. Email Lindsay Slaker for more information.  

Legal Action of Wisconsin
744 Williamson Street,
Suite 200
Madison, WI 53703
855-947-2529

Legal Action of Wisconsin (LAW) is the state’s largest non-profit law firm providing free civil legal services to Wisconsin clients at the most vulnerable times in their lives. For more than 50 years, we’ve changed and improved lives by making sure the civil legal system works for everyone.

• Pro Bono Debtor Rights Program

  • Description: UW Law and Legal Action have teamed up to counsel low-income individuals about bankruptcy and other tools to address creditor harassment.  Student volunteers assist volunteer attorneys with telephone counseling sessions and client follow-up.   
  • Approximate hours of work requested: Friday mornings from 10am-12pm
  • Location: Remote. Though students who are present in Madison can also volunteer to work with Legal Action staff to help prepare bankruptcy petitions. 
  • Commitment: Students are asked to commit to at least one 2-hour volunteer session during the semester, but students can also volunteer more frequently.     
  • Training: New volunteers are required to attend a 90-minute training. 
  • To participate: Please email Megan McDermott if you would like more information about the program or would like to attend the next training session.  

• Background Check Clinics

  • Description: Assist Legal Action of Wisconsin at in-person and virtual background check clinics where we go through a client's background check to identity any arrest cycles that can be corrected, expunged, or pardoned. Law students work in teams with pro bono attorneys to go through documents, look things up on WCCA/CCAP, and take notes on advice given. Recorded trainings provided.
  • Urban League Clinics  (In-Person in Madison)
  • Student Legal Aid Clinics  (Virtual) 

Law students pair-up with volunteer lawyers at the Marquette Volunteer Legal Clinics (MVLC) to provide free brief legal advice on civil legal matters including but not limited to family law; evictions & housing law; debt/collections; small claims; small business; guardianship; probate; and more.

• Approximate hours of work requested: Students must commit to volunteering 2 hours per week (1 shift), and to participating for the full semester. 
• Schedule: Thursdays 11:15AM-1:30PM, September 4 through December 4.
• Training: A required remote training is provided.
• Location: Remote on Zoom.
• Desired course or clinic experience: All grade levels (1L-3L) are welcome, and no prior experience is necessary.
• To participate: Limited space is available for participation in this remote clinic. Submit this form to indicate your interest, and a member of the clinic staff will be in touch with you.

Unemployment Compensation Appeals Clinic (UAC)
Madison Labor Temple
1602 South Park Street
Madison, WI 53715

The Unemployment Compensation Appeals Clinic is a pro bono clinic providing resources to those who have been denied unemployment insurance by the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development. Students, including first semester 1Ls, can represent UI claimants in their appeal hearings in front of Administrative Law Judges. Students gain substantive and procedural knowledge of Wisconsin unemployment law, as well as hone skills of direct and cross examination, submitting evidence, and client management.

If you're interested in public interest, trial advocacy, or labor and employment law, this is a great opportunity to gain experience and showcase a proficiency in those fields. Students work under local volunteer attorneys, creating relationships and mentorship connections. Participants in this pro bono clinic make a material difference in claimants' lives.  

• Dates: Fall and Spring: every Monday from 7:00-9:00pm 
• Location: Madison Labor Temple (1602 S. Park St. Madison, WI 53715) or remote. The Labor Temple is directly on several bus routes and has lots of parking.
• Training: There will be trainings held once the fall semester begins. If you're interested in volunteering but have not yet been trained, contact the Student Manager to discuss options.
• Desired course or clinic experience: None—all years are encouraged to participate.​
• How to Participate: If you're interested and would like more information or have any questions contact Trinity Giese or Madison Schwartz or uwunemploymentappealsclinic@gmail.com.

Wisconsin Wills for Heroes 
P.O. Box 7158
Madison, WI 53707

Through the Wisconsin Wills for Heroes Program, volunteer lawyers, law students, notaries, and witnesses participate in clinics scheduled for first responder organizations throughout Southern Wisconsin. At these events, volunteer lawyers and students prepare wills and other estate planning documents free of charge for eligible first responders and their spouses or domestic partners.

The national Wills for Heroes program was created by the Wills for Heroes Foundation after September 11, 2001 and is designed to assist emergency personnel in preparing basic estate planning documents to protect themselves and their families. Wills for Heroes in Wisconsin is sponsored by the State Bar of Wisconsin's Pro Bono Program, with the generous support of Foley and Lardner LLP, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, LexisNexis and the State Bar Young Lawyers Division.

• Approximate hours of work requested: Attend morning and/or afternoon shifts at clinics.  Shifts are 3 hours or 6 hours, with lunch provided.
• Event operation: The clinics are broken into morning and afternoon sessions, each lasting 3 hours, with each attorney volunteer seeing one first responder per hour. First responders complete an estate planning questionnaire and watch an estate planning video prior to their appointment with the attorney volunteer. The attorney volunteers use customized software to create each first responder's estate plan. At subsequent stations, the estate planning documents are signed, witnessed, and notarized.
• Training: Complete the online ethics course prior to volunteering at a clinic, and watch the 1 hour training video on the State Bar website prior to volunteering as a student attorney. Law students will receive one-on-one supervision from an estate planning specialist until comfortable with the process, and all estate plans are reviewed by an attorney prior to document execution. At most clinics, law students will be paired with volunteer attorneys. Law students may also attend a clinic to observe prior to volunteering.
• Location: The in-person clinics rotate locations at various police departments and fire departments in the Madison area. View upcoming clinic dates and locations. Clinics are often added with more frequency in the winter time. 
• Desired course or clinic experience: No estate planning experience required, but 2s and 3Ls who have successfully completed Trusts and Estates are preferred.
• To participate: Contact Attorney Kass Longie with questions, your desired clinic date, and experience with estate planning or the clinics. Students, please do NOT register for a clinic as a student attorney volunteer before contacting Attorney Longie.