Why is the court system so biased and how can we get help?
My wife and I are going through a custody battle for her two kids from a previous relationship in which she was never married. We have had to go pro se and HE has been bailed out by daddy and has been able to afford a lawyer. Needless to say, all the decisions have gone his way so far. Why is the court system so horribly biased, and is there any way to actually find a pro bono lawyer in Wisconsin? We have tried Legal Action of Wisconsin and Judicare is for the northern counties; we are in the southeast.
Its not biased in the sense you mean, but there is a distinct advantage for an attorney fighting against a pro se litigant since the pro se party is held to the same standard of knowledge as the attorney. In other words, it’d be like throwing someone off the street into a boxing ring with Oscar de la Hoya and expecting that average joe to be able to hold his own. The lawyers do this for a living and know the proper procedures, rules and law.
Now, I understand that you need an attorney pro bono, but believe me, everyone wants that. Attorneys have bills to pay like everyone else. Most attorneys will devote a few hours a year to pro bono cases, but those can be few and far between. Most state bar associations have a pro bono list that they maintain where they put your name and matter down on a sheet and circulate it to attorneys in the state to see if anyone has time to help. Its no guarantee that anyone will step up to the plate, but you should try. Call the state bar association and find out if they have a list and how to get on it.
Also, if you are near a law school, you should call them and see if they have a legal clinic that provides services to the public. The ones that do provide services for free or for a reduced fee. That might be worth looking into.