Neighborhood Law Clinic is a community-focused legal services provider operating as part of the University of Wisconsin Law School’s Economic Justice Institute. For over 30 years, the clinic has delivered essential legal assistance with a primary focus on rental housing and employment law, offering free services to clients while providing law students with hands-on experience in public interest lawyering.
The clinic operates through a unique educational model where supervised law students handle individual cases and engage in community education and advocacy. They serve low-income individuals and tenants facing housing instability or workplace injustices, emphasizing both traditional litigation skills and community-based lawyering approaches such as public speaking and participation in social justice campaigns.
Services Offered
- Rental housing legal representation (eviction defense, illegal eviction, security deposit disputes, housing rights violations)
- Workers’ rights assistance (wage claims, unpaid overtime, minimum wage violations)
- Employment discrimination complaints
- Housing discrimination claims
- Legal information and referrals
- Community education on rental housing law
- Assistance with Section 8 voucher termination issues
- Advocacy for tenants with unresolved maintenance or repair issues
- Negotiation and litigation representation
- Intake consultations and legal advice
Services are provided in both English and Spanish, with the clinic operating from its community-based office in Madison’s South Side. The Neighborhood Law Clinic does not handle family law, criminal matters, worker’s compensation, traffic tickets, bankruptcy, immigration, or personal injury cases but offers referrals for these issues.
