Centro Legal

What Centro Legal does

Centro Legal is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal services organization founded in 1991 and headquartered at 611 W. National Ave., Suite 103, on the south side of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The organization provides free and low-cost legal representation, mediation, and community education to low-income individuals and families in the Milwaukee area, with a primary focus on family law (custody, placement, child support, divorce, paternity, property division, and restraining orders), domestic violence protection and advocacy, criminal misdemeanor defense, and Guardian ad Litem appointments. Its six service lines — Family Law Representation, Domestic Violence Program, Criminal Misdemeanor Defense, Guardian ad Litem, flat-fee Mediation, and Community Outreach — collectively serve more than 1,000 clients per year.

The organization operates with a small staff of approximately 6-7 professionals, including an Executive Director (Molly Dobberke Riehle), a Supervising Attorney (Cassidy Sandoval Baker), Staff Attorneys, a Legal Assistant, and a Development Coordinator. Service delivery is anchored in direct in-person and phone representation, weekly free Wednesday consultations, bilingual (English/Spanish) family law classes, and embedded presence at partner agency locations including domestic violence shelters. Underlying technology is limited to standard legal-services practice management and client intake/case management systems; no proprietary technology platform is disclosed.

The business model is grant- and donation-dependent rather than fee-driven. Over 80% of the operating budget is funded by charitable contributions from individuals, corporations, foundations, and law firms, supplemented by annual fundraising events such as the LeGala benefit. Client fees operate on a sliding scale tied to household gross monthly income and household size, with most adult clients paying a one-time flat fee at case initiation; domestic violence program participants pay no fees; and client fees cover only 10-15% of total operating costs. A separate flat-fee Mediation service offers an additional revenue stream. Distribution is hyper-local to Milwaukee County, with growth channels running through community partnerships with Sojourner Family Peace Center, UMOS Latina Resource Center, and the Hmong American Women's Association.

Name

Centro Legal

Legal name

Centro Legal

Website

https://centrolegalwisconsin.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Centro Legal is a Milwaukee-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1991 that provides free and low-cost legal representation in family law, domestic violence, criminal misdemeanor defense, guardian ad litem, and mediation matters to low-income individuals and families in the greater Milwaukee area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Aid Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Legal Services (5411), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM)

Keywords

• Legal aid services
• Family law representation
• Domestic violence advocacy
• Nonprofit legal services
• Mediation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Milwaukee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Client Fees: Sliding scale fees based on household income and family size. Most adult clients pay a one-time flat fee at case initiation. Clients in domestic abuse program pay no fees. Client fees cover approximately 10-15% of total operating costs.
2. Donations and Grants: Over 80% of budget funded through charitable donations from individuals, corporations, foundations, and grant funding. Centro Legal is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
3. Mediation Services: Flat-fee mediation services offered to couples going through divorce, provided by attorney-mediators.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Centro Legal provides free and low-cost legal representation in family law (divorce, custody, placement, child support, paternity, restraining orders), a specialized Domestic Violence Program, criminal misdemeanor defense, Guardian ad Litem appointments, and flat-fee mediation services for divorcing couples. Supporting these direct services, the organization offers Community Outreach including weekly free consultations and family law classes in English and Spanish at partner agency locations.

Product overview

Centro Legal provides a unified suite of legal services focused on access to justice for low-income individuals and families in the Milwaukee area. The core offerings include Client Representation for family law matters (custody, placement, child support, divorce, restraining orders), a specialized Domestic Violence Program, Criminal Misdemeanor Defense, Guardian ad Litem Services, and flat-fee Mediation Services. Supporting these direct legal services is Community Outreach, which provides free classes, consultations, and education on the court process. Services are offered on a sliding fee scale based on household income, with some programs provided free of charge.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Client Representation (Family Law) Free and low-cost legal representation in family law matters including child custody and placement, child support, divorce, property division, and restraining orders, serving low-income individuals and families in the Milwaukee area.
• Domestic Violence Services
• Guardian ad Litem (GAL) Services
• Criminal Misdemeanor Defense
• Mediation Services
• Community Outreach

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Sojourner Family Peace CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Sojourner Family Peace Center, one of the organizations sharing Centro Legal's goal of access and empowerment for domestic violence survivors in Milwaukee.
• UMOS Latina Resource CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with UMOS Latina Resource Center to provide legal services and outreach to the Latina community in Milwaukee.
• Hmong American Women's AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Hmong American Women's Association to serve the Hmong community's legal needs in the Milwaukee area.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Wisconsin Judicare: Wisconsin's federally funded legal services corporation grantee serving low-income clients with civil legal needs statewide. Comparable mission of access to justice for low-income clients with overlapping family law practice.
• Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee: A nonprofit legal aid organization serving low-income Milwaukee residents with civil legal issues including family law. Direct competitor for the same client base, donor pool, and grant funding as Centro Legal.
• Legal Action of Wisconsin: Statewide nonprofit legal aid provider serving low-income Wisconsinites across multiple practice areas including family law. Operates with a similar mission, model, and funding mix to Centro Legal across a broader geographic footprint.
• Milwaukee Justice Center: A courthouse-based self-help and legal services center in Milwaukee serving self-represented litigants. Comparable target population and family-court focus but emphasizes self-help over full representation.
• Catholic Charities of Milwaukee — Legal Services: Faith-based nonprofit providing legal services to low-income individuals and families in Milwaukee, including family law matters. Operates on a similar nonprofit, donation-funded model with overlapping client base.

Emerging players

• Upsolve: A tech-enabled nonprofit legal aid organization focused on bankruptcy filings for low-income Americans. Comparable nonprofit mission of access to justice, but with a digital-first, narrower-practice model that contrasts Centro Legal's community-led, multi-practice approach.
• Hello Divorce: An online platform offering guided divorce services including mediation. Comparable in serving divorcing couples via mediation (Centro Legal's flat-fee mediation service), but with a digital, self-serve model targeting a different income segment.
• End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin: Statewide domestic violence coalition that supports DV survivors and partner organizations in Wisconsin. Comparable focus on DV survivor advocacy and safety planning, with overlap on partnerships Centro Legal maintains (e.g., Sojourner Family Peace Center).
• Sojourner Family Peace Center: Milwaukee-based DV service provider and one of Centro Legal's core referral partners. Comparable mission serving DV survivors and overlapping client base, though Sojourner provides shelter and advocacy rather than legal representation.

Broad incumbents

• Legal Services Corporation: The federal funder of civil legal aid in the United States and indirect supporter of many organizations comparable to Centro Legal. Relevant as the broader ecosystem and funding source for nonprofit legal aid organizations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Centro_Legal

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Centro Legal