LOTUS Legal Clinic

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Milwaukee, WI
LOTUS Legal Clinic

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LOTUS Legal Clinic serves victims of s*xual violence and human trafficking through four service plat

LOTUS is a free legal clinic serving Wisconsin victims of gender-based violence and human trafficking (labor and s*x.) We provide trauma-informed legal advocacy, policy initiatives, education, and survivor empowerment.

10/21/2026

We are excited to once again collaborate with author and trauma-informed writing facilitator Eileen Cruz and interdisciplinary artist and board-certified, licensed art therapist Erica Browne as co-facilitators of our upcoming creative writing workshop, From Thoughts to Truth.

Together, Eileen and Erica will create a gentle, compassionate space where participants can explore journaling, self-reflection, and art therapy practices to express emotions that may be difficult to put into words.

This workshop is open to adult survivors of s*xual harm of all gender identities and writing abilities. No prior writing experience is necessary.

https://tinyurl.com/LLCworkshopapp

10/02/2026

✨SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT! ✨

We’re proud to recognize Core Creative as a valued sponsor of LOTUS’s 10th Anniversary Celebration!

Core Creative is a full-service marketing, branding and creative agency that focuses on empathy and collaboration to help clients develop a deeper understanding of how to make a real impact on people’s everyday lives. Core Creative believes a better world is always possible and commitment to people is the best way to get there.

THANK YOU Core Creative, for your generous show of community support for LOTUS’ mission, and for your investment in the lives of Wisconsin survivors!

Event tickets are on sale NOW - Join us as we celebrate 10 years of impact on October 22 at Nō Studios in Milwaukee! We can't wait to celebrate with you!

https://tinyurl.com/CheersToTenYears

09/22/2026

We're just FOUR WEEKS away from our big anniversary celebration!

We hope you will join us on October 22nd, 6-9pm at No Studios in Milwaukee, as we gather the LOTUS community together to honor a decade of impact, hear directly from survivors about the difference LOTUS has made, and celebrate the collective power of the advocates, supporters, and community members who make this work possible.

We are incredibly honored to have Sarah Demerath join us as a featured speaker - Sarah is a mom, advocate, and artist whose creative talent shines brightly in the many ways she intertwines self-expression into her advocacy work with survivors.

LOTUS has had the pleasure of witnessing Sarah's passion for many years - as an Untold Stories writer, as an artist and panel moderator at MIAD's Art Against the Odds exhibit, and as the Director of Case Management & Advocacy at Convergency Resource Center.

This celebratory event is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about LOTUS’ legal and support services, and about the profound impact they have on the lives of survivors in your community.

We hope you will join us for an evening of joy and celebration of what is possible when people are given the tools, opportunities, and support to pave their own path and THRIVE!

🎉A VERY special THANK YOU to our amazing Board members for their hard work and collective sponsorship efforts to make this event a success!!!

09/21/2026

T and U visas provide critical humanitarian protections for immigrant survivors of human trafficking and other serious crimes.

Once approved, these visas allow survivors to remain and work legally in the United States for up to four years and may also extend protections to eligible family members.

But today, survivors are facing increasingly devastating delays.

An increase in trafficking cases being identified and referred to law enforcement, combined with administrative barriers and outdated annual visa caps, means that many trafficking survivors are now waiting three years or more for a T visa application to be processed—a 75% increase in wait time from just one year ago.

While waiting for a final decision, survivors can be considered for a life-changing approval - temporary work authorization.

But currently, LOTUS clients are experiencing wait times of up to TWO YEARS just to receive that temporary work authorization.

During these extended waiting periods, survivors may have no legal protection from removal and no ability to legally support themselves or their families—circumstances that can leave them especially vulnerable to further trafficking and exploitation.

LOTUS attorneys are there throughout this long and complicated process. We help survivors understand the risks and options involved in reporting their trafficking, navigate interactions with law enforcement, and apply for the legal protections available to them.

And, with the generosity of individual donors, LOTUS can, in some circumstances, also provide emergency support—including rental assistance and food and gas cards—to help clients can meet their basic needs while they wait.

Accessing the legal protections and benefits promised to trafficking survivors under federal law is becoming increasingly complicated and difficult. LOTUS remains committed to reducing the burden on survivors, increasing their safety and stability, and helping them access the protections they need to rebuild their lives.

