______________________________________ 975 Bascom Mall, Madison, WI 53706-1399

UW LAW SCHOOL

PRO BONO PROGRAM

2011-2012 ANNUAL REPORT

Contact us!

probonoprogram@law.wisc.edu

Visit us online! law.wisc.edu/probono

Produced by: UW Law School Pro Bono Program, Summer 2012. Design: Julia Zwak.

Photo Credits: Jeff Brown, Mike Hall, Deb Heneghan, Nicole Lee, Andy Manis, Jay Salvo, Julia Zwak.

2011-2012 Student Advisory Committee Dan Baron, Black Law Students Association Paul Blalock, Student Bar Association Adria Crowe, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program Jennifer Cunha, Student Hurricane Network Trisha Fillbach, Interim Asst. Dean for Career Services Kathryn Finley, Latino Law Student Association Mike Hall, Director of Student Life Ben Kempinen, Pro Bono Program Faculty Advisor Kevin Layde, National Lawyers Guild Lauren Murphy, Black Law Students Association Meg Saito, Public Interest Law Foundation Michael Turski, Unemployment Appeals Clinic Erin Vermillion, Public Interest Law Foundation Henry Weiner, Student Bar Association Ann Zimmerman, UW Law School Pro Bono Program Julia Zwak, UW Law School Pro Bono Program 2011-2012 AmeriCorps VISTA Advisory Board Robin Ellen Frisch, Community Representative B.J. Ganem, Dane County Veterans Service Office Jason Johns, Wisconsin Legislative Strategies, Inc. Kevin Magee, Legal Action of Wisconsin Steve Schooler, Porchlight, Inc. Ed Zapala, VA Veterans Justice Outreach Program Julia Zwak, UW Law School Pro Bono Program

Special Thanks

Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson

Dane County Bar Association

Dean Margaret Raymond

Economic Justice Institute

Legal Action of Wisconsin

Marquette Law School

State Bar of Wisconsin

UW Law School Event Planning Office

UW Law School Copy Shop

UW Law School News

Wisconsin Campus Compact

University of Wisconsin Law School

PRO BONO PROGRAM 2011-2012 Annual Report

Dear Friends,

Thank you. Your collective contributions over the past year were key to our enormous growth and success.

Dean Raymond and the faculty gave us an excellent start in unanimously supporting the creation of the Pro Bono Society, which recognizes students who provide outstanding levels of pro bono service. The student response was impressive: In the past year, UW law students performed 2,300 hours of service, and 27 students earned the honor of graduating with pro bono dis-tinction.

Clearly, this never would have been possible if our attorney partners hadn’t first committed to supervising the students eager to work with them. We were pleased to add a dozen new partners this year. While the students helped expand the attorneys’ capacity to provide legal services to those in need, the attorneys provided opportunities for our students to gain practical work experiences and learn how to incorporate pro bono service into their busy lives.

Of course, it never hurts to receive support and encouragement from the ju-diciary, and we were honored to have a number of court officials participate in our events throughout the year.

Excitement is building for the year ahead. Our Annual Fall Reception is on September 13, and the Veterans Law Center launches in November. We in-vite you to join us in providing more pro bono services in the coming year.

With gratitude, Ann Zimmerman, J.D. Director, UW Law School Pro Bono Program

If you are interested in supervising UW law student volunteers working on pro bono matters or if

you have an idea for a pro bono project, visit law.wisc.edu/probono/projects.html to learn more! About the Pro Bono Program

The UW Law School Pro Bono Program provides students with opportunities to deliver law-related services to underrepresented community members. Students are assisted and support-ed by Pro Bono Program staff with placements in private and nonprofit law firms, legal aid groups, in-house programs and other organizations, where their pro bono work is performed under supervision. In keeping with the law school's law-in-action tradition, students develop legal and professional skills, gain practical, hands-on experience in real work environments, and explore their ethical responsibility to provide pro bono service.

