Dec. 7, 2016 – People give for a variety of reasons – the desire to help others, personal experience with a program or organization, because it just makes us feel good – but everyone wants their gift to make an impact.

Donating to the Wisconsin Law Foundation ensures your gift will make a difference.

As the charitable arm of the State Bar of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Law Foundation promotes public understanding of the law, and supports creative programs that have a long-lasting, positive impact on Wisconsin youth and adults.

Your support will empower us in 2017 to:

• Bring our court system to life for more than 1,000 students across Wisconsin with the High School Mock Trial program;

• Support crucially needed teen court programs across our state;

• Invest in the development and mentoring of the next generation of leaders in our profession;

• Engage hundreds of Wisconsinites to better understand our third branch of government through the Our Courts Wisconsin program;

• Cultivate new initiatives that enhance and support diversity in our profession;

• Fund individual grants to innovative programs that improve our justice system; and

• Enable up to 24 future State Bar leaders to participate in the State Bar Annual Meeting & Conference.

Your 2017 gift will help grow these programs. New initiatives in 2016 include:

The Greater Wisconsin Initiative Bus Tour

Lawyers are becoming scarcer in some of Wisconsin’s rural areas, making legal services less readily accessible to residents in those areas, while young lawyers have difficulty finding jobs.

Enter the Greater Wisconsin Initiative bus tour, which aims to alleviate both issues by connecting law students and new lawyers with life and employment opportunities in rural Wisconsin.

The Greater Initiative Bus Tour group poses for a photo with the Hodag in Rhinelander on Oct. 7, 2016.

Bolstered with a grant from the Wisconsin Law Foundation, the tour, sponsored by the New Lawyers Challenges Committee, visited Rhinelander and Marinette in October. More than 30 lawyers and law students met with local judges, attorneys, and community and business leaders, and learned more about life and practice in northern Wisconsin.

The initiative highlights the potential for rewarding and satisfying careers outside our state’s more urban areas, and promotes access to justice in these communities, as well as assists senior lawyers in these areas with succession planning.

The Belle Case La Follette Awards

Practicing in an area with limited access to legal services is a challenge, especially for new lawyers struggling under the burden of law school debt.

Annabelle Vang is one of the first recipients of the Belle Case La Follette Awards, which help new lawyers provide services to the underserved. Vang, an attorney with Kowalski Family Law LLC, Madison, works with victims of domestic abuse in seven counties.

To help new lawyers who commit to working in underserved areas, the Wisconsin Law Foundation recently established the new Belle Case La Follette Awards. They provide $2,000 each to three recent law school graduates who represent underserved populations – people who have difficulty affording legal services and those in rural areas with limited access to legal services.

The awards are made possible by generous contributions from the members of the Wisconsin Law Foundation and the State Bar of Wisconsin Senior Lawyers Division.

The G. Lane Ware Leadership Academy

The G. Lane Ware Leadership Academy is a multi-session training program. It enhances leadership skills, inspires leadership involvement, builds professional networks, and fosters the professional development of a diverse group of lawyers.

The first session was held Nov. 4; two more sessions are set for Feb. 3 and April 28, 2017. The goal of the Leadership Academy is to improve the leadership skills of lawyers who are interested in becoming leaders in their local community and bar associations, state or local government organizations, or with the State Bar.

And There’s More

These are just a few of the people and programs that depend on the Wisconsin Law Foundation for their continued success. Even a $10 donation can make a major impact on your profession, future leaders, and local community. Donate now.