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  • InsideTrack
    April 23, 2025
  • April 23, 2025

    28,983 Hours in 2024: These Wisconsin Lawyers Are Dedicated to Pro Bono Work

    In April, we honor volunteers who stepped forward to address the legal needs of Wisconsin's most vulnerable residents. Each year, the Pro Bono Honor Society thanks the Wisconsin lawyers who donated at least 50 hours of pro bono service. In 2024, 265 lawyers made the list.
    Miranda Lezcano

    April 23, 2025 – From her pro bono work, Miranda Lezcano has learned this: "People who truly need help will go on to help others in the same boat."

    Miranda Lezcano (Hamline 2014) is owner of Lezcano Law Office LLC, Schofield, where she practices in family, juvenile, immigration, mediation, civil, and traffic law.

    Throughout the year, she seeks out opportunities to support her community by offering her services pro bono. In 2024, this amounted to more than 279 hours in total.

    "There are people that genuinely need a helping hand and with that help they are able to go on living productive and fruitful lives," she said.

    Lezcano does pro bono work through Legal Aid​, mostly family and civil cases. She also works for Judicare, doing pro bono and low-cost services for immigration clients. She offers lower-cost services for victims of domestic violence.

    "I try to be flexible in scheduling to allow for appointments with staff. I have bilingual staff to help with all kinds of cases," she said. "If I am not able to take the case pro bono, I will do my best to lower my price to fit each situation."

    She has learned that there are many people who will help those in need of legal services. "While everyone is stretched thin with funding, if you continue to look, you can find contacts and agencies that can help in nearly all situations."

    Lezcano is one of 265 extraordinary Wisconsin lawyers who made a real commitment to pro bono service and who make a difference in their communities. In turn, they are recognized and honored through the State Bar of Wisconsin Pro Bono Honor Society.

    In addition to Lezcano, here’s a sampling of the work other Wisconsin lawyers achieved in 2024:

    • Kara M. Burgos of Moen Sheehan Meyer Ltd., of La Crosse, who worked 92.9 hours assisting the startup of Karuna Inc., a local nonprofit that provides housing and social services, and also answering legal questions for the State Bar's quarterly call-in and fielding individual client's questions at the Free Legal Clinic in La Crosse.

    • Jennifer Binkley of Madison, who logged 120 hours coordinating and volunteering with the Dane County Bar Association Basic Estate Planning Clinic, Family Law Assistance Center, Small Claims Assistance Program, and the Veterans Law Center.

    • Patrick K. McDonald of Janesville, who worked in excess of 60 hours assisting indigent clients who were dealing with financial issues and offering legal assistance to several 501(c)(3) organizations, including a food pantry, churches, and other charities.

    • Jack Reed, with Fredrikson & Byron in Madison, who logged 75.6 hours working on pro bono matters related to real estate purchases and boundary disputes for non-profits.

    Join the Pro Bono Honor Society

    The Pro Bono Honor Society recognizes Wisconsin lawyers who volunteer at least 50 hours of their time annually to help expand access to justice for low-income Wisconsin residents.

    If you will donate more than 50 hours of pro bono services in 2025, the State Bar of Wisconsin Pro Bono Honor Society would like to recognize your service and inspire more lawyers to follow your example.

    Join the Honor Society by completing the certification form on the Pro Bono Honor Society webpage at the end of the year, and sending it to the State Bar no later than March 1, 2026.

    Eligible pro bono legal services for this program means the direct provision of legal services without fee or expectation of fee, or at a substantially reduced fee, to:

    • persons of limited means;

    • organizations in matters that are designed primarily to address the needs of persons of limited means; or

    • charitable, religious, civic, community governmental and educational organizations to secure or protect civil rights, civil liberties, or public rights so long as a substantial majority of such services benefit persons of limited means or organizations that serve persons of limited means.

    Thank You, Pro Bono Lawyers

    Congratulations to these 265 Wisconsin lawyers, listed here with their Wisconsin county or state of residence (if available), recognized as 2024 Wisconsin Pro Bono Honor Society members:

