Lawyers for Learners is an organization based in Madison, Wisconsin, that connects current and prospective college students with legal counsel. ¹ Lawyers for Learners does not offer legal counsel, but rather maintains a network of educational and legal partnerships with Wisconsin-based legal firms and higher education institutions to help students expunge criminal records and navigate various legal matters. ²

History

Lawyers for Learners was founded in 2019 as a project by its fiscal sponsor, Ascendium Educational Group, in partnership with Madison College and Milwaukee Area Technical College to expand access to legal services for lower-income students in Wisconsin. ³ Lawyers for Learners grew out of Ascendium’s Dash Emergency Grant program, which seeks to help Wisconsin students in financial crisis. ⁴ Since 2019, Lawyers for Learners has expanded its network to more than 30 educational institutions, including 18 Wisconsin universities, colleges, and technical schools, and 14 legal partners. ^{5 6}

Fiscal Sponsor

Ascendium Educational Group is the fiscal sponsor of Lawyers for Learners, and is a left-of-center nonprofit that expands educational and career opportunities to lower-income people after high school through educational grants, student loan repayment programs, and financial education campaigns. ⁷ Ascendium has two subsidiaries: Ascendium Education Solutions and Ascendium Philanthropy, which is an educational grantmaking fund that prioritizes left-of-center initiatives informed by left-wing critical race theory. ^{8 9}

Services

In addition to criminal record expungement, Lawyers for Learners connects students with professionals who specialize in employment, family matters, housing, immigration, and bankruptcy .^{10 11} It also places students in contact with lawyers and businesspeople who specialize in civil and municipal court proceedings, such as driver’s license recovery, gender-marker and name changes, and retail theft citations. ¹² Lawyers for Learners conducts clinics at Wisconsin universities and colleges that teach students how to navigate these legal processes. ¹³ Work performed by Lawyers for Learners is free of charge. ¹⁴

Lawyers for Learners also connects students with attorneys who specialize in criminal pardons. ¹⁵ For example, in 2022, Ulfrica “Eureka” Talley-Peterson received a pardon for a felony assault conviction that she said prevented her from being accepted as a student at colleges and universities. ¹⁶ Talley-Peterson was convicted in 2003 after she “attacked her then-partner during a confrontation.” ¹⁷

Partners

In addition to its sponsorship by Ascendium Education Group, Lawyers for Learners operates through its collegiate and legal partnerships. ^{18 19}

Lawyers for Learners’ more than 30 educational partners include three large institutions: University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, Madison College, and University of Wisconsin-Madison. ²⁰ At most schools, such as University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, Lawyers for Learners offers its network services to pair students with legal aid. ²¹ At others, including Madison College, Lawyers for Learners is part of the Legal Studies/Paralegal degree program. Students can intern or volunteer with Lawyers for Learners to satisfy degree requirements. ²²

Lawyers for Learners maintains 14 legal partners, including Ascendium Education Group, Community Immigration Law Center (CILC), and Community Justice, Inc (CJI). ²³ Ascendium has its headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin. ²⁴ Its major initiatives are helping students repay their student loans and offering students financial counseling. ²⁵

Community Immigration Law Center is a left-of-center Wisconsin nonprofit law firm which seeks to prevent deportation of illegal immigrants. ²⁶ The center operates a range of programs designed to prevent deportations and help undocumented immigrants gain asylum status, refugee status, work visas, or permanent residency. ²⁷

Community Justice Inc. is a left-of-center non-profit Wisconsin law firm that provides legal representation for lower income and allegedly underrepresented people. ²⁸

