Wisconsin SCR 31.05(7) states that an attorney may claim one CLE credit for every five hours of pro bono work, up to six credits per reporting period. The Eastern District of Wisconsin has pro bono opportunities available in a number of areas, including prisoner and non-prisoner civil rights cases, Title VII cases, and other discrimination cases. The court also recruits attorneys for the limited purpose of representing civil pro se litigants in mediations, as well as other limited-scope representations. For more information on a case, please contact the court's pro se staff attorneys at ProSeStaffAttorneys@wied.uscourts.gov.

The court is currently looking for pro bono volunteers for the following cases:

Discovery, Draft/Respond to Dispositive Motions, and Pursue Settlement:

• Mursal v. Ratchman, 19-cv-1367-LA-WED. Section 1983 claim. The court is looking for a lawyer to represent a prisoner plaintiff who speaks limited English. Plaintiff alleges a prison nurse failed to send him to the emergency room for a self-inflicted wound in violation of his constitutional rights. The lawyer would represent the plaintiff in conducting discovery and responding to a motion for summary judgment.
• Staten v. Zimmer, et al., 19-cv-1836-WED. Section 1983 claim. The court is looking for a lawyer to represent a prisoner plaintiff who alleges that prison staff violated his constitutional rights by failing to protect him from self-harm, providing inadequate medical care, and retaliating against him for filing inmate complaints. The lawyer would represent the plaintiff in conducting discovery and responding to a motion for summary judgment. 
• Healy v. Cook, 20-cv-587-WCG. Section 1983 claim. The court invites interested counsel to consider representing this prisoner plaintiff. Plaintiff alleges he was coerced into a sexual relationship by a female guard while housed at the Oshkosh Correctional Institution. Counsel is advised that defendant is no longer employed at the Oshkosh Correctional Institution and is not represented by the Attorney General. The discovery deadline in this case is January 14, 2021. Dispositive motions are due February 15, 2021. Scheduling, of course, can be adjusted if necessary to accommodate counsel’s schedule.

 Trial:  

• Dominguez-Torres v. Dittmann, et al., 18-cv-1322-BHL. Section 1983 claim. The court is looking for a lawyer to represent a prisoner who alleges that a registered nurse at Dodge Correctional Institution was deliberately indifferent to his serious medical needs. Two defendants were dismissed at summary judgment, but one claim survived against the remaining defendant. Please see Judge Duffin's report and recommendation. Discovery has closed and will not reopen. The lawyer would represent the plaintiff at trial.
• Clark v. Winters, 18-cv-809-JPS. Section 1983 claim. The court is looking for a lawyer to represent a prisoner who alleges that defendants were deliberately indifferent when he was denied prescribed psychotropic medication while on suicide observation. The plaintiff's claim survived summary judgment. Please see Judge Stadtmueller's summary judgment decision. The lawyer would represent the plaintiff at a two- to three-day trial. Mediation is possible upon agreement of the parties.
• Evans v. Douglas, et al., 17-cv-1133-LA. Section 1983 claim. The court is looking for a lawyer to represent a prisoner who alleges that several correctional officers subjected him to inhumane conditions of confinement while he was a pretrial detainee at the Milwaukee County Jail in 2011. The plaintiff alleges that the defendants cut off the plaintiff’s clothes and left him on a restraint bed for four hours, and after removig him from the restraint bed left him naked and handcuffed in his cell without hygiene products or access to a shower. The court granted in part and denied in part the defendants' motion for summary judgment. Please see Judge Adelman's decision and order. The case is proceeding against a Deputy Inspector, a Deputy Sheriff Sergeant, a Lieutenant, and two Corrections Officers at the Jail. Discovery has closed and will not reopen. The lawyer would represent the plaintiff at trial or in possible settlement discussions or mediation.