Introduction to Centro Legal Milwaukee
Centro Legal Milwaukee’s mission is to ensure that immigrants and low-income persons have access to high quality legal services, with zealous advocacy, in a caring environment. Founded in 1987, Centro Legal is one of Wisconsin’s oldest and largest non-profit legal aid clinics. Centro Legal is the premier nonprofit organization addressing the legal concerns of Milwaukee’s Latino community. It serves individuals regardless of race, color, creed , sex, religion, age, national origin, or any other protected basis. We focus on legal issues that impact poverty, including immigration, housing, family law, bankruptcy, consumer and debt, benefits, employment, and more. In addition, we strive to serve as a catalyst for systemic change, using policy analysis, public education and legislative advocacy to reform the laws and practices that undermine economic security and diminish access to justice.
Main Legal Services Provided
Centro Legal Milwaukee offers a comprehensive array of legal services designed to address the most pressing needs, challenges, and concerns faced by our clients. Our team of qualified and dedicated staff provide invaluable assistance in a wide range of areas. Family law services include representation in custody and divorce cases, as well as child support, guardianship, and domestic abuse matters. We also help clients navigate the juvenile court system.
Our immigration practice focuses primarily on assisting clients who are victims of crime, whether that involves services for children, survivors of domestic abuse, or other criminal matters, such as sexual assault and trafficking. Under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), we can protect an abused spouse or child by securing their residency status while simultaneously providing domestic abuse representation.
Centro Legal Milwaukee also has a criminal defense practice groups that assists clients who have been charged with misdemeanors or felonies. Individuals who have been charged with misdemeanors such as drug possession may be able to enter into a deferred prosecution agreement, where their case is stayed, and the individual undergoes either AODA or mental health counseling. If they complete treatment, Centro Legal Milwaukee will move that the charges be dismissed.
Our pro bono program, as well as our limited scope representation (LSR) project, provide opportunities for volunteer attorneys to assist clients with less complex legal matters. These include executive clemency and pardon eligibility work, through which LSR volunteers review a client’s criminal history to determine if they are eligible for a pardon and filing a petition for same, as well as preparation for a pardon hearing if needed. The pro-bono LSR program also includes U visa and T visa work, which is for victims of crimes who need legal assistance as they seek to become eligible for residence.
Centro Legal Milwaukee is committed to helping clients obtain the best possible outcome for their situation, including helping them receive a favorable verdict or sentence. We know experience, preparation, and compassion are important, but we also recognize that enforcing a judgment is often the most difficult part for many clients. No matter what legal action we take, we advocate for our clients to receive what they need in order to be able to move on successfully.
Methods for Accessing Services
Law firms, clients, family and community all rely on Centro Legal Milwaukee to help when families in need of legal assistance come into their offices. But some may not be familiar with the process for accessing their services.
For criminal and family law matters, Centro Legal offers an initial 30-minute consultation. The majority of legal services, however, are based on an hourly retainer fee system with credits for no-shows. There are no income restrictions for veterans seeking pro bono services. Many issues handled by Centro Legal, though—particularly those regarding immigration and naturalization—are limited to individuals and families who meet strict income guidelines set by the Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee. Applicants whose income falls between 125 and 200 percent of federal poverty levels may be eligible for a reduced hourly rate. Centro Legal Milwaukee does request a $50 document fee for all full representation cases, and the fee will be returned at the end of the case assuming an appearance is made or the case closes. Non-criminal appearance bank deposit fees and any other third party fees (bank fees, document copies, etc.) are the client’s responsibility. At Centro Legal, the attorney assigned to your case is your primary contact. He or she will prepare you for the first court date, unless it is a criminal or family matter. Centro Legal Milwaukee holds Saturday clinics to assist clients for those cases, on a first-come, first-served basis, and clients are seen without an appointment. If day-of service is unavailable, the client will be referred to Centro Legal’s weekday service hours, which are 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Clients may also contact Centro’s legal assistants for additional questions about their cases. Centro Legal Milwaukee typically handles over 3,000 legal matters per year. Clients are seen on a walk-in basis in the Milwaukee office on Wednesdays at 9:00 am and 1:00 pm (Saturday Clinics are by appointment only). Applicants seeking pro bono services must bring a valid photo ID; proof of income (two recent pay stubs and a government-issued verification letter of public assistance); and a document fee of $50. Centro Legal Milwaukee is located at 1110 N. Old World Third Street, Suite 300.
Client Success Stories and Reviews
Over the past decade, Centro Legal Milwaukee has forged a platform for success through a combination of innovative services and a commitment to community engagement. Here are some stand-out success stories and testimonials from clients who have benefited from their assistance.
