Race to benefit public-interest legal work

For the 15th consecutive year, the five-kilometer Race Judicata will raise money to support UW–Madison law students engaged in public interest legal work for low-income and under-represented communities.

The race, sponsored by the UW Public Interest Law Foundation, will take place on Saturday, Oct. 16, at 9 a.m. at Olin Park. The foundation is a student-run organization that raises money for grants to underwrite law students who do legal work that would otherwise be unpaid.

Registration costs $15 for individuals and $12 per person for groups of six or more, and includes a T-shirt. Those taking advantage of the $12-per-person group rate must register in advance of race day.

Groups can register with Joel Mandelman at jdmandelman@wisc.edu or Greg Renden at garenden@wisc.edu.

The race, which is open to the public, last year raised $6,300 to help UW law students working in numerous public-interest organizations, including New York City’s Legal Aid Society, the Foundation for Sustainable Development in Bolivia, and Florida Legal Services’ migrant justice project.

Mandelman, who 14 months ago worked in a small legal aid office in eastern Kentucky with the help of one of the grants, says the work is fulfilling for law students and helpful for communities.

“These agencies are often thinly staffed, and they all need the help,” says Mandelman, a third-year law student. “In a lot of cases, students get a lot more legal experience than at a law firm, because there is a lot to do.”