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Pro Bono Opportunities for Attorneys

The Eastern District of Wisconsin has pro bono opportunities, primarily in prisoner civil rights cases. The court recruits attorneys for limited purposes, such as representing a civil pro se litigant in mediation, as well as for full representation. 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. Below are the cases that the court is currently recruiting for. 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:

Pleading/Early Litigation

  • Love v. Kuber, et al., 20-cv-1000-LA. The court is looking for a lawyer to assist a prisoner plaintiff in drafting an amended complaint and to represent him through all phases of the litigation. The plaintiff has two other cases pending in this court in which he is represented by counsel. Please see Judge Adelman’s screening order. The attorney would likely need to coordinate with the plaintiff's other attorney to avoid duplicating claims in this lawsuit.  

Mediation

  • Fanelli v. ProHealth Care, 18-CV-1903-LA. The pro se plaintiff in this case sues her former employer for alleged violations of the ADA. The court is looking for a lawyer to assist the pro se plaintiff in mediating this case. Mediation will be held over Zoom before Magistrate Judge Nancy Joseph.

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. 

 Trial:  

  • 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 removing 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.
  • McCaa v. Baumann, 20-cv-30-NJ. Section 1983 claim. The court is looking for a lawyer to represent a prisoner who alleges that the defendant failed to stop his suicide attempts. The court denied the defendant's motion for summary judgment. Please see Judge Joseph's decision and order. The lawyer would represent the plaintiff at trial or in potential mediation or settlement discussions.
  • Blank v. Poeschl, 19-cv-534-NJ. Section 1983 claim. The court is looking for a lwayer to represent a prisoner who alleges that the defendant violated his First Amendment rights when she issued a conduct report in retaliation for the plaintiff complaining about how she disciplined him for missing his library time. The court denied the defendant's motion for summary judgment. Please see Judge Joseph's decision and order. The lawyer would represent the plaintiff at trial or in potential mediation or settlement disussions.