Program History The Pro Bono Program (formerly the Pro Bono Partnership Project) began as a pilot project in 2007. Its basic structure involved pairing law stu-dents with local Dane County attorneys to pro-vide legal assistance in civil matters to persons otherwise unable to secure legal representation. Initially, the project utilized a volunteer law stu-dent to assist Clinical Professors Ben Kempinen and Marsha Mansfield in administering the pro-gram. In the spring of 2011, the Project hired its first Director, Ann Zimmerman, and was renamed the UW Law School Pro Bono Program.

The Pro Bono Program & AmeriCorps VISTA In 2009, the Pro Bono Program received a three-year renewable AmeriCorps VISTA grant from Wisconsin Campus Compact, partnering with Legal Action of Wisconsin to increase the pro bono activities of UW law students in service to underrepresented individuals. The VISTA pro-gram focuses on building capacity in nonprofit organizations, schools, and communities to-ward the end goal of poverty alleviation. The VISTA member's role at the Pro Bono Program is not only to ensure the ongoing operation of the program, but to establish long-term project sustainability beyond the three-year grant cycle.

Consider donating! Gifts made to the Pro Bono Program support UW law students as well as the community organizations

and individuals served through student efforts. Donate to the Pro Bono Program via check or online pay-ment through the Economic Justice Institute: law.wisc.edu/fjr/eji/giving.html.

From left: Pro Bono Program Faculty Advisors, Ben

Kempinen and Marsha Mansfield. Pro Bono Program

Director, Ann Zimmerman.

From left: Henry Weiner, the Program’s first Ameri-

Corps VISTA and a current 2L at UW Law School. Julia

Zwak, the Program’s AmeriCorps VISTA during the

2011-2012 year. Jonathan Seok, the Program’s third and

final AmeriCorps VISTA, who will serve during the

2012-2013 year.

2011-2012 Program Highlights

Dean Margaret Raymond and the law school

faculty approved the creation of the Pro Bono

Society, an institutional honor for students

participating in pro bono service during their

tenure at UW Law School.

_________________________________________

Over 100 law students, faculty members, and

community members attended the Pro Bono

Program’s Annual Fall Reception in Septem-

ber. Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson and

Dean Margaret Raymond spoke to students

about the importance of pro bono service.

_________________________________________

The Pro Bono Program formed a Student Ad-

visory Committee to further collaborate with

law student organizations that coordinate stu-

dent pro bono activities.

_________________________________________

The Pro Bono Program received two State Bar

of Wisconsin Pro Bono Initiative Grants to-

taling $10,000 to fund the UW Law School Pro

Bono Society and the Veterans Law Center.

_________________________________________

Twenty-seven students were inducted into the

Pro Bono Society, receiving awards of pro bo-

no distinction and an honor cord worn at

graduation.

Left: Dean Margaret Raymond talks with students

about pro bono service at the Annual Fall Reception.

Right, above: Stakeholders meet at the State Bar of

Wisconsin to discuss the Veterans Law Center initiative.

Right, below: Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson and

Dane County Circuit Judge Juan Colas at the Annual

Fall Reception.

“The Pro Bono Program helps our

law students become better lawyers

and helps the community

by assisting those with unmet legal

needs. I'm delighted that so many

of our students are enthusiastic

about pro bono service and plan to

make it a part of their legal careers.”

—Dean Margaret Raymond

2011-2012 Program Highlights Partner Organizations

Coalition of Wisconsin Aging Groups (CWAG) Student volunteers work closely with CWAG attorneys on a variety of legal research and community outreach pro-jects, particularly through the Nursing Home Quality Im-provement Project and the Wisconsin Guardianship Sup-port Center. Community Immigration Law Center (CILC) Law students conduct intake interviews on behalf of CILC attorneys with walk-in immigrant clients seeking legal in-formation. Coordinated by the Latino Law Student Associ-ation.

