March 1, 2023 – Next month, two candidates from the Madison area will square off for the post of State Bar of Wisconsin president-elect. In this Q&A, Jane Bucher and Marisol González Castillo discuss their ideas for meeting the challenges facing the State Bar, if elected.

González Castillo is an associate in the Madison office of Hawks Quindel, S.C. She practices personal injury and worker’s compensation law.

Bucher is a senior attorney with Russell Law Offices, S.C. She practices family law and criminal defense in the firm’s Brodhead office.

You can learn more about the candidates in this profile article, which was published in January.

The president-elect serves a one-year term, followed by a one-year term as president.

This year, all State Bar elections (including those for State Bar divisions and sections) will be held by electronic ballot. Ballots will be emailed by Friday, April 14. The election closes on April 28 at noon Central time.

In your opinion, what makes a successful State Bar president?

Jane Bucher: A successful bar president is:

- responsive to State Bar members and the communities and individuals served by those members;

- conscientious of the needs of the legal system including those areas in need of improvement;

- dynamic and future-oriented as the practice of law continues to change rapidly;

- aware of the challenges facing Bar members and the legal profession on a national level;

- connected to law schools, other professional associations, and alumni groups;

- able to work collaboratively across practice areas and disciplines to build consensus; and

- visible and active in the legal community and available to members and other stakeholders.

Marisol González Castillo: I believe that a successful State Bar president is someone who has a good understanding of the way the State Bar works, brings new experiences and perspectives to the role, and is open to others’ opinions and encourages those opinions. These are imperative to pushing and moving the State Bar forward because bringing new perspectives and experiences will only benefit the State Bar in being innovative and finding new solutions and avenues for any issues facing the State Bar.

Being open to and encouraging others’ opinions is also important because the State Bar serves a wide range of members with different ideas and backgrounds. In order to best serve our entire membership, the State Bar president must encourage members to share their ideas. Ultimately, an understanding of the workings of the State Bar is crucial because this will allow the flow of work and furtherance of projects to run smoothly.

The State Bar has about 25,000 members (15,000 active in Wisconsin), 24 sections, and four divisions. How can the State Bar best serve a membership with such diverse needs and different challenges?

Marisol González Castillo: This goes back to my first answer on what makes a successful State Bar president. In order to be able to serve the needs and challenges of all members, the State Bar must be open to different opinions and encourage these opinions to be voiced. Without this open communication, the State Bar may never know what their members in certain areas need, are unhappy with, or the ideas they have for the State Bar. Because of this large and diverse membership, new perspectives and new ideas are important to even attempt to meet the needs and challenges of all members. There will definitely be conflicting ideas and then the State Bar must think of the State Bar membership at that moment but also the membership in the future in order to make the best decisions.

Jane Bucher: The State Bar can best serve its members by listening to the voices of the members and ensuring that the individual members understand how to have their voices heard. If elected State Bar President, I intend to ensure that all members have access to myself as well as their respective representatives. Engagement is key and the State Bar needs to ensure that the methods of engaging members are working across practice areas, geographical location, and experience level.

When I started serving on the Board of Governors, it was one my first opportunities since law school to regularly connect with attorneys from a wide variety of practice areas. Previously, as a criminal defense attorney, I had interacted primarily with other criminal justice system actors. My work on the Board of Governors helped me realize the untapped potential inherent in fostering meaningful connections between attorneys across practice areas, experience levels and geography. Fostering connections such as these enriches the practice of law for all attorneys, improves access to justice and strengthens the legal system.

Where do you see the future of the legal profession headed, and what can the State Bar do to best prepare its members for the future?

Jane Bucher: I believe that technology will continue to impact the practice of law and that the State Bar must remain dynamic and prepared to pivot as we did during the pandemic. As technology inevitably changes the way we practice, we need to ensure that the use of technology does not erode our effectiveness as attorneys, nor negatively impact the rights of clients. We also need to ensure that the availability of technology does not harm the work-life balance of attorneys. As an example, when I started practicing, checking email on a smart phone was not yet commonplace, obviously this has drastically changed over the past decade. While easy access to email is convenient, the level of accessibility can be overwhelming, and we need to ensure that we engender a legal culture that allows attorneys to find a balance between zealous advocacy and constant availability.

Marisol González Castillo: It is hard to exactly say what the future of the legal profession is other than it is everchanging and becoming more diverse. The best way for the State Bar to prepare its members for the future is to have a good connection with its members and community from which it can learn about the changes, issues, and problems as fast as possible. The State Bar members are those in the front lines and are therefore the best ones to connect with to know about changes occurring and developing. The community is who is facing the challenges as they occur and who are oftentimes seeking help from the legal community or other programs early on. Good and constant communication with members and the community will help the State Bar prepare and be best suited to help its members prepare for the future.

What, if anything, should the State Bar be doing differently to ensure the organization is providing significant value for all members?

Marisol González Castillo: Improve the communication with its membership to ensure that members are taking advantage of the many programs and help that the State Bar has to offer. Improved communication will help members get connected to existing programs and tools but will also allow for the State Bar to learn from members about resources that may be lacking. This will help the State Bar understand the needs of its members and move forward with changes. These changes can be in the form of new programs, improving existing programs, or ending programs that are not serving the membership.

Jane Bucher: I addressed this to some extent in question number two. We need to ensure that we are engaging with our members in the manner in which they wish to be engaged. If elected, I would plan to survey the membership to determine how the members view the benefits that they receive from the State Bar. As part of this endeavor, I would hope to determine areas in which we can increase our value to members as well as ensure that the methods that we use to engage with members are working for our diverse membership. Furthermore, I would be responsive to input from non-members with a view towards ensuring that the State Bar continues to be of service to non-member stakeholders.

Is there a specific problem that you would address, or a specific goal that you would like to achieve as State Bar president?

Jane Bucher: There are many goals that are important to me as outlined in my platform statement. Specifically, I would prioritize continuing to work towards common sense criminal justice reform, including but not limited to, raising the age of adult jurisdiction to 18 and continuing the work to ensure proper funding for the criminal justice system. I would also continue and expand the access to justice initiatives and efforts. Finally, I believe that increasing diversity in the legal profession and continuing to ensure that attorneys have access to competent education about implicit bias and institutional racism are essential to ensuring an equitable legal system.

Marisol González Castillo: I would like to work on improving the connection with the State Bar and its members. There are a lot of members who are unaware of what the State Bar does and are unaware of the many resources that their membership provides. This unawareness can create and does create friction within the State Bar and its members and a concern from members about what it is they are personally gaining from this organization. This lack of connection is not only a disservice for the State Bar but for the members asking these questions. One of my stated goals, if elected, is to connect the membership more with the State Bar. Inform them in ways that are actually reaching them about the many ways that the State Bar can help them and foster a stronger connection between the state bar and its members.

Bonus Question: Finish this sentence in 30 words or less: I am the best person to lead the State Bar because:

Marisol González Castillo: I bring knowledge of how the State Bar works and new perspectives and ideas due to my background, the jobs I have held, and the experiences I have had.

Jane Bucher: I have experience working to build consensus across practice areas and disciplines to improve legal systems.