July 17, 2024 – New lawyers: Would you like to receive $2,800 to help pay law school debt or for your practice?

The Wisconsin Law Foundation will provide Belle Case La Follette Awards to three new Wisconsin lawyers who currently represent underserved populations.

These populations include clients in Wisconsin whose legal needs are historically unmet or who live and work in rural areas with limited access to legal services.

“The awards are part of the Foundation’s mission to improve access to justice,” says Joseph W. Troy, Foundation Past President.

“The awards help attorneys meet the needs of residents in rural areas in northern Wisconsin – where attorneys often cover multiple counties and spend numerous hours driving. They also assist attorneys in urban areas helping those of modest means and where language barriers limit access to legal services,” Troy said.

Recipients may use the awards at their own discretion – whether that's school loans, office expenses, or to meet other financial needs.

Recipients of the 2023 Belle Case La Follette awards from the Wisconsin Law Foundation are (from left): Edgar Beltran, Imani Hollie, and Michael Windle.

How to Apply – Deadline is Aug. 30

One award each is given to a graduate of the U.W. and Marquette University law schools, and a third award is given to a graduate of an out-of-state law school who is practicing in Wisconsin. Applicants must be sworn in as Wisconsin lawyers between Jan. 1, 2020, and Dec. 31, 2022.

The Foundation Awards Committee considers a number of factors, including the applicant’s professional reputation and achievements, as well as how the applicant represents underserved populations.

Visit the Scholarships and Awards information page on WisBar.org (scroll down to “Belle Case La Follette Awards”) for more information. See the Call for Applications information form for further details, including how to apply and award criteria.

Meet the 2023 Recipients

Meet the three Wisconsin lawyers who are the recipients of the 2023 Belle Case La Follette Awards:

Edgar A. Beltran, Marquette 2019. From Cedarburg, Edgar is a State Public Defender in Washington and Ozaukee counties. Edgar typically handles 100 to 130 cases at any given time, from criminal matters to mental health placements, juvenile petitions, and more. He is a first-generation college graduate and is the only Spanish-speaking attorney in his county, handling all the SPD’s Spanish-speaking client cases. He said he is proud to serve the indigent and underprivileged population in rural Wisconsin.

Imani Hollie, Loyola 2020, Green Bay. Imani is the State Public Defender representative on the Youth Treatment Court, focused on giving youth a chance to get needed treatment and diverting them from the criminal justice system. Her clients struggle with poverty, drug addiction, and mental health issues and are often disproportionately people of color or vulnerable youth and young adults who need someone to listen to and advocate for them. In representing young people who face adult adversities, her advocacy must be innovative, and she is not afraid to push back on “how we’ve always done it.”

Michael Windle, U.W. 2020. Michael works in a small firm based in Westby, a rural community in western Wisconsin with a strong need for affordable legal services. He practices family law, estate planning, probate law, and civil litigation. A key service Michael provides is estate planning, where he charges a flat rate for wills, basic trusts, and powers of attorney. Michael is the only attorney in his firm doing family law. He knows that, without his assistance, some of his clients would not be able to afford representation. As corporation counsel in Vernon and Richland counties, he represents the Department of Human Services in mental health commitments, guardianships, and protective placements.

About the Wisconsin Law Foundation

The Belle Case La Follette Awards are made possible by generous contributions to the Wisconsin Law Foundation.

The Wisconsin Law Foundation is the charitable arm of the State Bar of Wisconsin, and through its mission has a rich history of promoting:

• public understanding of the law,

• improvement of the administration of justice, and

• law-related public service through funding of innovative and creative programs that improve the vision of the American justice system.

The Foundation is a nonprofit, nonstock organization, and is open to all State Bar of Wisconsin members. Founded by five visionary attorneys, it was incorporated in 1951 as the Wisconsin Bar Foundation, and through the charitable contributions of our members, has grown into the vital philanthropic law-related organization it is today.

Find out more in the Foundation’s Impact newsletter.