New study committee on access to civil legal services

July 14, 2016 by Jeff Brown

A new Study Committee on Access to Civil Legal Services was recently launched by the Wisconsin Legislative Council. The 16-member committee includes 6 legislators and 10 public members, including Jim Gramling, President of the Access to Justice Commission. The chair is Rep. Cody Horlacher and the vice-chair is Sen. Duey Stroebel. A full roster is available here.

The study committee was created in response to a unanimous powerful request from the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The committee’s charge is “to review the funding and delivery of legal services for the indigent in civil cases. The committee shall: (1) review the need for legal services by indigent civil litigants; (2) identify additional non-GPR sources of revenue to provide civil legal services for the indigent; and (3) review current operations.”

The study committee’s first meeting will be held on July 27 in Madison at the State Capitol.

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Access to justice requires a steady commitment of time, money, and effort. Members of the commission are all volunteers and donate a considerable amount of their time every month. Everything else we do to support and expand access for Wisconsin residents has some cost. We need your support in the manner that best fits your resources, your time, and your experience.

Wisconsin Access to Justice Commission

We are a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) Wisconsin corporation governed by an 18 member board. Board members are appointed by our stakeholders: the Wisconsin Supreme Court, the Governor, the State Bar of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Legislature, Marquette University Law School, the University of Wisconsin Law School, the Wisconsin Tribal Judges Association, and the Wisconsin Trust Account Foundation.

The Commission was created by an order of the Wisconsin Supreme Court in response to a petition filed by the State Bar of Wisconsin. We are a proud member of the Civil Legal Aid Alliance of Wisconsin (CLAAW).