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3. “Ascendium assists legal aid program with expanding access to free legal help.” Ascendium Education Group. June 2022. Accessed May 19, 2024.  https://www.ascendiumeducation.org/our-stories/all-stories/ ascendium-assists-legal-aid-program-with -expanding-access-to-free-legal-help/
4. “Ascendium assists legal aid program with expanding access to free legal help.” Ascendium Education Group. June 2022. Accessed May 19, 2024.  https://www.ascendiumeducation.org/our-stories/all-stories/ ascendium-assists-legal-aid-program-with -expanding-access-to-free-legal-help/
5. School and Community Partners. Lawyers for Learners. Accessed May 19, 2024. https://www.lawyersforlearners.org/partners/school-community/
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7. What We Do. Ascendium Education Group. Accessed May 19, 2024. https://www.ascendiumeducation.org/what-we-do/
8. “Home.” Ascendium Philanthropy. Accessed May 19, 2024. https://ascendiumphilanthropy.org/.
9. “Ascendium Education Group.” Accessed May 19, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/company/ascendium-education-group.
10. Legal Services – Student Life. University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Accessed May 19, 2024. https://www.uwlax.edu/student-life/our-services/legalservices/
11. Available Legal Help. Lawyers for Learners. Accessed May 19, 2024. https://www.lawyersforlearners.org/available-legal-help/
12. Legal Assistance. Wisconsin State Law Library. Accessed May 19, 2024. https://wilawlibrary.gov/topics/assist.php
13. “Land of Lincoln Legal Aid, Lawyers for Learners offer expungement of records clinic at JWCC.” Muddy River News. March 14, 2023. Accessed May 19, 2024. https://muddyrivernews.com/commmunities/illinois/adams-county- illinois/quincy/land-of-lincoln-legal-aid-lawyers-for-learners-offer-expungement-of-records-clinic-at-jwcc/20230314065546/
14. Free, Confidential Legal Help for Wisconsin Students. Lawyers for Learners. Accessed May 19, 2024. https://www.lawyersforlearners.org/
15. Legal Assistance. Wisconsin State Law Library. Accessed May 19, 2024. https://wilawlibrary.gov/topics/assist.php
16. Sharif, Noreen. “Madison woman’s past haunted her. Free legal help changed her life.” The Cap Times. September 4, 2023. Accessed May 19, 2024. https://captimes.com/news/madison-womans-past-haunted-her-free-legal-help -changed-her-life/article _bb8271ef-f3d0-5a42-a846-4fd33f3c2387.html
17. “Gov. Evers granted pardons to the following people.” Granicus, August 5, 2022. Accessed May 19, 2024. https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/WIGOV/2022/08/05/file_attachments/2237556 /Pardons8.5.2022_%281%29.pdf
18. “Ascendium assists legal aid program with expanding access to free legal help.” Ascendium Education Group. June 2022. Accessed May 19, 2024.  https://www.ascendiumeducation.org/our-stories/all-stories/ ascendium-assists-legal-aid-program-with -expanding-access-to-free-legal-help/
19. Legal Partners. Lawyers for Learners. Accessed May 19, 2024. https://www.lawyersforlearners.org/partners/legal/
20. School and Community Partners. Lawyers for Learners. Accessed May 19, 2024. https://www.lawyersforlearners.org/partners/school-community/
21. Legal Services – Student Life. University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Accessed May 19, 2024. https://www.uwlax.edu/student-life/our-services/legalservices/
22. Madison College Legal Studies/Paralegal Program. American Bar Association. February 16, 2023. Accessed May 19, 2024. https://www.americanbar.org/groups/paralegals/paralegal-program -access-to-justice-and-pro-bono- work/madison-college-legal-studies-paralegal-program/
23. Legal Partners. Lawyers for Learners. Accessed May 19, 2024. https://www.lawyersforlearners.org/partners/legal/
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26. Community Immigration Law Center. GuideStar. Accessed May 19, 2024. https://www.guidestar.org/profile/32-0375185
27. Community Immigration Law Center. GuideStar. Accessed May 19, 2024. https://www.guidestar.org/profile/32-0375185
28. Home. Community Justice Inc. Accessed May 19, 2024. https://www.communityjusticeinc.org/