Lost in the Law: Raising Awareness of Civil Legal Issues
If you are accused of a crime, you have the right to a lawyer whether you can afford one or not. But what happens when you are facing a civil issue?
Whether you are facing foreclosure, not receiving veterans benefits, or escaping domestic violence, if you cannot afford a lawyer you might be stuck trying to represent yourself unless you can access civil legal aid.
To raise awareness about the issues facing low-income civil litigants in Wisconsin — many of whom are unable to afford private representation and may not qualify for free civil legal aid, the Marquette University Law School and the Milwaukee Justice Center with support from Legal Action of Wisconsin and the New Leaders Council Wisconsin Chapter developed “Lost in the Law”. The role-playing game was designed to educate law students, lawyers, court officials, and other interested groups about the complex set of circumstances unrepresented people face.
The in-person simulation, which can be done in as few as 30 minutes, debuted at the Wisconsin Equal Justice Conference in March 2019, and later was presented to the United Way of Greater Milwaukee and Waukesha County and a group of volunteer lawyers and law students at Marquette.
The digital version will allow more people to experience the activity and a version developed for inclusion in learning management systems will allow instructors to incorporate the activity into their courses.
An in-person facilitated version of the game is available for local audiences of up to 50-people to play at once. If you are interested in requesting a facilitated session, contact MVLC.law@marquette.edu.
