First-year Marquette Law student Kelly Swope spent this past summer as a volunteer for the Mobile Legal Clinic. Working under attorney supervision, she saw firsthand how to navigate various civil legal matters all while developing her interpersonal skills.
“My experience with the Mobile Legal Clinic opened my eyes to the value of pro bono legal work. I didn’t realize the gravity of the impact the volunteers were having,” Swope says. “Seeing the community recognize how these legal resources can improve their lives shows how vital the clinic is in providing access to essential legal aid.”
The Marquette Law School, the Milwaukee Justice Center and the Milwaukee Bar Association expanded their existing partnership in 2013 to create the Mobile Legal Clinic. The clinic’s volunteers visit over a dozen public spaces throughout the Milwaukee area each year, providing brief legal advice on civil legal matters and appointment-based estate planning services.
Angela Schultz, assistant dean for public service at Marquette Law School, oversees the Marquette Volunteer Legal Clinics. She says, in the past year, 73 student volunteers and 53 attorney volunteers were involved with the Mobile Legal Clinic.
“Because there is not a right to free counsel for low-income people with civil legal issues, our pro bono work focuses on providing civil legal aid,” Schultz says. “Wisconsinites’ need for free and low-cost civil legal help far outweighs the available resources. The Marquette Volunteer Legal Clinics are just one of the mechanisms in place to fill that enormous justice gap.”
The clinic’s numbers are impressive. So far in 2024, the clinic has served over 670 people from underserved communities. This number is just shy of the 679 people served in 2023. The Mobile Legal Clinic serves about 11% of the total number of clients served by the Marquette Volunteer Legal Clinics annually.
Marisa Cuellar Zane, clinic supervisor of the Mobile Legal Clinic and a Marquette lawyer, works with Public Allies to help identify sites interested in hosting the volunteer clinic.
“We built an especially strong relationship with the Milwaukee Public Libraries and have clinics at seven libraries around the city,” Zane says. “Many people may not be able to get downtown easily where most legal aid help exists, but some may be able to get to their nearest library where they can get legal advice at spaces where they already seek services.”
While all legal work is kept confidential, anonymous testimonials share insight into how community members feel after receiving the legal advice from the clinic, accentuating the value of volunteer civil legal aid within the Milwaukee community.
“I find the Marquette Mobile Legal Clinic helps me to see issues with better understanding. It was comforting to me when I knew there was a support system,” says one client. “It helped me to deal with my matter with more confidence; I am grateful and appreciate the help I received.”
Good legal counsel should be accessible to all, Zane emphasizes.
“Understanding your legal issue shouldn’t be based on your ability to pay for a lawyer; that help is the minimum we can offer,” Zane says. “Hopefully we can offer more, like helping people complete forms, prepare for court and positively resolve their legal issues in greater capacities.”
