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<td style="padding-left:10px; padding-top:10px; padding-bottom:10px; padding-right:15px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:10pt;">DECEMBER 15, 2016</td>
<td style="padding-left:10px; padding-top:10px; padding-bottom:10px; padding-right:15px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:10pt;"><strong>Welcome to Bar Briefs, your quick weekly collection of practice tips,<br />
membership benefits, upcoming events, new products, and more!
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<h2 style="color: #045394;"><img src="
http://images.wisbar.org/Images/DigestEmails/DiverseTree_150w.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="237" align="right"/>Breaking Down Buzzwords </h2>
<p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;"><strong>Today’s buzzword is “Diversity.” </strong></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">Business Dictionary defines workforce diversity as “similarities and differences among employees in terms of age, cultural background, physical abilities and disabilities, race, religion, sex, and sexual orientation.”<sup style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 0; ">1</sup> Research has shown that having a diverse workforce:</p>
<ul style="margin-top: 7px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<li>spurs innovation and increases creativity<sup style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 0; ">2</sup>
</li><li>makes for easier recruitment and retention<sup style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 0; ">3</sup>
</li><li>helps capture the full market<sup style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 0; ">4</sup>
</li><li>boosts the bottom line<sup style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 0; ">5</sup></li></ul>
<p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">Increasingly, companies large and small are making workforce diversity an organizational goal. Adding diversity to your mission statement is a nice start, but how do you make it happen? Let’s start by looking at what doesn’t work. For years, companies relied on techniques that focused on controlling bias to increase diversity, but recent research shows these ideas are having the opposite effect.<sup style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 0; ">6</sup></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;"><strong>Mandatory diversity training</strong> – The results last only a few days and can actually cause adverse reactions, as many trainings focus on negative messages and can spark defensive backlash. </p><p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;"><strong>Performance ratings</strong> – Raters tend to look less favorably on the achievements of women and minorities, or they give everyone high marks so they can apply raises and promotions as they see fit. </p><p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;"><strong>Complaint protocols</strong> – These systems are often too transparent and can lead to retaliation. This discourages employees from speaking up when there is a problem. </p><p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">If traditional diversity strategies don’t work, how CAN you build a diverse practice? Harvard Business Review evaluated data collected from more than 800 companies, and the results suggest the following
ways to cultivate diversity effectively.<sup style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 0; ">7</sup>
</p><p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;"><strong>College recruitment or mentorship programs</strong> – Ask for volunteers in your practice to take part in recruiting or mentoring programs that target women and minorities. Employees are motivated to participate because it shows their commitment to the company, and these programs give them a personal stake in the success. </p><p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;"><strong>Self-managed teams </strong>– Put together teams of people from throughout your organization to work on projects as equals, no matter who outranks whom. When given a common goal, working together is one of the best ways to break down stereotypes. </p><p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">A valuable goal for any business, diversity is actionable and attainable. You just have to look past its “buzz” and create systems in your organization that foster growth instead of forcing change.
</p><p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;"><em><a href="
https://hbr.org/2016/07/why-diversity-programs-fail">See more results</a> of the study by Harvard Business Review.</em></p>
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<p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">Whether large or small, your corporate legal department, government agency, or private practice wants to become more diverse and inclusive. But where can you find qualified employees with diverse backgrounds?</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">The State Bar of Wisconsin’s Diversity Clerkship Program has the answer. This program helps find candidates from a pool of law students with diverse backgrounds currently attending Marquette Law School or U.W. Law School. By providing a clerkship experience, you can mentor, train, and build a strong working relationship with a law student who could become your next legal associate. </p>
<p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">For more information, <a href="
http://www.wisbar.org/aboutus/forlawstudents/pages/diversity-program.aspx">click here</a>. </p>
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<h3 style="color: #045394;"><img src="
http://images.wisbar.org/Images/DigestEmails/myCLETracker_175w.jpg" alt="" width="175" height="110" align="right"/>CLE Reporting – It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year</h3>
