Legal Assistance

In cooperation with the Dane County Bar Association and the UW Law School, the Dane County Circuit Court offers these legal assistance programs for the public at the Courthouse. These programs do not offer legal advice, and some have schedules that change periodically. To double check that the schedule you are viewing is current, contact the Dane County Legal Resource Center (DCLRC) at (608) 266-6316.

Legal Assistance Program Schedule: Spring 2010

Family Law Assistance Center
Meets Wednesdays 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM in Room L1000.

Program offers: Assistance with forms and procedures related to family court; referrals to community resources; no legal advice
Staff: Volunteer attorneys, paralegals and law students; Spanish-speaking volunteers are available the first and third Wednesdays. Schedule available on Dane County Bar Association Web site.

Family Court Assistance Project (FCAP)
Available specific days and times in Room L1000 when the law school is in session. Contact the DCLRC at (608) 266-6316 for current days and hours of availability. Contact FCAP at (608) 262-2301 for more information or to make an appointment.

Program offers: FCAP is a University of Wisconsin Law School program where law students help self-represented family law litigants with forms, information on court procedures and educational materials, including divorce workshops and obtaining Temporary Restraining Orders.

FCAP now periodically offers a divorce workshop that includes an overview of the divorce procedure in Wisconsin, forms, and a question and answer session. Contact FCAP or the DCLRC to inquire about when the next workshop is scheduled. PLEASE NOTE: if the workshop is offered during FCAP's scheduled drop-in hours, the divorce workshop will be instead of the clinic hours.

Staff: Law School students, supervised by a clinical law professor. The students will supply no legal advice or advocacy. Contact FCAP at (608) 262-2301.

You can find more resources and community agencies that offer legal assistance by visiting the Dane County Legal Resource Center's web page or calling (608) 266-6316.

Small Claims Assistance Program
Meets Tuesdays 9:00 to 11:00 AM in Room L1000 or L1007.

Program Offers: Assistance with forms and procedures related to small claims court; referrals to community resources; no legal advice
Staff: Volunteer attorneys or paralegals; Spanish-speaking volunteers are available the third Tuesday of each month. Here is a list of the dates Spanish-speaking volunteers will be here for 2009. ***Please note, SCAP meets every Tuesday morning, but Spanish-speaking volunteers are only available on the following dates:

January 20
February 17
March 17
April 21
May 19
June 16
July 21
August 18
September 15
October 20
November 17
December 15

Restraining Order Clinic
Available specific days and times in Room 1001 (next to Probate) in the Courthouse. Contact the Dane County Legal Resource Center, (608) 266-6316, for current days and hours of availability.

Program offers: The Restraining Order Clinic is a University of Wisconsin Law School program where law students guide litigants in completing restraining order petitions as well as answer questions about the restraining order process.

Staff: Law School students, supervised by a clinical law professor. The students will supply no legal advice or advocacy.