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  • WisBar News
    May 03, 2016

    ‘Be Honorable:’ 21 Sworn in as New Wisconsin Lawyers

    New Wisconsin lawyers took the Attorney’s Oath on May 2, 2016, after passing the bar exam in February. The State Bar of Wisconsin welcomes its new members.

    Shannon Green

    Taking the oath

    Attorneys took the oath in a ceremony May 2, 2016.

    Visit the State Bar’s Facebook page for more photos of this event, or click here.

    May 3, 2016 – There’s Brittney Jay Jefferies, pursuing civil litigation and landlord/tenant law in Milwaukee, and Richard Bogdan, newly employed in Schererville Indiana in civil defense. Bogdan, with a master’s degree in sports administration from Valparaiso University School of Law, hopes to pursue sports law.

    There’s also Amanda Follett, now licensed in Delaware as well as Wisconsin, with her lawyer-boyfriend, Jonathan Sacks. They met during their undergrad years at Lawrence University of Appleton, and attended Rutgers Law School in Newark, New Jersey, one year apart. The Wisconsin bar exam was Sacks’ third – he’s also licensed in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

    And new Wisconsin lawyer Alexander Seifert celebrated the day with his two movants: his sister, attorney Katherine Seifert of Menasha, and his mother, Winnebago County Circuit Court Judge Karen Seifert.

    The 21 attorneys sworn in as Wisconsin lawyers on May 2, 2016, come from across Wisconsin and from outside the state, including Michigan, Minnesota, and Colorado.

    The 56 Percent

    Jacquelynn Rothstein, director of the Board of Bar Examiners, said 56 percent of the 82 people who took the exam in February passed the test.

    Taking the oath

    Kaitlin Webster of Madison signs the roll, the last step before she becomes a Wisconsin lawyer.

    While it is a day worthy of celebration for the new Wisconsin lawyers, it is also a day for advice.

    It is important that lawyers understand their impact on people’s lives, Justice Annette Ziegler said during the admissions ceremony. “Set lofty goals – not necessarily monetary.”

    These goals should be true to the Attorney’s Oath. And they should be “embedded in your soul,” she said.

    Stay honest and work hard, she advised, and be honorable. “Life in the law done right will be filled with enormous opportunity,” Justice Ziegler said. “Dare to make the world a better place because you’re in it.”

    State Bar President Ralph Cagle urged the new Wisconsin lawyers to keep in mind issue of unequal access to justice – something that will continue to be a problem in the future.

    And, he said, as lawyers, you may find that opportunity takes you down a road you didn’t expect. “Keep learning,” he said, and “always keep your eye open to unexpected opportunity.”

    Visit the State Bar’s Facebook page for more photos of this event, or click here.

    Welcome to These New Wisconsin Lawyers:

    Richard Bogdan, Schererville, Indiana

    Jacob Evans, Green Bay

    Amanda N. Follett, West Bend

    Nicole Ashley Grabianowski, Parker, Colorado

    Megan McGee Heath, Kenosha

    Brittany Jay Jefferies, Milwaukee

    Jessica M. Klein, Milwaukee

    Wesley Kottke, Oakfield

    Samantha Langenbach, Marine, Minnesota

    Thomas Matuszak, Green Bay

    Jonathan Knoll McDonell, Whitewater

    Thomas G. Moran III, Wausau

    Bradley M. Musgrove, Rochester Hills, Michigan

    Claire G. Roehre, Mt. Pleasant

    Adam Ruff, Madison

    Jonathan E. Sacks, West Bend

    Alexander Paul Seifert, Antigo

    Joe Sexauer, Milwaukee

    Hannah Elise Smet, Van Dyne

    Clyde A. Taylor, Milwaukee

    Reijo Wahlin, Madison

    Kaitlin Webster, Madison



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