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:

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

• Yerks v. Godiwalla, 24-cv-713-PP. The court is looking for a lawyer to represent an incarcerated individual who alleges that the defendants did not adequately treat his chronic pain conditions in violation of the Eighth Amendment. The lawyer would engage in discovery, respond to any dispositive motions, and participate in settlement proceedings and/or trial. Please see Judge Pepper’s screening order for more information. (Recruiting since May 2026)

Trial

• Shaw v. Onjukka, 25-cv-159-BHL. The plaintiff is proceeding on an Eighth Amendment claim based on allegations that he received constitutionally inadequate dental care. The court is requesting a volunteer attorney to assist the plaintiff with presenting his case by responding to the defendant’s pretrial report and motions in limine prior to trial, and then at trial, conducting direct- and cross-examination of witnesses, participating in a verdict and jury instruction conference, and giving an opening statement and closing argument. The trial will be scheduled to suit the parties' schedules.  This recruitment offers an opportunity to improve counsel’s trial skills while at the same time providing an important service to the parties and the court. (Recruiting since May 2026)