Dane County Court Appointed Special Advocates Student advocates meet with families and children in Dane County and submit reports to advocate on behalf of abused and neglected children who are under the legal protection of the Dane County Court System. Dane County Foreclosure Mediation Program Student volunteers assist individuals in financial distress with much-needed legal services in preparation for their foreclosure mediations. Students explain the mediation process and review necessary paperwork with homeown-ers. Disability Rights Wisconsin As part of the Medicare Part D Hotline Project, law stu-dents provide telephone assistance to low-income individ-uals choosing a prescription drug plan. Students also advo-cate on behalf of callers to resolve Medicare Part D prob-lems. Dodge County Detention Facility Visits In collaboration with the National Immigrant Justice Cen-ter, students conduct one-on-one interviews with detained

immigrants at the Dodge County Detention Facility, screening them for possible relief from deportation. Coor-dinated by the Latino Law Student Association. Domestic Abuse Intervention Services Working one-on-one with a supervising attorney, student volunteers provide assistance on cases addressing a range of legal issues for victims of domestic violence. Easter Seals Wisconsin Under the supervision of a managing attorney, students provide legal counseling in the preparation of financial and health care powers of attorney to aging and disabled indi-viduals who are not able to afford legal help in this area. Foley & Lardner Internship During fall semester, three students participated in a pro bono internship assisting Foley & Lardner attorneys pre-paring for a death penalty case on behalf of an Arizona woman challenging her conviction. Student Hurricane Network Students travel to a location that has recently suffered from a major natural disaster, offering volunteer assistance to legal service organizations addressing issues such as access to public benefits, employment, housing, and discharge of pre-disaster financial obligations. Tenant Resource Center Students provide pro bono service as Volunteer Housing Counselors, providing legal information to tenants and landlords about their rights and responsibilities.

Left: Students volunteer at the Community Immigration Law

Center in Madison. Right, above: Attorney Wes Taylor ‘09

with a student volunteer at a Wills for Heroes clinic in Madi-

son. Far right: Students learn about pro bono opportunities

at the Pro Bono Pizza Panel event.

“I thoroughly enjoy collaborating with the

law students. The clients enjoy feeling like

they are contributing to the student’s edu-

cation and many express the confidence

they have in UW Law School graduates.”

—Julie Short, Easter Seals Wisconsin

If you are interested in supervising UW law student volunteers working on pro bono matters or if

you have an idea for a pro bono project, visit law.wisc.edu/probono/projects.html to learn more!

Unemployment Appeals Clinic In collaboration with local volunteer attorneys, law stu-dents help community members prepare for an unemploy-ment insurance hearing, with the option of appearing as an advocate on behalf of community members at administra-tive hearings. Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program Law students assist low-income individuals in preparing their tax returns, gaining exposure to a variety of tax issues as well as the financial difficulties faced by low-income populations. Coordinated by the Business and Tax Law Association. Voter Registration Project Students are trained to serve as Special Registration Depu-ties for the City of Madison, registering voters in advance of election periods at locations throughout the city. Wills for Heroes Law students assist attorneys with preparing wills and oth-er estate-planning documents free of charge for eligible first responders at one-day clinics throughout the state.

Individual Projects In addition to the pre-approved placements listed here, students may participate in individual pro bono projects with the approval of Pro Bono Program staff. Projects must be unpaid, law-related, appropriately supervised, and in service to eligible clients.

About the Pro Bono Program

2011-2012 Project Supervisors

Maren Beermann Peter Bennett

Susannah Camic Mary Beth Collins Jennifer Binkley

Jeff Brown Rosa Frazier

Peter Koneazny Brenda Konkel Erin McBride

Kate Mogulescu Jo Prust

Krista Ralston Eva Schiffrin

Katelyn Schmidt Julie Short

Grant Sovern Krista Sterken Paul Swenson

Wes Taylor Jean-Rene Watchou

Anders Zanichowsky

“Student volunteers are bright, receptive

to suggestion, responsive to direction,

and think on their feet as they blend their

academic training and clinical skills into

their interaction with clients. “

—Wes Taylor, Foley & Lardner, LLP

The Student Experience

100% of students would recommend the Pro

Bono Program to other students.

97% of students report that their pro bono

experience has increased their substantive

knowledge of an area of law.

97% of students report that their pro bono

experience has increased their understand-

ing of the problems faced by underrepre-

sented populations.

91% of students report that their pro bono

experience has made it more likely that they

will perform pro bono work in the future.

