Renée Kowalski
Executive director and managing attorney
Renée runs the clinic and handles Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 cases.
Renée has spent her career on the side of people who owe money. Before Clearway she represented tenants and consumers, and kept meeting people whose problem wasn't the eviction or the lawsuit in front of them but the debt behind it.
She started the clinic so that those people could see a bankruptcy lawyer without paying one. She still meets new clients every week, and she'll tell you plainly when bankruptcy isn't the answer.
Admissions and education
Bar admissions
Wisconsin
2008
Courts
U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin
Education
J.D., University of Wisconsin Law School
2008
B.A., Sociology, Marquette University
2004
Languages
English
Memberships
National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys
Milwaukee Bar Association
How I work
Most people put off calling for months. By the time they reach us, they've already decided they're the problem. My first job is to take that off the table: you're dealing with a legal process, and it has rules that protect you.
I start every meeting by asking what keeps you up at night. Sometimes it's the house, sometimes it's a garnishment, sometimes it's a single collector who won't stop calling. We build the plan around that, not around the type of case that's easiest to file.
Talk to Renée
The first meeting is free for households that qualify.
Our help is free for households that qualify. The court's filing fee is separate; the court can waive it or let you pay it in installments.