We litigate, educate and participate in public discourse.
Our case categories include Individual Liberties, Equality Under the Law, Constitutional Government and the Rule of Law, Economic Freedom, and Education Reform. We have prevailed in roughly 80% of the matters we have undertaken. Our General Counsel, Rick Esenberg, has argued more cases in the Wisconsin Supreme Court than any other private lawyer in the state. Our record of winning is indisputable. WILL’s winning reputation has allowed us to settle other matters without ever filing a lawsuit. Our track record serves as a disincentive for those who would like to expand government bureaucracy and limit our freedoms. We keep them from even thinking about it.
Free Speech
Workers' Freedom
Open Government
Good Government
Other Individual Rights
Our record of winning is indisputable.
WILL’s winning reputation has allowed us to settle other matters without ever filing a lawsuit. The other side knows – if we are involved, they are in trouble. Our presence in Wisconsin and our record also serves as a disincentive for those who would like to expand government bureaucracy and limit our freedoms. We keep them from even thinking about it.
Advocating for Freedom
In 2013, WILL recognized a critical need – filling the vacuum for well-researched policy reports on conservative principles. Since then, WILL’s policy team continues to provide timely and comprehensive research on proposed policies and bills and their impact on Wisconsin citizens. WILL’s policy work is critical to helping advance good public policies and defend against the harmful policies at the local, state, and federal levels.
The goal of our policy work is threefold:
Provide well-researched analysis on policy proposals
Arm lawmakers with research and talking points to advance or defend legislation
Participate in the public discourse about policy initiatives
WILL has excelled at meeting these goals. For example, WILL’s policy work was used to support Governor Walker and Republican efforts to expand school choice for Wisconsin students with disabilities who were trapped in failing public schools. In 2015, the Special Needs Scholarship Program was established, but the law needed critical updates to remove barriers for students. Our research supported the initiative to amend the program, and in 2017 Governor Walker and Republicans did so.
WILL’s policy work also resulted in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) changing the designation of air quality zones in Sheboygan and Door counties. WILL’s research explained the impact of the federal designations, particularly its negative impact on businesses. In 2020, the EPA implemented WILL’s policy suggestions.
Delivering the Message
A critical component of the WILL mission is communication and public advocacy. Quite simply, we believe in our work, and we are dedicated to making every effort to amplify our research, highlight our litigation, and engage in the public square with clear, principled, and reasonable arguments.
To accomplish this mission, you can find the voices of WILL on your local radio stations or on your local television channel dozens of times each month – weighing in on current events, touting litigation and research, and holding government accountable. We regularly take our arguments to the pages of influential media outlets. Our work has been published or cited in the Wall Street Journal, Fox News, National Review, The Washington Examiner, The Federalist, The Hill, The Daily Caller, and dozens of other outlets, local and national. And with so much going on, we regularly email newsletters and press releases to our supporters.
We believe in a thoughtful, vibrant, and principled conservative movement
And we are committed to equipping that movement with quality research and strategic litigation on vital matters. The communications and public advocacy component ensure that WILL’s success is shared, not to pat ourselves on the back, but to advance our values.