In Mariangela Dos Santos’ case, Centro Legal assisted her in navigating the complex world of immigration law to obtain LPR status for herself and her four children. For Mariangela, obtaining this status meant securing a better future for her family. "Centro Legal Milwaukee was essential in my success and I will always be thankful," Mariangela said.
Centro Legal Milwaukee also assisted Mariana Gutierrez and Santiago Rodriguez with their successful case that involved applying for an U Visa and applying for hardship waivers for their U.S. citizen children. As the Executive Director of Centro Legal Milwaukee, Gilda Velez said, "We were thrilled to be able to assist Ms. Gutierrez and Ms. Rodriguez in their case. The testimony that they gave was very strong and it resulted in a successful outcome."
Ilse & Andy Pérez sought Centro Legal’s services when their daughter was born with a congenital heart defect and required expensive medical care. Centro Legal Milwaukee helped the couple navigate the complicated process needed to obtain the appropriate medical treatment for her. Andy said, "Having Centro Legal help us through this process made a significant difference for our family."
At Centro Legal Milwaukee, success is not just an individual story. It is measured by commitment to serve the community through pro bono and high-quality legal services. "Centro Legal helped countless people in 2014 in need of legal guidance," Executive Director Gilda Velez said. "Working with members of our pro bono panel is an invaluable service for our staff and our clients."
For more information or to assist in helping Centro Legal Milwaukee continue to provide crucial legal services, visit centrolegalmke.org.
Educational Outreach and Community Engagement
Centro Legal Milwaukee conducts a wide variety of community programs and educational workshops. These outreach efforts are critical to raising awareness that people have legal rights and removing the fear of seeking those rights. Centro Legal Milwaukee collaborates with non-profit organizations, community-based organizations, and governmental agencies to create customized workshops that help educate immigrants and low-income residents about their legal rights. Workshops are presented in nine different languages in the areas of immigration , family law, administrative and employment law, housing, and community resources in more than eight venues throughout the year. Past locations have included Milwaukee Public Library branches, Milwaukee Public Schools, and many community and civic organizations around Milwaukee. The Police Civic Academy, which is co-presented with the Milwaukee Police Department, is another great example of this type of program. Through these programs, Centro Legal Milwaukee assisted nearly 37,000 residents last year.
Collaborations and Partnerships
The power of partnerships and collaborations is not lost on Centro Legal Milwaukee. With limited resources, they understood early on that for the organization to thrive in its mission of improving the lives of low income residents through full and equal access to legal services, the organization needs to tap into resources, expertise and audience that otherwise would be closed to it.
In addition to Centro Legal Milwaukee’s own community presence, it has developed relationships with area organizations that hold name recognition and large networks. Towards the end of 2015, Centro Legal Milwaukee began a Collaboration Project with the Medical College of Wisconsin – Healthier Wisconsin Partnership Program (HWPP).
Centro Legal Milwaukee and HWPP are collaborating with family medicine residents to conduct legal health needs assessments in Milwaukee. Working in partnership with Asking the Right Questions, Inc., Centro Legal Milwaukee staff train family medicine residents about poverty’s impact on health and legal need. Residents are then place at area medical clinics which serve low-income patients. At the clinics, residents conduct the surveys and refer patients to Centro Legal Milwaukee for legal help.
The partnership has received positive feedback from those who have taken part in the project. "The residents feel they’re gain a better understanding of how health and legal problems affect their patients, and many clinic patients feel empowered because they’ve been heard by someone who understands their situation." By developing and supporting this process, Centro Legal Milwaukee continues their patient to collaborate with Milwaukee healthcare professionals in ways that improve health through addressing legal issues.
Future Plans and Objectives
Centro Legal Milwaukee recently announced the formation of Centro Legal Milwaukee Fundación, a Latino non-profit that will provide financial support to the Centro Legal Milwaukee (CLM) pro bono programs, Low Income Taxpayer Clinic services (LITC), and the Centro Legal Equity Fund (CLEF). It will focus on addressing financial healthcare issues that disenfranchised communities face when trying to enroll in health plans through the Federally-run Health Insurance Marketplace.
The goals of CLM and Fundación are to provide community education and outreach to obtain quality , affordable health care coverage and enrollment in digital tools that foster financial independence and stability. CLM does not want individuals to be deterred from seeking necessary health care due to fear of seeking legal advice from an agency that might be working with the federal government to address improper federal actions. CLM will continue to work with applicants through its immigration and housing projects and by adding additional immigration services that focus on immigrants with children. CLM will also expand its involvement in advocating for the rights of promising young adults that were brought to this country as children and are now considered Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients. The expansion of CLM’s immigration work will enable the organization to serve more individuals, reach out to other community stakeholders providing similar services, and engage students from Marquette University Law School.