Above: May graduates receive certificates of member-

ship and awards of pro bono distinction from Pro Bono

Program Faculty Advisor Ben Kempinen and Pro Bono

Program Coordinator Julia Zwak. Far right: December

Pro Bono Society inductee, Michael Turski, along with

Pro Bono Program Director Ann Zimmerman.

Fall 2011: Jessica Moeller (2L)

Jessica contributed over 50 hours of

pro bono service toward a pro bono

internship at Foley & Lardner, LLP

and assisted first responders

throughout Wisconsin with wills

preparation through the Wills for

Heroes program.

Spring 2012: Patrick O’Neill (1L)

Patrick contributed over 120 hours of

pro bono service during a pro bono

internship at ABC for Health, a pub-

lic interest law firm dedicated to en-

suring health care access for children

and families, particularly those with

special needs or who are at risk.

“I enjoyed my pro bono experience. It has

been a fantastic way to practice and use the

substantive law and legal skills I have

learned in school in real life situations. I en-

joy having the opportunity to give back to

the community and use my legal skills

to make a difference.”

—Jessica von Reyn, Class of 2013

Volunteers of the Semester

Roya Bahrami

Christina Balistreri

Annaliese Beaman

Andrew Conner

Taylor Cope

Adria Crowe

Rachel Cychosz

Erik Didrikson

Timothy Dorr

Nneka Colleen Egbujiobi

Brendan Fischer

Paul Fredrickson

Elia Garcia

Benjamin Jones

Trevor Jones

Leslie Kuhn Thayer

Edward Minser

Ian Prust

Michael Queensland

Joseph Ricker

Joleen Rivera

Lindsay Rosenquist Burns

Robert Sanders

Jennifer Schwartau

Erik Splett

Michael Turski

Nicole Wells

Bennet Acker

Jerri Adams

Lauren Adams

Jair Alvarez

Julie Anderson**

Ogochukwu Anokwute

Roya Bahrami*

Christina Balistreri*

Alexis Blanco

Cary Bloodworth

Chelsea Brenegan

Melissa Burchell**

Abigail Carney

Andrew Christopherson

Erin Clark

Andrew Conner*

Taylor Cope*

Jennifer Cunha**

Rachel Cychosz*

Aaron Dumas

Nneka Colleen Egbujiobi*

Lauren Fangmann

Kathryn Finley**

Paul Fredrickson*

Brendan Fischer*

Elizabeth Fischer**

Elia Garcia*

Grant Gardner**

Kenny Ho

Elizabeth Hoffman**

Mary Hoynacki

Douglas Huenink**

Lisa Jacobson

Benjamin Jones*

Grant Keebler

Iga Fikayo Keme

Natalie Kirk

Kevin Layde

JungEun Lee

Jennifer Limbach

Mary Luu

David Maes

Sarra Marie

Thomas McDonell**

Corey Mehlos

Jennifer Miller

Edward Minser*

Jessica Moeller**

Lia Ocasio

Patrick O’Neill**

Ian Prust*

Jason Reed

Joseph Ricker*

Joleen Rivera*

Mackenzie Roach

Megumi Saito**

Christopher Schmidt**

William Schumacher

Jennifer Schwartau*

Jaclyn Shelton

Camille Silliman

Michael Solberg

Erik Splett*

Laura Steigerwald

Luis Valdez

Jessica Von Reyn**

Alyssa Wassink**

Henry Weiner

Nicole Wells*

Jackie Wilcox

David Williams

Nicole Williams

“Above all else, the Pro Bono Program

allows law students to serve individu-

als in our community that need help

the most. This program instills the val-

ue of pro bono service, something that

all of us can take with us into the legal

profession following graduation.”

— Kathryn Finley, Class of 2013

Pro Bono Society Members

Inducted December 2011 and May 2012

Graduates reported pro bono service hours from all three years of law school, from September 2009 to May 2012.

2011-2012 Student Volunteers Total Reported Hours: 2,300

*Inducted into the Pro Bono Society in the 2011-2012 Academic Year. **Has met the requirement for induction into the Pro Bono Society in a future year.