At Work in the Community

Medair

Swiss headquartered, Medair serves the world's most vulnerable people in disasters, conflict areas and other crisis'. They bring water and sanitation as well as shelter projects to remote, difficult to access places, such as Iraq, Mozambique, Chechnya, Kosovo and Rwanda. They are currently responding to needs in seven Asian and African countries.

Recently, Medair required the professional assistance of the Lex Mundi Pro Bono Foundation to ensure clarity of responsibility among its international legal entities by developing of a master affiliation agreement and trademark license agreement. Documents were drafted in the countries where Medair offices reside, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the United States.

Michael Best's Lori Meddings, of the Milwaukee office, was instrumental in managing the consolidation of these agreements so that Medair would have unified agreements that meet the requirements of their international structure. This project will enable Medair to increase professionalism and reduce costs, while allowing the emphasis to remain on their mandate, bringing life-saving relief and rehabilitation to disasters.
           

Friends of the Brookfield Public Library

Our attorneys incorporated and obtained 501(c)(3) tax exempt status for this organization. Our work included attending meetings with the organizing group, preparing incorporation documents, submitting a request for tax exempt status to the IRS, organizing special meeting to amend articles of incorporation and attending board of directors meeting.

Education and Teaching

Michael Best has a long history of helping educate students in our communities. Our attorneys teach and coach grade school through high school students, as well as law students at the University of Wisconsin Law School and the Marquette University Law School.

City of Chicago, the Chicago Park District and Chicago Public Schools

Michael Best attorneys serve as counsel for "After School Matters," a not-for-profit venture to provide various types of after school programming. Our work has included employment law counseling, IP counseling and drafting of contract documentation.

Edgewood College

Our attorneys work with this small private college on a number of legal matters and recently supervised the successful search process for its new president.

The Milwaukee River

We represented the Milwaukee Rowing Club, a non-profit community organization, in a cooperative effort with the City of Milwaukee and a local developer to craft land use agreements to achieve a ground breaking public-private partnership solution to a City Parks problem. Our work resulted in an award winning new public riverside plaza and club facility. We also represented the Milwaukee Riverwalk District in obtaining Coast Guard permits for The Milwaukee River Challenge, a large, annual national rowing race event in downtown Milwaukee.

Friends of the Charles Allis Museum

We prepare annual information returns for this 501(c)(3) tax-exempt museum organization.

Madison Repertory Theatre

We provide substantial legal advice to this non-profit arts group.

Milwaukee Ballet

We handle labor and employment matters for the Milwaukee Ballet, including negotiating its new labor agreement with the union representing the Ballet's orchestra.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court, The Wisconsin Court of Appeals, The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit And The United States District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Wisconsin and the Northern District of Illinois

Michael Best attorneys accept numerous appointments from these Courts to represent defendants in appeals of various matters, from briefing through oral argument.

Genocide Intervention Network

Michael Best represents the Genocide Intervention Network, an organization dedicated to providing Americans with opportunities to help protect people around the world from the horrors of genocide. We have assisted it in various intellectual property matters, including trademark and licensing projects.

Sand County Foundation

We provide legal counsel to the Sand County Foundation, an international land conservation organization based in Madison, Wisconsin, with projects in North America and Africa, including restructuring its Articles and Bylaws and incorporating subsidiaries in Tanzania.

Wisconsin Biodiesel Association

We assisted this industry trade association and its related not-for-profit educational foundation on issues relating to their formation and organization. These organizations focus on educating the public about the benefits of homegrown energy sources. 

Volunteer Lawyers Project

Michael Best attorneys have worked on a number of pro bono projects referred to us by the Volunteer Lawyers Project. In one recent project, we represented a woman who gave a cash security deposit to a landlord, but never occupied the premises after the landlord changed the date of occupancy. We were able to procure a favorable settlement for our client. In another project, we represented a victim of domestic violence after a Court Commissioner issued a domestic abuse injunction requiring the Respondent to surrender all firearms to the Sheriff. The Respondent appealed the injunction to avoid having to surrender his firearms, but we successfully argued the matter to the Court, and the appeal was denied.