    Scott Allen, Racine

    Kennedy Allison, Dane

    Ellen Anderson, Milwaukee

    Samuel Anderson, Dane

    Scott Anderson, Milwaukee

    Timothy Andryk, Dane

    Kelsey Annen, Dane

    Sarah Arbaje, Dane

    Alicia Armstrong, Dane

    Deborah Asher, Chippewa

    Elise Ashley, Milwaukee

    Kirsten Atanasoff, Dane

    Kelsey Bailey, Milwaukee

    Stephanie Balmer

    John Bannen, Milwaukee

    Thomas Barrett, Douglas

    Amanda Beggs, Milwaukee

    Christopher Beglinger, Milwaukee

    Brett Bellmore, Milwaukee

    Melita Biese, Milwaukee

    Jennifer Binkley, Dane

    Lindsey Birch, Milwaukee

    Abigail Bogli, Milwaukee

    Evan Bondoc, Dane

    Ann Bowe, Milwaukee

    David Britton, Milwaukee

    Lily Broyles, Dane

    Douglas Buck, Dane

    Robert Buckett, Washington

    David Bunde

    Kara Burgos, Lacrosse

    Michael Burton, Milwaukee

    Anna Busse, Milwaukee

    Jesse Byam-Katzman, Milwaukee

    Michael Calabrese, Milwaukee

    Dawn Caldart, Milwaukee

    Jack Carroll, Dane

    Stephanie Cash, Milwaukee

    Nicholas Castronovo, Milwaukee

    James Cauley, Milwaukee

    Max Chester, Milwaukee

    Iris Christenson, Dane

    Amanda Collins, Milwaukee

    Lisamarie Collins, Milwaukee

    Catarina Colón, Milwaukee

    Beth Cornell, Chippewa

    Nicholas Covek, Milwaukee

    David Cross, Milwaukee

    Collin Dahl, Door

    Elizabeth Davis, Milwaukee

    Carmen Decot, Milwaukee

    Joseph Diedrich, Dane

    Sarah Donnellan, Eau Claire

    Janet Dorr

    Robert Duffy, Milwaukee

    Ryan Duffy, Milwaukee

    Zachary Eastburn

    Suzanne Edwards, Iowa

    Erik Eisenmann, Milwaukee

    Ariel Elvington

    Grant Erickson, Dane

    Gregory Everts, Dane

    AJ Fabianczyk

    Michael Fairchild, Dunn

    Navid Fanaeian, Dane

    Alanna Feddick-Goodwin, Wood

    Emily Feinstein, Dane

    John FitzGerald, Milwaukee

    Blaine Fix, Milwaukee

    Candace Flatley, Milwaukee

    Mary Fons, Dane

    Victor Forberger, Dane

    Dominique Fortune, Milwaukee

    Andrea Gage, Brown

    Luke Gallion, Dane

    Benjamin Gerard, Walworth

    Caleb Gerbitz, Milwaukee

    Sara Ghadiri

    Sharon Gisselman, Marathon

    Michael Gonring, Milwaukee

    James Gramling Jr., Milwaukee

    Robert Gray, Marathon

    Christopher Guthrie, Dane

    Kimberly Gutierrez, Dane

    Mackenzie Gutner, Milwaukee

    Samantha Guzman, Dane

    Edward Hammond, Milwaukee

    Angela Harden, Milwaukee

    Amy Harriman, Dane

     

