Amplifying Voices: Understanding Wisconsin’s Legal Needs on Law Day

Law Day is a yearly celebration honoring a fundamental part of our democracy: the rule of law and access to justice. This year’s theme, “Voices of Democracy,” resonates deeply as we strive to amplify the voices of all individuals navigating our legal system, especially the voices of low-income people, like our clients. In Wisconsin, the state’s two largest civil legal aid organizations, Judicare Legal Aid and Legal Action of Wisconsin, stand at the forefront, championing the rights of the underserved and marginalized by providing free civil legal aid to low-income people across Wisconsin.

Pooling our efforts, we conducted a comprehensive needs assessment, providing a data-driven look at the legal needs of low-income Wisconsinites. Today, on Law Day, we delve into the assessment to shed light on the challenges and barriers faced by those seeking justice in our state.

Poverty in Wisconsin

The needs of people in poverty are often overlooked, even though the statistics show a distressing amount of poverty exists across Wisconsin. The assessment takes a close look at the numbers. In the Judicare service area, the median county values paint a sobering picture:

• 13.2% of children live in poverty, and 8% of individuals aged 60 years or older find themselves in similar circumstances.
• 9.8% of households struggle with severe housing cost burdens.

Similarly, in the Legal Action of Wisconsin service area:

• The median county values show that 9.9% of children and 7.4% of seniors fall below the poverty line.
• 9.8% of households are experiencing severe housing cost burdens.

Zooming in on county-level data, certain regions stand out, bearing disproportionate levels of poverty. Menominee County, for instance, reports the highest poverty rate in the state at 28.3% while also having the lowest population. This is not to say that the county with the highest population, Milwaukee County, fares better with their poverty rate. Milwaukee County has the highest poverty rates across all indicators. While the counties nearest to it (Waukesha, Washington, and Ozaukee) have some of the lowest rates. Zooming out, the poverty map, particularly in the northwestern region, shows several counties, like Sawyer and Ashland, prominently display higher poverty rates.

When looking at how race intersects with poverty in Wisconsin, you can quickly see patterns arise. The biggest being that white populations consistently report lower rates of poverty compared to their non-white counterparts. In Legal Action of Wisconsin’s service area, the rate of poverty among Black/African American populations is over 3 times greater than the rate among white populations. Whereas, in Judicare’s service area the rate of poverty for Native American Wisconsinites is over 3 times higher.

Barriers to Legal Help

In listening to the voices of low-income people, the assessment uncovered significant barriers, beyond just income, that hinder access to legal services in Wisconsin. Among these, language proficiency, rural residency, and limited broadband access emerged as dominant barriers. It is crucial to note: in civil cases, there’s no automatic right to legal representation, leaving individuals vulnerable in matters as critical as housing, healthcare, and family welfare. Many clients facing insurmountable barriers and must try to address their legal problems alone.

By acknowledging and addressing these barriers, we can take meaningful steps towards ensuring equitable access to justice for all Wisconsinites, regardless of their circumstances or geographic location. However, despite our efforts, the stark reality remains: the demand for civil legal aid far exceeds our capacity to provide it. In 2020, the Legal Services Corporation found that 775,480 eligible people went unserved in Wisconsin. Civil legal aid is chronically underfunded, keeping equal access to justice perpetually out of reach for Wisconsin’s most vulnerable.

Every Voice Matters

As we commemorate Law Day, we reflect on the inseparable ties between democracy, the rule of law, and access to justice. The theme of “Voices of Democracy” serves as a poignant reminder that every voice matters, especially those often marginalized. Through our needs assessment, we affirm our commitment to listening to and uplifting the voices of low-income individuals.

By addressing the legal needs of Wisconsin’s underserved communities, we uphold the principles of democracy and ensure that justice is not merely a privilege but a fundamental right for all. On this Law Day, let us recommit ourselves to amplifying these voices, forging a path towards a more just and equitable society.

Join us in acknowledging and uplifting the voices of our client communities by reading and sharing our full needs assessment, which focuses on many other identified needs of our client communities, linked below.