For Immediate Release
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CONTACT: Jason Westphal
State Bar of Wisconsin
(800) 444-9404, ext. 6077
jwestphal@wisbar.org |
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Madison attorney is new president-elect of the State Bar of
Wisconsin
Wausau's Dietrich to serve second term as treasurer
MADISON, April 25, 2003 - Attorney Michelle
A. Behnke has been named president-elect of the State Bar of
Wisconsin after winning a statewide election of Wisconsin lawyers.
Behnke will serve as president-elect for one year before taking over as
president of the State Bar for a one-year term, beginning July 1, 2004.
She defeated fellow Dane County lawyer, Earl Munson, in the election and
will succeed Atty. George Burnett of Green Bay as president.
"I am honored to have been elected by the members of the State Bar
and I look forward to serving my profession," Behnke remarked. "The
State Bar is committed to assisting the court system in improving the
administration of justice, providing continuing legal education for its
members and educating the public about the legal system. I am excited to
have the opportunity to work with lawyers from around the state as we
endeavor to carry out this mission statement and serve our respective
communities."
Behnke received her undergraduate degree in economics from the
University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1983 and her law degree from the
University of Wisconsin Law School in 1988. As a solo practitioner, her
practice focuses on formation, sale and acquisition of businesses,
commercial and residential real estate and estate planning. Behnke is a
past chair of the State Bar's Board of Governors and was previously
elected to serve as treasurer of the State Bar from 1995-97. She has
served on a number of Bar committees, is a member of the Board of
Visitors for the University of Wisconsin Law School and acts as the
current chair of the Supreme Court's Appointment Selection Committee.
Behnke serves her community by participating on the St. Mary's Hospital
and Care Center Foundation Board and the Board of Trustees of Edgewood
High School.
Also on Friday, the Bar announced that Wausau's Dean
Dietrich has been re-elected to the association's top financial
post. By beating Milwaukee City Attorney Grant Langley for the position,
he will assume the duties of his second two-year term on July 1.
Dietrich, of Wausau's Ruder, Ware & Michler LLC, graduated from
Marquette University Law School in 1977. A member of the Bar's Board of
Governors for the majority of the past decade, he has also served as
chair of the Professional Ethics Committee (2000 02) and Finance
Committee (2001-present). Dietrich is a current member of the
Professionalism Committee and a former director/president of the Young
Lawyers Division. Back home, he gives back to his community as vice
chair of the Community Health Care - Wausau Hospital Board of Directors,
as a member of the Wausau Area Catholic Schools Finance Committee, as
president of the Wausau Early Bird Rotary Club and as president of the
Marathon County Youth Hockey Association.
"I am really pleased to be re-elected to serve as treasurer of the
State Bar," commented Dietrich. "I have worked extremely hard over the
past few years to help bring stability to the financial structure of the
organization, and I look forward to working with President Burnett and
the new president-elect to ensure that the Bar continues to provide
valuable programs and services to Wisconsin attorneys and the
public."
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 20,000 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.
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