    Andrew Harrington, Barron

    Michael Hatch, Milwaukee

    Kristine Havlik, Milwaukee

    Reid Hazelton, Milwaukee

    Hallie Heath, Milwaukee

    Nolan Heck, Milwaukee

    Morgan Hines, Milwaukee

    Kari Hoel, Chippewa

    Katrina Hull

    Thomas Hutchison, Milwaukee

    Jonathan Ingrisano, Milwaukee

    Jacquelyn Jaworski, Winnebago

    David Jennings III, Ozaukee

    Emma Jewell, Milwaukee

    Markus Johnson, Milwaukee

    Nicholas Johnson, Milwaukee

    Sarah Johnson, Milwaukee

    Emily Jones, Dane

    DeVonna Joy, Waukesha

    Emmaline Jurgena, Milwaukee

    Arata Kaku-McGowan, Milwaukee

    Matthew Kass, Milwaukee

    Amanda Kerr, Milwaukee

    Bruce Keyes, Milwaukee

    Nicholas Kitzman, Milwaukee

    Naomie Kweyu, Milwaukee

    Nicholas Lagerwall, Dane

    Matthew Lein, Sawyer

    Alyssa LeRoy, Dane

    Michael Levey, Milwaukee

    Jacob Levine

    Miranda Lezcano, Marathon

    Mitchell Lindstrom, Milwaukee

    Christopher Little, Milwaukee

    Bryce Loken, Dane

    J Long, Milwaukee

    Kevin Long, Milwaukee

    Kass Longie, Dane

    Jessica Lothman, Milwaukee

    Christina Lucchesi, Milwaukee

    Paul Lucey, Milwaukee

    Wayne Lueders, Milwaukee

    Abbey Magnuson, Milwaukee

    Kevin Malaney, Milwaukee

    Michael Malone, Milwaukee

    Marsha Mansfield, Dane

    Gabriel Manzano Nieves, Dane

    Mont Martin, Milwaukee

    Jennifer Martinez, Milwaukee

    Ellen Matheson

    Patrick McDonald, Rock

    Thomas McDonell

    Cayla McNeil, Milwaukee

    James McParland, Dane

    Renee Medved, Milwaukee

    Eric Meier, Milwaukee

    James Mentkowski, Milwaukee

    Kathryn Mertz, Milwaukee

    Bryan Mette, Dane

    Laura Mikeworth, Milwaukee

    Owen Miklos, Milwaukee

    Heidi Miller, Milwaukee

    Jay Miller, Milwaukee

    Samuel Mitchell, Milwaukee

    Lillian Mobley, Milwaukee

    Rachel Monaco, Washington

    Thomas Moniz, Winnebago

    Jason Moore, Milwaukee

    Michelle Moran, Milwaukee

    Isaac Morris, Milwaukee

    Matti Mortimore, Milwaukee

    John Movroydis, Waukesha

    Patrick Murphy, Milwaukee

    Ahmad Murrar, Milwaukee

    Natalie Neals, Milwaukee

    John Neuenschwander, Kenosha

    Maxfield Neuhaus, Pierce

    Abrielle Newman, Milwaukee

    David Northcutt, Dane

    Terry Nussberger, Rusk

    Gregory Oberland, Milwaukee

    Brandon O'Connor, Marathon

    Nathan Oesch, Milwaukee

    Danae Oldenburg

    Alan Olson, Waukesha

    William Olson, Milwaukee

    Maeve O'Malley, Milwaukee

    Mary O'Meara, Milwaukee

    Mary Parmeter, Dane

     

    Timothy Patterson, Milwaukee

    Jeffry Patzke, Walworth

    Mary Payne, Milwaukee

    Eric Pearson, Milwaukee

    James Peterson, Milwaukee

    Nancy Peterson, Milwaukee

    Sophia Pfander, Dane

    Randy Pflum, Dane

    Arthur Phillips, Milwaukee

    Thomas Phillips, Milwaukee

    Joseph Pickart, Milwaukee

    Joseph Poehlmann, Milwaukee

    Emily Prager, Milwaukee

    Adam Prinsen, Dane

    Matthew Prior, Dane

    Gail Prock, Chippewa

    Jennifer Pusch

    Mehak Qureshi, Dane

    Douglas Raines, Milwaukee

    Ryan Rainey, Dane

    Kristina Rasmussen, Dane

    Harrison Rayment, Milwaukee

    Jack Reed, Dane

    David Reinecke, Dane

    John Rejowski, Milwaukee

    Stephanie Rice, Dane

    Isaac Roang

    Samuel Robertson, Dane

    Sheree Robertson, Dane

    Joshua Roling, Milwaukee

    Lauren Rosso, Milwaukee

    Ashley Roth

    Samantha Roth, Dane

    Tyler Roth, Milwaukee

    Patrick Rowe, Price

    Brandon Ruffalo, Portage

    Andrew Salomone, Milwaukee

    James Santelle, Waukesha

    James Schacht, Milwaukee

    Deborah Scheid, Milwaukee

    Samuel Schlewitz, Eau Claire

    Allen Schlinsog Jr., Milwaukee

    Thomas Schrimpf, Milwaukee

    Angela Schultz, Milwaukee

    Gerald Schwartz

    Brian Seidl, Dane

    Margaret Serrano, Milwaukee

    Amy Shapiro, Milwaukee

    Allison Shepard, Eau Claire

    Elizabeth Shirreff, Milwaukee

    Jamie Shookman, Milwaukee

    Thomas Shriner Jr., Milwaukee

    Carol Skinner, Stcroix

    Jessica Slind, Dane

    Jason Smathers, Milwaukee

    Marin Smith, Dane

    Anita Sorensen, Dane

    Grant Sovern, Dane

    Haley Stepanek, Milwaukee

    Rebecca Stern

    Gerald Sternberg, Dane

    Shari Stevens, Brown

    Grace Stewart, Dane

    Grace Stippich, Milwaukee

    Pamela Stokke-Ceci, Milwaukee

    Connor Strait, Milwaukee

    Evan Thomsen, Milwaukee

    Robert Thorson, Dunn

    David Tibbals

    L Tobin, Dane

    Shelley Torvinen

    Benjamin Tozer

    Naikang Tsao, Dane

    William Ulrich, Milwaukee

    Brenna Vargas, Milwaukee

    James Vitrano, Milwaukee

    Saralinda Watts, Sauk

    Thomas Wendt, Marathon

    David Wenthold, Milwaukee

    Josi Wergin, Dane

    Parker White III, Milwaukee

    Chelsea Whitley, Polk

    Katelynn Williams, Dane

    Amy Wochos

    Victoria Worcester, Milwaukee

    Michael Zeka, Dane

    Megan Ziesmann, Milwaukee 


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