LIFT Wisconsin offers the Legal Tune Up tool to improve access to justice and is working to put libraries at the center of this work through its LIFT Library Initiative.
Wisconsin libraries are a perfect institution to partner up and bring the tool to the people of Wisconsin. Libraries serve an important role in our communities, especially in rural areas where they are a gathering place, an anchor institution for the community, a place to host programming and gatherings, learn, find resources, and access broadband and technology. Ultimately people come to libraries because they are safe, free, and open institutions local to communities. Moreover, librarians have the expertise and experience to find important information.
LIFT Wisconsin is working to partner with libraries and library systems across the state to introduce our revolutionary tool, Legal Tune Up, a mobile-first web-based application. It uses publicly available data (driver’s license, criminal, eviction, court, and child support records) to help people identify and address legal needs. This tool answers the initial question many patrons are looking for – where to find free legal help in Wisconsin. This is an important first step to identifying where and how they might be able to receive legal aid or legal advice. With over 750,000 Wisconsinites facing a civil legal issue, having the resources and tools to find the right support is critical to resolving their problem. Legal aid partnerships with libraries to increase access to justice in the civil legal system exist in other states around the county, but unfortunately, not yet in Wisconsin.
That’s where we come in. We’re developing a training and programming offering to library professionals and community members at libraries on the Legal Tune Up pro-se tool as well as on the other myriad of resources available to individuals across the state in search of legal advice either online or in person.
LIFT is very excited to be sharing its tools and resources, improving access to justice, and doing so in partnership with trusted and reliable institutions like libraries.
Thanks to grant funding from Schlecht Family Foundation we are able to bring these trainings to your community without a financial burden to libraries. Please reach out if you have questions or are interested in scheduling a training session at your library.
Jaime Healy-Plotkin, Program Coordinator for LIFT Wisconsin at healyplotkin@gmail.com
Erica Nelson, Executive Director LIFT Wisconsin at erica@liftwisconsin.org