No survivor should have to choose between safety and survival while waiting for the legal protections they deserve.

09/18/2026

🎉SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT! 🎉

We’re proud to recognize as a valued sponsor of LOTUS’s 10th Anniversary Celebration!

Their commitment to supporting survivors and advancing access to justice reflects the power of a legal community that shows up for the people we serve. We’re grateful for their partnership and for helping LOTUS continue providing free, trauma-informed legal services to survivors of human trafficking and s*xual violence.

Tickets are on sale now! Join us at No Studios on October 22nd to celebrate 10 years of impact!

https://tinyurl.com/CheersToTenYears

09/16/2026

✨Celebrating Ten Years of Pursuing Justice Through Restitution ✨

Restitution can be an incredibly important part of rebuilding a life after exploitation or violence.

For labor trafficking survivors, it can mean finally recovering hard-earned wages they were never paid. For survivors of s*xual assault, it can help address medical debt, lost wages, educational disruptions, and court-related expenses. For survivors of s*x trafficking, restitution can help create access to safe and stable housing, employment, and educational opportunities—resources that can be essential to rebuilding independence.

But restitution is about more than money. It can also provide something that is difficult to put a price on: the sense of justice that comes from having their experiences acknowledged and validated by a system that too often fails survivors.

Join us on October 22nd at No Studios and help us celebrate these success stories made possible with the help of our dedicated community of supporters, partners, and advocates.

https://tinyurl.com/CheersToTenYears

09/14/2026

✨ Celebrating Ten Years of Community Engagement! ✨

At LOTUS, our mission goes far beyond providing individualized services and programming. From survivor storytelling events, art exhibitions, poetry readings, and concerts to panel discussions and educational trainings for professionals around the world, LOTUS is deeply engaged in our community—elevating survivor voices and working to strengthen both the formal and informal systems that serve survivors.

Join us at our Cheers to Ten Years anniversary celebration as we honor a decade of impact and celebrate the joy, power, and possibility that come from community connection.

Tickets are on sale now!
https://tinyurl.com/CheersToTenYears

09/11/2026

✨SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT✨

Today we're celebrating for its incredibly generous sponsorship of LOTUS Legal Clinic's 10th Anniversary Celebration!

Founded by Dr. Meggie Graham, the breathing specialists at Untethered Airway Health Center are dedicated to providing compassionate, individualized care that tangibly improves the quality of life for Wisconsin families struggling with sleep, breathing, and feeding issues.

THANK YOU, , for your generous show of community support for
LOTUS’ mission, and for your investment in the lives of Wisconsin survivors!

Event tickets are on sale NOW - Join us as we celebrate 10 years of impact on October 22 at Nō Studios in Milwaukee!

https://tinyurl.com/CheersToTenYears

We can't wait to celebrate with you! 💙

09/10/2026

✨ Celebrating Ten Years of Bringing Families Together ✨

A mother reunites with her daughter and holds her grandbaby for the first time.

A husband is reunited with his wife and young child.

A survivor embraces their parents and sibling after seven long years apart.

A survivor travels freely to her home country to introduce her new husband to her parents in person.

These moments of reunion are deeply personal and incredibly meaningful. It is one of the greatest honors of LOTUS staff to witness survivors reconnect with the people they love and help families begin building a new life together.

For survivors who have spent years separated from the people they love, reunification isn't just a legal outcome—it's a new beginning.

Join us at No Studios on October 22nd and help us celebrate all of the meaningful moments made possible with the help of our community of supporters, advocates, and partners!

https://tinyurl.com/CheersToTenYears

09/08/2026

🎉EXCITING FUNDING NEWS!!🎉

LOTUS is incredibly proud to be awarded a $65,000 grant from Roots & Wings Foundation!

Roots & Wings is a leader in trust-based grantmaking, an approach that aims to go beyond funding and establishes it as an equitable partner in community-centered giving.

THANK YOU, Roots & Wings, for five years of trust, support, and investment in the community of survivors we serve.

Address

130 W. Bruce Street, Ste 450
Milwaukee, WI
53204

Website

http://LOTUSlegalclinic.org/

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