Oct. 9, 2023 – It’s not always easy to keep up with what’s happening at the Capitol. Each biennial legislative session, more than 1,000 (and sometimes close to 2,000) bills are introduced. Thousands of committee meetings and public hearings are scheduled, and amendments are made and adopted that can significantly change the bills they affect. Even after passage, bills can be vetoed or partially vetoed by the Governor.

The State Bar’s Advocacy team works hard to decode and simplify this process, helping to ensure that its members have the most up-to-date information on legislative happenings and can quickly and easily engage with their lawmakers on topics important to the legal profession.

One way the Advocacy team does this is by giving presentations and organizing meetings with members around the state. The most recent meeting took place Oct. 4 in Eau Claire and co-hosted by Women Lawyers of the North, a new voluntary nonprofit organization whose purpose is to promote the personal and professional development of women lawyers. The invitation to attend was open to all State Bar members in the Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls area. With 18 lawyers in attendance, the State Bar Senior Government Relations Lobbyist Cale Battles and Grassroots Outreach Coordinator Devin Martin gave a 50-minute CLE presentation titled “Attorney’s Guide and Best Practices: Understanding and Engaging in the Legislative Process.” An update on the most recent legislative session and a refresher on the State Bar’s legislative work was followed by an overview of how grassroots engagement can and does impact Wisconsin policies that affect the legal profession.

In addition presentations, the Advocacy team also publishes regular updates here in Rotunda Report and Inside Track. You will also find occasional but regular features in Wisconsin Lawyer, including an article in the October issue that details how grassroots action helped achieve increases in funding for the criminal justice system.

If your firm, local or specialty Bar would like to have the Advocacy team present or are interested in organizing a meeting with State Bar members and local legislators, reach out to Devin Martin at dmartin@wisbar.org.