CONTACT: Teresa Weidemann-Smith
State Bar of Wisconsin
(800) 444-9404, ext. 6025
twsmith@wisbar.org
State Bar of Wisconsin Annual Convention Welcomes 1,000 Wisconsin
attorneys in Milwaukee this week
MILWAUKEE, May 3, 2005 – More
than 1,000 attorneys are expected to gather in Milwaukee this week at
the 2005 State Bar of Wisconsin Annual Convention and Annual Judicial
Conference which features Bench and Bar Seminars. This combined event
marks the fourth time since 1988 that Wisconsin lawyers and judges have
gathered to discuss major legal issues. The three-day event features
such topics as building for success, terrorism and its affect on civil
liberties, the rights of military personnel and public privacy rights
and will be held May 4-6 at the Midwest Airlines Center in Milwaukee.
Convention highlights include:
Legal Expo 2005: noon to 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday; 8
a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday and
8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Friday at the Midwest Airlines Center Foyer
– offers more than 30 vendors and businesses that support the
legal community.
Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Programs: 1 p.m. to
4:35 p.m. on Wednesday; 9:50 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. on Thursday and 8:30 a.m.
to noon on Friday at the Midwest Airlines Center – provides
educational opportunities for attorneys to complete continuing legal
education credit requirements.
Wednesday, May 5
50 Year Members Recognition Luncheon: 11:30 a.m. to
12:45 p.m. at the Midwest Airlines Center Ballroom D –
Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson will
address 117 attorneys who were admitted to practice in 1955. State Bar
President Michelle Behnke will honor those attorneys who have served
with distinction during her term with the President's Award and the
recipients of the Wisconsin Law Foundation's Goldberg Award and Leonard
L. Loeb Senior Lawyers Division Award will be presented.
Joint Bench Bar Reception: 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at
the Hilton Hotel Monarch Ballroom, Upper Lobby – Supreme Court
Justice Jon Wilcox and Attorney Ronald Stadler will present the Judge of
the Year Award to Hon. Mark S. Gempeler and Hon. David A. Hansher and
Hon. Elsa Lamelas will present the Lifetime Jurist Achievement Award to
Judge Lee Wells.
Volunteer Lawyers Recognition Celebration: from 6:00
to 8:00 p.m. at the Hilton Regency Ballroom – A State Bar annual
program recognizing lawyers, law students and law firms who improve the
legal system's accessibility through community outreach, pro bono legal
services, and law-related education.
Thursday, May 6
Bench and Bar CLE Programs: from 8:30 to 5:00 pm at
the Midwest Airlines Center – specialized seminars feature lawyers
and judges exploring how the judiciary can better understand practicing
lawyers' issues. Topics include: what is justice in our society, how
does limited representation serve the client?, pro se and how it impacts
the legal system, the right to and availability of counsel and the
unauthorized practice of law.
Keynote luncheon speaker: Rhode Island Chief Justice Frank J.
Williams: from 11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. at the Midwest Airlines
Center Ballroom D – Chief Justice Williams will present, "Abraham
Lincoln and Civil Liberties: What we can learn from the 16th President."
He will outline how leaders throughout history have been presented with
tumultuous situations that threaten the security of the nation and the
civil liberties we treasure.
Presidential Swearing-in Ceremony: from 5:15 to 6:00
p.m. at the Hilton Crystal Ballroom/Ballroom Foyer –
President-elect D. Michael Guerin of Milwaukee will be sworn in as the
50th president of the State Bar of Wisconsin. Wisconsin Supreme Court
Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson will address the guests and administer
the oath of office.
Friday, May 7
Law Practice Symposium Breakfast: 7:15 a.m. to 8:20
a.m. at the Midwest Airlines Center Room 101CD – for the 25th
consecutive convention, the State Bar Law Practice Section will host a
breakfast symposium for attorneys to share best practices, successes and
challenges in managing a law practice.
The media is invited to attend.
The State Bar of Wisconsin is the mandatory professional
association, created by the Wisconsin Supreme Court, for attorneys who
hold a law license in Wisconsin. 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, and assists
Wisconsin lawyers in carrying out initiatives to educate the public
about the legal system. For more information, visit www.wisbar.org.
Wisconsin Lawyers. Expert Advisers. Serving
You.
Press Releases