State Bar of Wisconsin

Lawyer regulation & discipline

• Rules governing lawyer conduct
• Wisconsin's lawyer regulatory system
• Lawyer trust and fiduciary accounts

Rules governing lawyer conduct

The Wisconsin Supreme Court supervises the practice of law in Wisconsin. In doing so, it has established rules governing lawyer conduct, Rules of Professional Conduct for Attorneys. Chapter 20 recently underwent the most comprehensive revision since the mid-1980s. On Jan. 5, 2007, the court issued order 04-07 formally adopting changes, effective on July 1, 2007. In addition to these rules, the court imposes other requirements as a condition of practicing law in Wisconsin, including active membership in the State Bar of Wisconsin and fulfilling continuing legal education requirements. Wisconsin's judiciary is governed by the Code of Judicial Ethics.

Related Supreme Court Rules

• Chapter 10 -- Regulation of the State Bar
• Chapter 11 -- Regulation of Members of the State Bar of Wisconsin
• Chapter 12 -- Client Protection
• Chapter 13 -- Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts Program
• Chapter 20A -- Rules of Professional Conduct for Attorneys (Preamble - 20:1.17) (effective until June 30, 2007)
• Chapter 20B -- Rules of Professional Conduct for Attorneys (20:2.1 - 20:8.5) (effective until June 30, 2007)
• Chapter 20 -- New Rules of Professional Conduct for Attorneys (effective July 1, 2007)
• Chapter 21 -- Lawyer Regulation System
• Chapter 22 -- Procedures for Lawyer Regulation System
• Chapter 30 -- Board of Bar Examiners
• Chapter 31 -- Continuing Legal Education
• Chapter 35 -- Eligibility for Appointment as Guardian ad Litem for a Minor
• Chapter 36 -- Eligibility for Appointment as Guardian ad Litem for a Adult
• Chapter 40 -- Admission to the Bar
• Chapter 50 -- Practical Training of Law Students
• Chapter 62 -- Standards of Courtesy and Decorum for the Courts of Wisconsin
• Search Supreme Court Rules

Wisconsin's lawyer regulatory system

The Wisconsin Supreme Court has charged the Office of Lawyer Regulation (OLR) with the responsibility for investigating lawyers who may have violated the Rules of Professional Conduct. If OLR finds clear and convincing evidence that an attorney has violated one of the court's rules, the office has the authority to seek sanctions against the attorney.

To learn more about the Wisconsin's lawyer regulation system, contact the OLR at 110 E. Main St., Suite 315, Madison, WI 53703, (608) 267-7274 or (877) 315-6941. Its Web site offers the following resources:

• an overview of the lawyer regulation system
• the process used to investigate a disciplinary matter
• how to file a grievance
• trust accounts and the overdraft program
• status of current disciplinary matters
• searchable compendium of private and public disciplinary matters
• Supreme court rules related to OLR and lawyer conduct

Lawyer trust and fiduciary accounts

What is the obligation of a lawyer to distribute funds or property held in trust for a client to another person or entity? Effective July 1, 2004, the Wisconsin Supreme Court repealed and recreated SCR 20:1.15, 244 KB, regarding lawyers' safekeeping of property, and trust accounts and fiduciary accounts. The amendments to SCR 20:1.15 were the most significant changes since the rule's inception in 1988. On April 12, 2007,  the Wisconsin Supreme Court approved a petition  filed by the State Bar to make certain modifications to the 2004 ruling, which was effective July 1, 2004. The petition was based on the recommendations of the State Bar’s Trust Account Working Group, appointed to propose revisions the rules.  The new rules will take effect July 1, 2007. Contact the Office of Lawyer Regulation for guidance on compliance with the new rule.

• Court Amends Lawyers' Trust Account Rules, Wisconsin Lawyer, June 2007 500 KB
• Executive Summary of Proposed Trust Account Rule Changes, April 2007 100 KB
• Clarifying the Trust Account Rule, Wisconsin Lawyer, May 2005
• Trust account overdraft program
• Trust Account Working Group Draft Proposal, December 2005 43.9 KB

Related links

• State Bar ethics books & products
• StateBar ethics seminars
• Wisconsin Lawyer ethics articles
• Wisconsin Lawyers' Fund for Client Protection
• Supreme Court Rules
• Office of Lawyer Regulation
• Chapter 60 - Code of Judicial Conduct
• Chapter 40.15 - Attorney's Oath
• ABA Center for Professional Responsibility
• American Legal Ethics Library