Apply for M-LINC 2008 Clinic

Upcoming Educational Opportunities

Introduction

The Milwaukee Legal Initiative for Nonprofit Corporations [M-LINC] addresses the lack of a systematic program to serve the legal needs of nonprofit corporations in the Milwaukee area.  As the nonprofit sector has grown and matured, a number of new support systems have developed to assist nonprofit organizations [NPOs] in Milwaukee.  Through survey techniques, focus groups, and individual interviews, both NPOs and the legal community expressed a significant interest in the provision of legal services tailored to NPOs.  In particular, the participants expressed an interest in general legal education sessions and the provision of free or low-cost legal assistance in certain substantive areas of the law.  These findings paralleled similar results in other states such as Minnesota and New York that already have established specialty legal services programs for NPOs.  The American Bar Association’s own study concluded that “too many community organizations put themselves at unnecessary financial and corporate risk by failing to consult with an attorney . . . . Legal assistance is often necessary to correct a problem that could have been avoided had the organization consulted a lawyer sooner.”  The Milwaukee Legal Initiative for Nonprofit Corporations was made possible through a generous grant from the Helen Bader Foundation.

M-LINC Goals  

The Milwaukee Legal Initiative for Nonprofit Corporations [M-LINC] seeks to serve the legal needs of Milwaukee’s nonprofit community through a three-tiered service delivery model.  The principal goals of this initiative are to:

1. increase awareness of the value of legal advice among area nonprofit organizations;
2. reduce access barriers to high-quality legal services for NPOs that cannot afford such services in the ordinary course of business; and
3. instill in graduate and professional students a desire to serve their community through NPOs.  In order to accomplish these objectives, Marquette University Law School [MULS] will staff and coordinate a legal referral and assistance program for NPOs.

Target client group

M-LINC will serve not-for-profit corporations that demonstrate an inability to pay for full cost legal services.  An advisory group will determine the scope of nonprofit organizations to be served, however, the project is primarily targeted at 501(c)(3) entities who themselves serve low-income or disadvantaged communities in the greater Milwaukee area.  NPOs from throughout Wisconsin may be served through an information and referral warm-line and pro bono panel.

 Issue(s) to be addressed through the provision of legal services

In order to meet the needs identified by NPOs, M-LINC will provide general legal awareness sessions for NPOs, and free or substantially reduced legal services in the areas of corporate, employment, real estate, intellectual property, and regulatory compliance. 

Legal Services Provided

Tier 1:   Information and Referral

As the basic level of service, Attorney and M-LINC Director Karin Werner along with law students will staff an NPO legal warm-line, which will answer inquiries and provide appropriate referrals.  If a non-legal matter is at issue, or if further education is necessary before legal assistance can be effective, M‑LINC will refer the NPO to one of the existing nonprofit service providers such as the Helen Bader Institute for Non Profit Management at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee [HBI] or the Nonprofit Center of Greater Milwaukee.  In order to encourage NPOs to seek appropriate legal help, M-LINC will sponsor quarterly training sessions throughout the Milwaukee area devoted to the general nature of legal issues facing NPOs.  These sessions will be co-sponsored by the Nonprofit Management Fund and will be targeted to small-to-medium size NPOs.  Additionally, MULS will develop an annual continuing legal education class [CLE] co-sponsored by the Milwaukee Bar Association. The CLE will provide valuable information to the legal community regarding the specialized legal needs of NPOs, as well as legal developments in the field over the past year.  As an incentive, attorneys who take an active referral from the NPO pro-bono panel during the following year (see tier 2) will be eligible for fee reimbursement.  Finally, a specialized course on nonprofit law will be offered at the Law School.  Students who participate in this course will be better prepared to assist with the NPO clinic and will learn skills useful to serve nonprofits during their future careers.

Tier 2:   Limited Legal Services

M-LINC will develop a regular schedule of free legal consultation sessions for NPOs based upon organizational size and need.  These sessions will be held at least monthly at a central location accessible to NPOs such as the Nonprofit Center of Greater Milwaukee.  The sessions will be staffed by volunteer attorneys and will be designed to provide brief legal advice and services consistent with the new rules of attorney professional responsibility.  For discrete legal issues, M-LINC will develop a pro-bono panel of attorneys dedicated to providing free or reduced cost legal services to NPOs in particular areas of the law.  NPO’s from throughout Wisconsin will have access to the legal warm line and will be provided referrals to attorneys identified through the State Bar of Wisconsin Business Section’s nonprofit program as they are available.  M-LINC’s Director will facilitate the match between the NPO seeking assistance and an appropriate pro-bono panel attorney.

Tier 3:   Multidisciplinary NPO Clinic

For a select group of NPOs, M-LINC will provide a more comprehensive service including a strategic organization analysis and response.  NPOs that confront a legal issue necessitating a multi-disciplinary or strategic response will be eligible to apply for this advanced service.  If selected for participation, the NPO’s designated executive staff and board delegate will meet regularly with an interdisciplinary team of faculty, students, and community advisors to address the legal, financial, governance, and public relations aspects of the issue presented.  The team will be assembled by the M-LINC Director with the contribution of faculty, students or others from, as needed and desired, entities such as: Marquette’s Law School, College of Business Administration, College of Communications, the Helen Bader Institute, the Leadership Center at Cardinal Stritch University, Marquette University Advancement Office, and Marquette’s College of Professional Studies. 

Contact us for more information

If you represent a nonprofit organization seeking legal assistance, please complete the on-line request form.

If you would like to call the M-LINC warm line, please call (414) 288-6631 (Milwaukee area), or (888) 530-5462 (toll-free Wisconsin).

View a PowerPoint presentation about M-LINC.

For more information on the Director of M-LINC, click here.

To review the terms of engagement for an M-LINC referral, click here.

Thank you for visiting the M-LINC web-site. We look forward to serving you!