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:
Mediation
- Hess v. Etsinger, 24-cv-183-LA. The court is looking for a lawyer to represent a prisoner who alleges that defendant prison employees ignored his requests for emergency medical attention at Oshkosh Correctional Institution. Plaintiff alleges that he was evaluated by medical staff the next day and sent to the hospital for an emergency appendectomy. Please see Judge Adelman’s decision denying defendants’ motion for summary judgment for more information. The lawyer would represent the plaintiff at mediation before a magistrate judge. (Recruiting since October 2025)
- Hawkinson v. Trzebiatowski, 23-cv-634-PP. The court is looking for a lawyer to represent an incarcerated individual who alleges that the defendants denied or delayed treatment for his severe neck pain including not following a specialist’s recommendation for follow-up care. The lawyer would represent the plaintiff at mediation before a magistrate judge. Please see Judge Pepper’s summary judgment decision for more information. (Recruiting since October 2025)
Discovery, Draft/Respond to Dispositive Motions, and Pursue Settlement
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Moore v. Murphy, 24-cv-1344-SCD. The court is looking for a lawyer to assist a prisoner plaintiff by conducting discovery, drafting and/or responding to dispositive motions, and engaging in settlement discussions in connection with an Eighth Amendment claim based on allegations that the defendant doctor sexually assaulted the plaintiff during a medical examination. The plaintiff has significant physical limitations in connection with burn injuries that make it difficult for him to represent himself. (Recruiting since April 2025)
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Sampson v. Kuehn, 24-cv-867-LA. The court is looking for a lawyer to represent a prisoner who alleges that defendants did not treat his broken leg when he was confined at the Kenosha County Jail. The lawyer would identify the Doe defendants, engage in discovery, respond to any dispositive motions, and participate in settlement proceedings and/or trial. Please Judge Adelman’s screening order for more information. (Recruiting since October 2025)
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Cross v. Plaskey, 25-cv-455-WCG. The court is looking for a lawyer to represent a prisoner who alleges that defendants’ delay in assessment and treatment of his brain tumor caused the plaintiff to become permanently blind. The lawyer would identify the Doe defendants, respond to defendants’ pending motion for summary judgment on exhaustion grounds, engage in discovery, respond to any dispositive motions on the merits, and participate in settlement proceedings and/or trial. (Recruiting since December 2025)
Trial
None at this time.