Civil legal aid is a lifeline, it is time Wisconsin treated it like one

Funding for civil legal aid helps provide free or low-cost legal assistance to our state’s most vulnerable populations.

These are not people looking to game the system. They include military veterans trying to access disability benefits and other promised support, parents seeking protection from domestic abuse and elderly folks who are victims of financial exploitation.

In 2023 alone, the state’s two largest legal aid providers – Legal Action of Wisconsin and Judicare Legal Aid – were forced to turn away more than 70% of eligible applicants due to lack of funding.

Civil legal aid isn’t a luxury. It’s often the only path to justice for low- and moderate-income Wisconsinites. For more than a decade, Wisconsin has been leaving them behind.

Unlike other states, Wisconsin provides no funding in general-purpose revenue (GPR) for civil legal aid– despite years of bipartisan support and consistent recommendations from legal experts across the state.

This isn't just about fairness. It’s also about fiscal responsibility. A 2023 study by the Wisconsin Trust Account Foundation revealed that every $1 invested in civil legal aid returns more than $8 in value, including recovered wages, child support, housing stability, and medical benefits. Legal aid also reduces court delays, prevents homelessness, and limits long-term reliance on public services.

Legal aid helps recipients achieve sustained employment, strengthens families, and turns clients who temporarily need help from the system into people who give back to their communities for decades.

The State Bar of Wisconsin is calling on lawmakers to act. We’re asking for a modest but meaningful investment of GPR funds in the state budget so legal aid providers can meet the growing need and ensure that everyone, regardless of income, has access to justice.

Our court system depends on it. In some Wisconsin counties, more than 70% of family court cases involve at least one self-represented party. This slows proceedings and strains already overburdened courts. Judges, clerks, and court staff are left to fill gaps that legal professionals should handle, and the legal process becomes more expensive and time-consuming for everyone who accesses the justice system.

We believe in equal justice under the law. But without lawyers, that promise is out of reach for too many.

Let’s change that. Please contact your elected representative and demand adequate funding for civil legal aid. In a community, people help each other. Civil legal aid protects basic human needs.