'Wisconsin Lawyers Make a Difference' TV series heads north,
spots highlight Wausau lawyers
Attorneys Erin and Brynne McBride (front, right, and across table) assist low-income residents with law-related resources and legal advice at the newly formed Legal Grounds Wisconsin© Coffee House at the Merrill Public Library. The McBrides are cofounders of the coffee house, which serves as a community resource for residents to meet with volunteer attorneys about legal issues. They are attorneys for Wisconsin Judicare Inc in Wausau.
The State Bar is featuring attorneys Jim Connell and Erin and Brynne McBride, all of Wausau, in two 30-second television spots airing from October to December in central and northern Wisconsin. The " Wisconsin Lawyers Make a Difference" TV series, which is part of the State Bar's Branding the Profession initiative, highlights lawyers who demonstrate exemplary commitment to community or pro bono service.
Erin and Brynne McBride are cofounders of Legal Grounds Wisconsin®, a free legal coffeehouse offered monthly at the Merrill Public Library. Local area attorneys volunteer to answer brief questions on legal issues such as family law, landlord tenant matters, and small claims over a complimentary cup of coffee, provided by Starbucks™. The McBride's goal is to fulfill two dire needs of northern Wisconsin - the need to more effectively reach the low-income residents and to generate interest among Wisconsin lawyers in providing badly needed pro bono service. The clinic opened on Aug. 31 and is available to all Judicare-eligible clients who reside in the northern 33 counties.
Jim Connell, a partner with Crooks, Low & Connell S.C. in Wausau, has been providing representation to public defender cases for more than 25 years. " Jim shows an exceptional dedication to the needs of the less fortunate and works hard to represent each of his clients as fully as possible," notes Public Image Committee Chair Ann Brandau. " He offers his time and expertise to support the justice system often taking the most difficult cases - cases that are not popular such as defending a mother in a shaken baby case. Jim's belief in the Sixth Amendment right of representation epitomizes a lawyer who truly believes in justice for all."
The spots will air on WSAW, a CBS affiliate, and Charter cable stations, reaching more than 182,000 households with a potential total viewing audience of 340,000 people.
"This is our first 'Wisconsin Lawyers Make a Difference' effort in northern Wisconsin," says Brandau. " We are delighted to be spotlighting these three lawyers, and hope that the timing of the Legal Grounds kick off in late August with the State Bar TV spots will give added publicity to a well-deserved program. More spots are planned for Milwaukee and southeast Wisconsin next spring, and Green Bay-Fox Valley in the spring of 2007."
History of this initiative. The State Bar introduced its Branding the Profession initiative in the spring of 2002 to educate the public about the value lawyers bring to their communities. The initiative uses the three key qualities the public values most about lawyers - expert advice, problem-solving skills, and community service - in communications to the public.
To date the State Bar's TV spots have highlighted the efforts of attorneys working with Habitat for Humanity; volunteering as leaders of a local fire department and a search and rescue dive team; providing assistance in family law, child support, and domestic abuse matters to poor families who cannot afford to hire a lawyer; providing real estate law and local government law expertise to develop a soccer park benefiting thousands of children; helping with legal needs in the aftermath of a devastating tornado; creating a legal clinic that offers free advice on a variety of issues, and supporting a local food pantry.
TV spots aired from April to September 2004, reaching 23 counties in southern and central Wisconsin. Last winter the La Crosse County Bar Association (LCBA) partnered with the State Bar to produce a custom spot promoting La Crosse County lawyers' involvement a local food pantry. The LCBA spot aired in the La Crosse/Eau Claire viewing areas in conjunction with a State Bar spot, which aired statewide during the men's Badger basketball games.
For more information about the effort or to watch the TV spots, visit www.wisbar.org/brand or contact Teresa Weidemann-Smith at twsmith@wisbar.org, (800) 444-9404, ext. 6025, or (608) 250-6025.
The State Bar
