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The Milwaukee Justice Center Launches Legal Self-Help Website
Milwaukee, WI -The Milwaukee Justice Center (MJC), a project that helps low income self-represented litigants with court forms, announced the release of its user-friendly website, http://www.milwaukeejusticecenter.com today. Since 2009, The MJC has offered free self-help civil legal services to those unable to afford an attorney. With the launch of this website, many of those services are now available online, expanding access to information and forms needed to navigate the civil legal process.
“By centralizing this information online, county residents who are unable to come to the MJC during operational hours will still be able to access the vital information, forms, and step-by-step checklists from a home computer or a local library,” said John Barrett, Milwaukee County Clerk of Circuit Court. “Every year, thousands of people receive help at the Milwaukee Justice Center and now, with this website, we are able to expand this essential service beyond the walls of the courthouse.”
Currently, http://www.milwaukeejusticecenter.com offers self-represented litigants information about Divorce, Child Support, Custody, Small Claims, Foreclosure, Landlord-Tenant Issues, Chapter 128, and Name Change. The MJC hopes to expand this list in the near future. Those who visit the site will also find information about the services, hours, location, and links to community and legal resources. The site also contains general information about the MJC, copies of annual reports, testimonials, and volunteer opportunities.
Dawn Caldart, Administrative Director of the MJC, said “this website is key in trying to provide greater access to justice in Milwaukee County. While the desire is for everyone to have attorney representation, for those who have no choice but to go it alone, the Milwaukee Justice Center is here to assist them, and the website is an important part of that.”
The Milwaukee Justice Center (MJC) is a public-private partnership between the Milwaukee Bar Association, Milwaukee County, and Marquette University Law School created to assist self-represented litigants and others seeking legal assistance. The underlying philosophy of the project is that self-represented litigants have a fundamental right to access the justice system even if they cannot afford an attorney or do not qualify for legal aid. The MJC is a volunteer based project that addresses the unmet legal needs of Milwaukee County’s low-income self-represented litigants by providing services such as self-help desks, brief legal advice clinics, and other legal resources.
