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Inside the Bar
December 2006

Foundation inducts 2006 Class of Fellows; Guest speaker cites importance of symbiotic relationship with China

Thirteen lawyers were inducted into the 2006 Class of Fellows of the Wisconsin Law Foundation on Nov. 14 in Madison. More than 75 guests attended the annual black tie event with featured speaker Charles Irish, U.W. Law School Sherwood R. Volkman-Bascom Distinguished Teaching Professor and founding director of the East Asian Legal Studies Center.

Steve Sorenson, Fellows Board of Trustees president, and Alyson Zierdt, Fellows Membership Committee chair, welcomed the class, noting that the individuals who are elected to the Fellows not only are outstanding lawyers but also are individuals who have contributed significantly to their communities, to the profession, and to the rule of law.

2006 fellows

Fellows of the Wisconsin Law Foundation class of 2006: Christine Bremer-Muggli, Wausau; Richard Podell, Milwaukee; Jon Axelrod, Madison; Charles Hanson, La Crosse; Joseph Kearney, Milwaukee; Robert Burns, Green Bay; Dennis Coffey, Milwaukee; and Scott Hansen, Milwaukee. Missing: James Macy, Oshkosh; Dennis Purtell, Milwaukee; the Hon. C. A. Richards, Hudson; Edward Williams, Oshkosh; and Keith Zehms, Eau Claire.

Irish, who teaches courses on U.S. individual and business taxation, international taxation, tax policy, international business transactions, and legal issues involving North America and East Asia, spoke about the need for a symbiotic relationship between the United States and China to ensure a healthy global economy. He noted that more than 300,000 million Chinese are studying or speaking English. He also noted that China has sustained one of the world's fastest economic growth rates for the last two decades, and the five-year forecast is that this trend will continue.

The Class of 2006 is the seventh class inducted to the Fellows program increasing membership to 174.

Fellows are elected by the Fellows Board of Trustees.