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Wisconsin Lawyer
Vol. 76, No. 9, September 2003

Letters

Letters to the editor: The Wisconsin Lawyer publishes as many letters in each issue as space permits. Please limit letters to 500 words; letters may be edited for length and clarity. Letters should address the issues, and not be a personal attack on others. Letters endorsing political candidates cannot be accepted. Please mail letters to "Letters to the Editor," Wisconsin Lawyer, P.O. Box 7158, Madison, WI 53707-7158, fax them to (608) 257-4343, or email them to wislawyer@wisbar.org.

Nonresident lawyers deserve respect from Wisconsin judges

How do we, as nonresident lawyers, get Wisconsin judges to stop discriminating against us?

I recently sent a letter to a judge in Milwaukee on behalf of a person I was trying to help. On my letterhead, I state that I am licensed to practice law in Wisconsin. When I signed my letter, I included my Wisconsin Bar number. From the bench, the judge told the lady I was trying to help: "She's not authorized to practice law in the state of Wisconsin, to my knowledge, but I did receive what she sent to the court." This is not the first time this has happened.

What the heck? I have been a member of the Wisconsin Bar since 1985. I pay my $300-plus annual dues to the Wisconsin Bar and take required CLE classes like every other Wisconsin lawyer. The fact that I use a New Jersey address should not relegate me to second-class status as a lawyer when practicing law in Wisconsin.

I would appreciate a little more respect from our judges for nonresident lawyers.

Anne T. Sulton
West Windsor, N.J.

Eberlein law firm, active since 1896

Several years ago the Wisconsin Lawyer ran an article about Wisconsin law firms that were active for more than 100 years. Omitted from the article was my law firm, Eberlein & Menard, still active after 107 years. [Editor's Note: Please see Following in the Family Footsteps, 71 Wis. Law. 14 (Aug. 1998)].

For more about a founding member, see the Wisconsin Supreme Court memorial of the Hon. M.G. Eberlein Sr., 2 Wis. 2d 2, and Lexis.

Frederic C. Eberlein
Shawano

Wisconsin Lawyer