Pro Bono News

Lawyers Offer Pro Bono Services to Wisconsin Students Who Take Part in School Walkouts

Thursday, February 22, 2018

Lawyers Offer Pro Bono Services to Wisconsin Students Who Take Part in School Walkouts

"Students who plan to defy their schools' efforts to limit participation in next month's national walkout to protest gun violence have a new group of allies.

Lawyers around the state are offering to represent them pro bono, inspired by a Milwaukee attorney who announced his plans to do so on his Facebook page this week.

"The response has been overwhelmingly positive," said Milwaukee attorney Jay Urban. He said he was inspired by the growing movement of young people mobilized in the wake of last week's deadly school shooting in Parkland, Fla.

"Lawyers are volunteering to help me throughout the state," said Urban, who cited a decades-old U.S. Supreme Court decision in defense of the students. "Even some I've opposed in court."

"We're not trying to drum up business here," he said. "We're trying to be a resource so schools take into account the rights of students."

At least nine Milwaukee-area schools appear on a list of those across the country where students plan to take part in a National School Walkout at 10 a.m. March 14. The Youth EMPOWER arm of the National Women's March, which is promoting the event, is encouraging students and staff to walk out for 17 minutes to honor the 17 people killed by a gunman at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland last week..."

Continue reading