Elevating People. Expanding Justice.

As I reflect on 2025, I am filled with gratitude for the incredible progress we’ve made together toward our vision: transforming and reforming legal systems, increasing personal agency, democratizing data, and dismantling legal barriers.

LIFT Wisconsin’s past year is best characterized as one of expansion. We presented at two national legal conferences and received great feedback and interest. We introduced LIFT and the Legal Tune Up tool to nearly 900 individuals across the state through presentations and webinars. We launched our Legal Navigators program and have trained over 15 navigators, and more folks are signing up. Our expansion included reaching out to 50 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties. Over 200 individuals were served directly with an action plan to recover their driver’s license and improve family economic stability through clinics and online inquiries. We continue to reach thousands of Wisconsinites through a robust social media presence, new partnerships with community-based organizations, and are actively pursuing partners in rural areas to address the rural access to justice crisis.

Due to the uncertain federal landscape around funding for legal aid, the strain on our economy, and the rise of AI use (especially by those who seek to represent themselves in court), we anticipate that the need for LIFT and its services will dramatically increase over the next few years. We are committed to meeting that challenge. We know that when people cannot equitably access the legal system, civic engagement erodes and democracy fails. We believe our work to bridge the access to justice crisis for Wisconsinites is crucial to addressing poverty and increasing faith in the system, but we can only do it in continued partnership with other legal service organizations, community-based organizations, and donors.

Thank you for making 2025 a year of expansion!

Erica Nelson
Executive Director

OUR MODEL

2025 PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

WELCOMING A COMMUNITY JUSTICE WORKER TO THE TEAM

In October, with the generous support of Ascendium, we participated in a statewide Community Justice Worker program that increases the capacity of and services provided by legal service organizations by training non-lawyers (aka community justice workers), on specific areas of the law, such as drivers license reinstatement or housing issues. This added staff capacity has resulted in significantly more individuals getting the answers and support they need.

POLICY ADVOCACY: CONSUMER DEBT

In 2025, LIFT Wisconsin engaged in critical policy work addressing consumer debt default rates by documenting the variations across 72 different counties in answering small claims cases. This work highlighted the level of complexity and lack of uniformity across the state, creating even greater challenges for those trying to go it alone.

LAUNCH OF THE LEGAL NAVIGATORS PROGRAM

This year, with the help of justice advocate Louise Trubeck, we proudly launched our Legal Navigators program. Legal Navigators trains volunteer individuals on each module of the Legal Tune Up Tool (our free, online tool that helps Wisconsinites overcome common civil legal barriers). By empowering individuals to navigate through the Legal Tune Up Tool, we reduce the burden on overworked civil legal aid attorneys, help unclog our court system, and increase civic engagement. This program is especially critical given that 75% of attorneys in Wisconsin live in three main metropolitan counties (Milwaukee, Dane, and Waukesha), leaving rural communities severely underserved.

LIFT LIBRARY INITIATIVE

Thanks to support from the ABE Foundation, we expanded access to justice through our LIFT Library
Initiative, bringing legal resources and information directly into community libraries across Wisconsin. This initiative ensures that individuals seeking legal help can access materials, guidance, and referrals in trusted, accessible community spaces—particularly important for those who may not know where to turn or feel intimidated by traditional legal settings.

COST OF CONVICTION PARTNERSHIP

LIFT Wisconsin partnered with EXPO Wisconsin on the Cost of Conviction initiative, which addresses the myriad of fines, fees, and arrears that formerly incarcerated individuals face—barriers that leave them owing money long before they have had the opportunity to earn it. We began by asking those with lived experience and involvement with the criminal justice system to take a survey so that we can identify, share, and educate policymakers, stakeholders, and the public about many of the unseen costs that inevitably add burden to those already at a disadvantage, navigating their basic needs and achieving economic stability. In 2026, we’ll be using those survey results to advocate for policy changes and educate Wisconsinites on the financial and civil legal obstacles facing those formerly incarcerated. Our goal is to increase understanding around this issue, and then together, we can work to remove these barriers, increasing the likelihood that criminal justice involvement doesn’t define someone for decades to come.

LOOKING AHEAD:

In 2026, thanks to our partnership with the Center for Patient Partnerships at UW-Madison, we’ll be launching a new module on the Legal Tune Up tool that allows anyone in Wisconsin to create, for free, a Power of Attorney for healthcare through a guided step-by-step process. Our goal is to increase the number of people who are better prepared in the event of a health emergency – saving them stress and court involvement.

Power of Attorney for Health Care Is Coming Soon!

We will also share the results of the UW Institute on Poverty’s evaluation of LIFT and the Legal Tune Up Tool, continue to advocate for a more efficient and transparent court system that better serves low-income and self-represented individuals, and bring attention to the need for more investment in civil legal aid. And we will continue our work to expand the legal navigators program, deepen library partnerships, increase our clinic presence in Milwaukee and continue to work closely with community-based partner organizations to mitigate the harm that comes as a consequence of unresolved civil legal issues.

WHO WE SERVED IN 2025

THROUGH THE LEGAL TUNE UP TOOL

LIFT Wisconsin partners with Legal Action of Wisconsin to provide services at a variety of clinics, assisting in legal issues like driver’s licenses, evictions, and more.

OUR INVITATION

We are in a strong position to build upon our momentum. We invite you to invest in us and get involved in our very important work. We are now actively seeking sponsors, collaborators, and partners to help us expand our reach and advance our cause across the state of Wisconsin. Please contact us to learn more.

We hope you join us.

IN THE NEWS

CONFERENCES & WEBINARS

In 2025, LIFT gave over 60 presentations. We presented to Wisconsinites and folks all over the country! Here are our highlights for the year: