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  • InsideTrack
  • June 01, 2017

    UW Admissions: Rising to the Challenge - State Bar Welcomes 82 New Wisconsin Lawyers

    The State Bar of Wisconsin welcomes 82 new Wisconsin lawyers on May 31, graduates of the U.W. Law School, ready for the challenges of working in the legal profession.

    Shannon Green

    • Admittees take the oath
    • Stephanie Klein signs the Supreme Court Roll book
    • Matthew Moertel points to his name on the name wall.
    • Taking the Oath
    • Emmeline Lee points to name on name wall.

    Visit the State Bar’s Facebook page for more photos from each admissions ceremony - or jump to albums for the 9 a.m., 10 a.m., and 11 a.m. ceremonies.

    June 1, 2017 – It’s not every day that the president of the State Bar of Wisconsin vouches for your character and fitness in front of the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

    But that’s just what President Fran Deisinger did for UW Law School graduate Evan Gorelick – a close childhood friend of Deisinger’s son John, living near each other in the Milwaukee area – at the admissions ceremony May 31 in Madison.

    “He’s probably spent more time in my home than any other non-family member,” Deisinger said of Gorelick, whose first memory of the Deisingers and John was eating brownies at their house at about age 10.

    Deisinger is “definitely” an influence on Gorelick – not on his decision to attend law school, but on what it means to be a lawyer. “Fran has always been incredibly gracious and is an unbelievably warm person. He exudes professionalism and ethics. I want to be this type of lawyer.”

    Gorelick, along with 81 other UW graduates, took the Attorney’s Oath before the Supreme Court and signed the Supreme Court Roll book to become Wisconsin lawyers.

    Evan Goerlick

    New Wisconsin lawyer Evan Goerlick, left, with Nate Deisinger, son of State Bar President Fran Deisinger.

    Hopes and Goals

    Among the new lawyers who took the oath in three separate ceremonies in the Supreme Court Hearing Room was Ellaf Mohsin, a native of Oman.

    Mohsin was living in Saudi Arabia in 2011 when she witnessed the uprisings and protests across the Middle East known as the “Arab Spring.” Lawyers, she saw, were helping defend activists who were imprisoned. She was inspired to pursue law to help those who don’t have a voice. She will work for Operation Welcome Home, helping the homeless in Madison.

    Ben Slatkey is not only the first college graduate in his family, but the first lawyer. He’s worked as a paralegal, and is headed into business and bankruptcy law.

    Whitney Ederer is headed into health law – in addition to earning her J.D., she has recently graduated with a master’s degree in public health. To help put Whitney through law school and her siblings through college, her parents farmed 51 dairy cows every day for the past several years.

    Whitney Ederer

    Whitney Ederer gives a thumbs-up to family members before the start of the 9 a.m. ceremony.

    New lawyer Connor Griffiths is aiming for a career in criminal law, says his mother, Jennifer Griffiths. Connor decided to become a lawyer after his first-hand experience in the divorce of his parents while he was in middle school, which, Jennifer says, was rough. “He wants to show that the system can work better than it did for us,” she said.

    For Bethany Wilson, whose uncle, Illinois and Washington D.C. lawyer Garth Wilson, vouched for her character and fitness, her uncle was an inspiration. He flew in to Madison for the ceremony. “He mentored me the entire way,” she said.

    Shannon Green is communications writer for the State Bar of Wisconsin, Madison. She can be reached by email or by phone at (608) 250-6135.

    Kelly Freeman, who had her third child just 10 weeks ago, has accepted a partner position at a law firm in Beloit.

    Originally from Texas, William Martin intends to begin working at a firm in Milwaukee. Jack Huerter will law clerk for a federal district court in Minnesota, and Kathryn Fifield will work as a law clerk for the Minnesota Supreme Court.

    Wisdom and Advice

    The admittees heard wisdom and advice from speakers during the ceremony, including Justice Annette Ziegler. “Being a lawyer is a privilege and responsibility,” she said. “Rise to the challenge. Be honorable – you have only one reputation.”

    The admissions ceremony

    Justice Annette Ziegler, second from left, talks to admittees during the 10 a.m. ceremony about the portraits on the wall of the Supreme Court Hearing Room, which depict significant moments in the history of the rule of law.

    Learn from failure, and be involved. “Law is not a spectator sport,” Justice Ziegler said.

    “Forget injuries from other lawyers that occur in a tense moment,” advised Chief Justice Patience Roggensack. “It’s all about developing the habit of having grace under fire.”

    Welcome to these New Wisconsin Lawyers

    Dayo M. Adesuyi, Madison

    Monica Anderson, Madison

    Kelsey E. Annen, Madison

    Sofia Nicole Ascorbe, Madison

    Amaidani Boncenor, Madison

    Lucie T. Butner, Madison

    Zachary Carlson, New Lenox, Illinois

    Samuel Case, Minneapolis

    Molly Cohen, Shorewood

    Matthew Christopher Coker, Madison

    Myranda Cotant, Madison

    Sophie Crispin, Madison

    Nick Dalla Santa, Racine

    Joseph S. Diedrich, Madison

    Bryon Eagon, Madison

    Whitney Ann Ederer, Madison

    Brent Eisberner, Sun Prairie

    Riad Thomas El-Azem, Brookfield

    Robb M. Evans, Madison

    Kaitlin Farquharson, Madison

    Kathryn E. Fifield, Madison

    Chelsea Fischer, Sussex

    Kelly J. Freeman, Beloit

    Jesse Fruchter, Madison

    Evan A. Gorelick, Milwaukee

    Thomas Albert Griesbach, Manitowoc

    Wm. Connor Griffiths, Pleasant Prairie

    Miranda Heimstreet, Madison

    Kai Hovden, Madison

    Jack Huerter, Minnetonka, Minnesota

    Megan Humphreys, Madison

    Teuta Jonuzi, Madison

    Nicole Kalupa, Elm Grove

    James Franklyn Kelly, Madison

    Benjamin M. Killips, Madison

    Stephanie Lynn Klein, Madison

    Eric W. Klemm, Fitchburg

    Nicholas J. Korger, Oshkosh

    Cecilia Kress, Madison

    Daniel E. Larsen, Cedarburg

    Emmeline Lee, Aitkin, Minnesota

     

    Patrick Leitheiser, Madison

    Christopher Line, Madison

    Margaret Malloy, Milwaukee

    Eric Martin, Madison

    Kristin L. Martin, Madison

    William Martin, Madison

    C. Remington McConnell, Madison

    C. Matthew Moertel, Madison

    Ellaf Mohsin, Madison

    Jonathan Lawrence Morse, Traverse City, Michigan

    Christina L. Nannini, Carol Stream, Illinois

    Christian Justin Ness, Madison

    Christopher Michael Nienhaus, Madison

    Courtney C. Nussbaumer, Madison

    Hayley Painter, Madison

    Jélan Passley, Madison

    Kathryn Pfefferle, Madison

    Alex Phillips, Pulaski

    David Pierce Jr., LaCrosse

    Olivia Pietrantoni, Madison

    Amanda Michelle Postel, Madison

    Samantha Jo Richie, Madison

    Vanessa Marie Rodriguez, Los Angeles

    Amanda Maria Roush, Sheboygan

    Davis Runde, Wausau

    Daniel Schneider, Madison

    Brittany Schoenick, Madison

    Ben James Slatky, Milwaukee

    Jessica K. Slind, Madison

    Elizabeth L. Spencer, Madison

    Aaron J. Stauffacher, Darlington

    Connor Jon Valentyn, Madison

    Shelby L. Wallace, Mineral Point

    Lauren Weber, Madison

    Miles Whitt, Madison

    Bethany Clare Wilson, Madison

    Courtney Wilson, Madison

    Jeremy Wodajo, Milwaukee

    Kendrick Yandell, Milwaukee

    Melissa Zabkowicz, Milwaukee

    Sean H. Znachko, Encinitas, California


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