Marquette Today

Campus News and Events

Submit news

Menu

  • Campus News
    • Top News for Students
    • Top News for Faculty & Staff
    • Magazines at Marquette
    • Campus Alerts
  • Archives
  • Submit news
    • Editorial Guidelines
    • Contacts
  • @MarquetteToday
  • Events Calendar
  • Topics
    • Community Engagement
    • Diversity
    • Innovation
    • Master Planning
    • Marquette Momentum
    • Research
    • Strategic Planning
  • June 27, 2022

Women and Men for and with Others: Franken lends legal expertise to help those facing eviction in Milwaukee

September 26, 2019

By Shelby Williamson, senior communication specialist in the Office of Marketing and Communication

“Women and Men for and with Others” is a new feature story series about faculty and staff who are engaged in service off campus.


Once a month, Associate General Counsel Jessica Franken volunteers at the Eviction Defense Project, a court-based, free legal aid for low-income tenants facing eviction.

The opportunity to give back forever changed not only Franken’s life, but the lives of those in serious need of her help and legal expertise — and it all started with a book she read in 2016.

The book by Matthew Desmond, Eviction: Poverty and Profit in the American City, opened Franken’s eyes to the profound eviction problem affecting Milwaukee’s low-income residents.

Many people across Milwaukee County are being evicted, often wrongfully, Franken said. Even worse, they do not understand their rights, the process of eviction or how they go about resolving the situation — leaving them forced to make difficult, uniformed decisions that can have a devastating impact on their livelihood.

“People tend to have the impression that people get evicted simply because they’re poor,” Franken said. “But in reality, eviction is often what causes and perpetuates poverty. If a landlord sees eviction on your record, even if it has been dismissed, that can prevent you from being able to rent. And it’s very hard to maintain a job when you don’t have a place to live.”

At the time she began volunteering, Franken was a partner for Quarles & Brady law firm. She knew she wanted to do something to help those being evicted — who had neither the knowledge nor the means — navigate the court system. Turns out, her law firm was in the very beginning stages of working with Legal Action of Wisconsin and the Milwaukee Justice Center to create an avenue to ensure those facing eviction do not unjustly lose their housing. The initiative became the Eviction Defense Project, based in the Milwaukee County Courthouse.

Franken wasted no time — and began volunteering hers.

She has since continued to provide brief on-site legal advice pro bono for those facing eviction who qualify for the service.

Franken quickly works with defendants in eviction lawsuits and the landlords to come to an agreement, whether a payment plan, a more reasonable move-out timeline or to get the matter set for a hearing. All too often, she said, landlords file inaccurate lawsuits, claiming tenants owe more money than they actually do, and in some cases, landlords keep rental properties in terrible condition and will not address the problems.

In addition to getting eviction cases dismissed, Franken also works to get the files of tenants sealed as to not hinder their chances while looking for new housing.

Without the Eviction Defense Project, Franken said, many more people facing eviction would proceed without legal counsel, their cases likely resulting in a default judgment, which can leave them homeless with their belongings on the curb or held for payment in storage facilities.

“And these are individuals who are already on a very tight budget,” she said. “Maybe something happened — a health issue that prevents them working or an expensive car repair that puts them in the difficult position of choosing to feed their children or pay their rent.”

Franken’s job helping her clients begins and ends each day at the courthouse, but she knows it will have a lasting effect — that’s why she keeps coming back.

“I’m fortunate I work at Marquette where public service is important and valued,” she said. “Every day I volunteer, I know I made a difference in someone’s life. I can’t necessarily stop people facing eviction from having to find another place to live, but I can at least say I’ve been able to buy them enough time to get their things and find a place to take them and not having them just being thrown to the curb.”

Franken hopes to continue connecting with those in need through the Eviction Defense Project, as well as forwarding them to other resources like education on how to be a good tenant. She also wants to see landlords with a dark history of wrongful evictions be held accountable and put out of business.



Stories about faculty and staff who are engaged in service off campus.

Do you know a faculty or staff member who gives their time and talent to service outside the university community? We want to hear about it. Share your story idea with Marquette Today by emailing Abby Cole in the Office of Marketing and Communication.

Filed Under: For Faculty/Staff, News, Women and Men for Others

More news

Marquette to participate in Summerfest Tech event June 29

June 23, 2022

Institute for Women’s Leadership seeking applications for co-director positions

June 23, 2022

Celebrating 50 years of the Pell Grant — increasing accessibility and affordability in higher education

June 23, 2022

Join Mission and Ministry’s Ignatian Summer Art Series in July and August

June 23, 2022

Jessica Ogilvie named new director for the Center for Professional Selling

June 20, 2022

Engineering professor receives $4.2 million Department of Energy grant for methane-reduction technology

June 20, 2022

Photo gallery: Juneteenth Kickoff Celebration

June 20, 2022

Shattering the glass frog ceiling

June 20, 2022

More news

Quick Links

  • Faculty/Staff News
  • Student News
  • Magazines at Marquette
Submit news

Featured Stories

Shattering the glass frog ceiling

Shattering the glass frog ceiling

Teaching Instructor Rick Boyd is said to be only the second individual in the United States to successfully breed the granulosa glass frog in captivity.

Summer Studies empowers students to get ahead, explore interests

Summer Studies empowers students to get ahead, explore interests

Those interested in taking part in the second session of Summer Studies must register online by July 1.

Baby formula shortage presents challenges for families

Baby formula shortage presents challenges for families

Dr. Karen Robinson discusses the ongoing baby formula shortage, the difficulties many families are experiencing across the country and more.

Read more featured stories.

Safety

Safety Task Force approves 12 proposals for implementation

Plan for Commencement Weekend security measures

Last call: Safety Task Force idea submissions

Human Resources News

Walk this Way Step Challenge: My Wellness points and weekly giveaway available

Marquette University 2022 One-Time Employee Payment Information and FAQ

Stress Less Challenge: My Wellness points and weekly giveaway available

Research

Shattering the glass frog ceiling

Marquette faculty and staff grants from April 2022

Three faculty members earn prestigious Fulbright Scholar awards for international research

Awards & Accomplishments

Engineering professor receives $4.2 million Department of Energy grant for methane-reduction technology

Dr. Sandra Hunter named editor-in-chief of premier sports medicine journal

Dr. Kathy Rapala named director of nursing’s Telehealth Accelerator Grant

Marquette UniversityCopyright 2022 by Marquette University
MARQUETTE.EDU // CONTACTS // A TO Z