Hartman helps poor and elderly

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After graduating from college with a bachelor’s degree in political science, April Hartman was unsure what to do with her life.

But her work as an assistant manager at a hotel inspired her to take up law.

“I saw a bunch of my co-workers’ legal issues come up over and over again,” she said. “(Often it was) immigration issues, and we also had some housekeeping staff with issues with children services. I kept wanting to help them.”

Now, helping people is what Hartman does every day. For nearly seven years, she has served as a staff attorney with Milwaukee-based Legal Action of Wisconsin Inc., which provides free legal services to people with low income. After working in the organization’s housing law unit, she now represents seniors as part of the group’s SeniorLaw Project, in which she handles cases ranging from eviction to elder abuse.

Hartman’s work with the SeniorLaw Project often focuses on in-home care programs and problems such as denial of services, benefit reduction and cost.

“Those cases mean a lot to me because there’s no one quite as vulnerable as the elderly poor,” Hartman said. “They are quite often alone and trying to fight a system that really marginalizes them and really doesn’t understand that they’re often afraid to come to court or afraid to come to a hearing and that they’re embarrassed that they need this help.”

Hartman has had four published decisions and another one recommended for publication related to her representation of clients before the state Court of Appeals. The cases concern due process, notification and other problems related to residential tenant rights.

While she said she felt lucky to have achieved the milestone at this point in her career, Hartman emphasized that she was making arguments also being advanced by her co-workers. Mark Silverman, another staff attorney at Legal Action and Hartman’s mentor, said she shows her devotion to helping others daily.

“The worried look that she often wears means that she’s thinking about her client’s predicament, and trying to come up with a legal solution,” Silverman said. “Many of April’s clients are facing homelessness. When others throw up their hands in resignation, April develops a litigation strategy or files an appeal.”