Attorneys Honored with Mentorship Awards

MADISON, April 25, 2005 – The State Bar of Wisconsin will bestow Mentorship Awards to six Wisconsin attorneys for their exemplary service to the legal profession. The awards will be presented at the "Building for Success" seminar on May 4th during the State Bar's annual convention at the Wyndham Hotel in Milwaukee. Award recipients will be recognized for their professionalism and willingness to assist new lawyers and law students entering the practice of law.

"These individuals are being honored as outstanding examples of service and commitment to the State Bar," said Attorney Nathan Fishbach, seminar program co-chair. "Not only have these individuals achieved professional excellence, but they've taken time from their careers to mentor and support young lawyers."

The Honorable Tom Barrett, Mayor of Milwaukee, will deliver the luncheon address on the importance and value of law as a profession. Those receiving Mentorship Awards include:

Attorney Michelle A. Behnke, a sole practitioner in Madison, practices in the areas of business sale and acquisition, commercial and residential real estate, and estate planning. As the current President of the State Bar of Wisconsin and a 1988 graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School, she has a long history of service with the State Bar including serving on the Board of Governors, as treasurer and as Chair of the board. She has also served on the Diversity Outreach Committee, the Rules and Bylaws Committee, and the Executive and Finance Committees. She is a member of the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Wisconsin, the Dane County Bar Association, Wisconsin Association of African-American Lawyers and the Legal Association of Women.

Attorney R. George Burnett, a past President of the State Bar of Wisconsin, is a partner at the Liebmann, Conway, Olejniczak & Jerry, S.C. law firm in Green Bay. He received his undergraduate degree from Marquette University and his law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School. He served as a law clerk for the Hon. Harlington Wood at the United States Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit. He is an elected fellow to the American College of Trial Lawyers and American Board of Trial Advocates. He is past chair of the Litigation Section and the immediate past president of the State Bar of Wisconsin.

Attorney Richard L. Cates, a founding partner at the Lawton & Cates S.C. law firm in Madison, received his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College and his law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School. He has taught hundreds of lawyers in his trail advocacy courses over the years and has mentored numerous young lawyers.

Attorney Gerald M. O'Brien of Stevens Point is past President of the State Bar of Wisconsin. He graduated with honors from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1959. He is certified as a Civil Trial Specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. He is the recipient of numerous awards including the Charles Goldberg Award for lifetime achievement in the legal profession. His practice is concentrated in personal injury and business litigation, products liability and labor and employment law.

Attorney Pamela Pepper, a solo criminal defense practitioner in Milwaukee, has served as a federal prosecutor in Milwaukee and Chicago. She clerked for Frank M. Johnson, Jr. on the Eleventh Circuit. Licensed in Illinois and Wisconsin she practices in federal district courts in Milwaukee, Madison and Chicago. She is vice-president of the Milwaukee Bar Association, secretary of the State Bar and treasurer for the Association for Women Lawyers. She sits on the board of the Federal Defender and the Wisconsin State Public Defender and is an adjunct professor at Marquette Law School.

The Honorable J. P. Stadtmueller of Milwaukee currently serves as one of six Article III United States District Judges in the Eastern District of Wisconsin (comprised of 28 eastern Wisconsin counties). As a trial judge, his caseload includes both civil and criminal cases. His editorial support and a unanimous "Well Qualified" rating from the American Bar Association resulted in his judicial nomination receiving immediate consideration by the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Senate, where he was confirmed the same day his nomination was reported out of the Committee. He is active in the American Law Institute; Federal Judges Association; Judicial Conference of the United States; Eastern District of Wisconsin Bar Association, Seventh Circuit Bar Association; and state Bar of Wisconsin with other young attorneys.

For additional information on the awards or to register for the "Building for Success" seminar, visit www.wisbar.org/cle/seminars or call (800) 728-7788.

The State Bar of Wisconsin is the mandatory professional association, created by the Wisconsin Supreme Court, for attorneys who hold a Wisconsin law license. With more than 21,000 members, the State Bar aids the courts in improving the administration of justice, provides continuing legal education for its members to help them maintain their expertise, and assists Wisconsin lawyers in carrying out community service initiatives to educate the public about the legal system and the value of lawyers.

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