Affordable Community Housing Development

We represented this non-profit religious corporation which provides housing to low income and elderly people in litigation over control of an apartment building in the Milwaukee area and worked to reach a successful resolution.

Access Community Health Centers

Access Community Health Centers (formerly Madison Community Health Center) is a federally qualified Community Health Center serving South Central Wisconsin. We advise the Center's management on various legal matters.

In Health

We represent this community health organization on various legal matters.

Teens Tackling Cancer

Michael Best attorneys prepared and/or reviewed articles of incorporation, bylaws and oversaw a successful application for 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status for this group. 

Industries for the Blind

This charity provides jobs for the blind and disabled. Our attorneys actively serve on its committees.  

Guardianships

We have undertaken a number of guardianship projects on a pro bono basis. In one project, we are working with a special needs child who is aging out of the Milwaukee Public School system and is in need of the appointment of a guardian. In another project, we helped when an individual in her 50's had a sudden, traumatic brain injury that rendered her incapable of communicating with or understanding others. This individual did not have powers of attorney in place that would have allowed another individual to make necessary health care and financial decisions for her. We assisted her significant other with a guardianship proceeding whereby he was able to have her moved from a hospital, where she was not able to receive the care necessary for her rehabilitation, to an assisted living facility. We also obtained appointments for a guardian of the person and a guardian of the estate so that health care and financial decisions could be made on her behalf.

Amazing Ministries

We represented a predominately African-American inner city church and used the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act to reach a solution which prevented the City of Milwaukee from being required to close the church for lack of parking spaces.

Spirit of Milwaukee

We represent this community group on trademark issues, license agreements and manufacture/supply agreements.

Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee

Michael Best attorneys have worked as the Church Attorney representing the Standing Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee. In this role, we brought charges and procured a conviction in a case alleging that a parish rector had engaged in misconduct violating the Canons of the Episcopal Church of America.

Milwaukee Area Jewish Committee

Michael Best represented the Milwaukee Area Jewish Committee ("AJC") in its formation, application for tax-exempt status and negotiation and execution of an agreement with American Jewish Committee, which had decided to cease direct operations in Milwaukee. Our work enabled AJC's Milwaukee chapter to continue its local activities by establishing MAJC, which will become an "independent affiliate" of AJC. This new and novel concept was developed by our lawyers and allows AJC to continue its mission in the Milwaukee area.

Milwaukee Chapter of the Girl Friends

Girl Friends, Inc., founded during the Harlem Renaissance in 1972, is one of the oldest social/civic organizations of African-American women in the United States. We formed this Wisconsin company, applied for its federal tax-exempt status and prepared related state filings.

Advocates of Ozaukee

Michael Best works with Advocates of Ozaukee, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence in the Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, area.

Manitowoc, WI

The attorneys in our Manitowoc, Wisconsin office have undertaken a number of important pro bono projects in their community. For example, we serve as legal counsel to The Chamber of Manitowoc County, Inc. and its Foundation, the Manitowoc - Two Rivers Area Chamber Foundation, Inc. and represent them on a variety of legal issues, including employment, real estate and general corporate law matters. Our attorneys also sit on a number of their committees. We also provide pro bono legal services to The Friends of the Manitowoc County Courthouse, Inc., a Wisconsin non-stock corporation. The Friends are engaged in a fund raising campaign to raise approximately $1.3 million to renovate the Manitowoc County Courthouse, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. We incorporated this organization and provided assistance to it for its application for 501(c)(3) status, which recently was granted by the IRS.

Note

Michael Best has long been committed to strengthening the communities in which we live and work. This summary provides a small sample of our recent pro bono work. If you would like more information on these projects or other projects, or our pro bono program, please contact one of the Co-Chairs of our Pro Bono Committee, Ian Pitz at 608.283.0107, or iapitz@michaelbest.com or Ed Sarskas at 414.223.2521, or sesarskas@michaelbest.com.