Wisconsin Free Legal Answers continues to provide a convenient way for qualifying Wisconsin residents to request free legal advice from volunteer lawyers. Throughout the pandemic, pro bono lawyers have volunteered their time to answer basic legal questions about civil law topics.
We ended 2021 on another high note. Our volunteers answered 1,771 legal questions last year. Over 345 Wisconsin lawyers have signed up to volunteer with this program. We always welcome new volunteers to help us keep wait times reasonable. Last year, we averaged about 150 questions a month.
Questions typically take about 20 minutes to answer, so at an average hourly rate of $200/hr, our volunteers contributed at least $354,200 of pro bono legal services last year.
We’re hopeful that recent news coverage about the program will encourage more low income residents to consider the convenience of using Wisconsin Free Legal Answers. We were pleased to have the opportunity to share the availability of this service with news outlets in La Crosse, Eau Claire, Wausau, Madison, and Beloit.
Here’s a look at the mix of questions and client locations for 2021.