<p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">In the flurry of holiday activities this month, don’t forget about your CLE attendance and reporting requirements. We can help you make sure you’re ready to report your CLE hours to the Board of Bar Examiners (BBE). Even if you don’t have to report your CLE credits this year, now’s a good time to check your progress and make sure your credit information is updated.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;"><strong>How many credits do I need in a reporting period?</strong></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">Wisconsin lawyers need 30 CLE credits (including a minimum of 3 EPR credits) every two calendar years. Your reporting year is determined by your year of admission. For example, if you were admitted in an even-numbered year, the BBE will send you reporting instructions in the fall of every even-numbered year.</p>
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<td width="424"><p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:11pt;"><strong>Reporting requirements for newly-admitted lawyers</strong></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:11pt;">Newly-admitted lawyers are exempt from CLE attendance and reporting requirements in the calendar year of their admission. Say you were admitted to practice in November 2016. You would be exempt from CLE attendance and reporting requirements until the end of December 2016 – the end of the same calendar year in which you were admitted. Beginning in January 2017, you would be required to complete 30 CLE credits (including 3 EPR credits) within the next two calendar years.</p>
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<p style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><strong>How do I know if I have enough CLE credits?</strong></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">Just log in to WisBar.org, click on <em>my</em>StateBar and then choose <em>my</em>CLETracker from the menu bar.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">Remember, <em>my</em>CLETracker is <strong>not</strong> a reporting mechanism – you still need to report your CLE credits to the BBE.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;"><strong>How long do I have to complete CLE for this reporting period?</strong></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">All CLE credits that you wish to include in the current reporting period must be completed by <strong>January 31, 2017</strong>. Keep in mind that the CLE reporting deadline is different from the CLE attendance deadline. Check the <a href="
https://www.wicourts.gov/services/attorney/edu.htm">BBE website</a> for the correct attendance and reporting dates for your year of admission.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;"><strong>How do I report CLE?</strong></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px;">Credits must be reported using CLE Form 1. You can submit CLE Form 1 electronically using the BBE website. You can also download the form to submit by mail. For complete details on how to report CLE credits to the BBE, visit their <a href="
https://www.wicourts.gov/services/attorney/edu.htm">website</a>.</p>
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<div align="center"><img src="
http://images.wisbar.org/Images/DigestEmails/bkofwk_digest-purple.jpg" width="250" height="83" alt=""/><h3>Book of the Week<br />
Ends Friday, December 16</h3></div>
<h3 style="color: #045394;">LLCs and LLPs: A Wisconsin Handbook</h3>
<p><span class="black" style="color: #000"><a href="
http://marketplace.wisbar.org/Pages/Product.aspx?category=&cat=&pid=AK0065">Print Book</a>:<br />
List:<s> $219 member</s> / <s>$269 nonmember</s><br />
</span><span style="color: #E31B1B"> <span style="color: #E31B1B"><strong>Sale price: $175.20</strong></span><strong> member / $215.20 nonmember </strong></span></p>
<p><span class="black" style="color: #000"><a href="
http://marketplace.wisbar.org/Pages/Product.aspx?cat=WISBAR&pid=AE0065">Books UnBound</a>:<br />
List:<s> $159 member</s> / <s>$199 nonmember</s><br />
</span><span style="color: #E31B1B"> <span style="color: #E31B1B"><strong>Sale price: $127.20</strong></span><strong> member / $159.20 nonmember </strong></span></p>
<p>To redeem your discount, enter priority code <strong>B4818BB</strong> when ordering online or mention it when calling Customer Service (800) 728-7788.*</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 4px;"><strong>Conference Replays:</strong></p>
<h3 style="color: #045394; margin-bottom: 7px;">Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus?</h3>
<p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 7px;"><strong>Fred Gailey: </strong><em>Your Honor, every one of these letters is addressed to Santa Claus. The Post Office has delivered them. Therefore the Post Office Department, a branch of the Federal Government, recognizes this man Kris Kringle to be the one and only Santa Claus.</em></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 7px;"><strong>Judge Henry X. Harper: </strong><em>Uh, since the United States Government declares this man to be Santa Claus, this court will not dispute it. Case dismissed.</em></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 7px;" align="right"><em>- Miracle on 34th Street (1947)</em></p>
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<p style="margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:8pt;">1 <a href="
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/workforce-diversity.html">Business Dictionary</a></span></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:8pt;">2 <a href="
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/240550">The Myriad Benefits of Diversity in the Workplace</a></span></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:8pt;">3 <a href="
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/240550">The Myriad Benefits of Diversity in the Workplace</a></span></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:8pt;">4 <a href="
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/240550">The Myriad Benefits of Diversity in the Workplace</a></span></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:8pt;">5 <a href="
http://fortune.com/2015/03/03/women-led-companies-perform-three-times-better-than-the-sp-500/">Women-led Companies Perform Three Times Better than the S&P 500</a></span></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:8pt;"> 6 <a href="
https://hbr.org/2016/07/why-diversity-programs-fail">Why Diversity Programs Fail </a></span></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:8pt;">7 <a href="
https://hbr.org/2016/07/why-diversity-programs-fail">Why Diversity Programs Fail </a></span></p>
<p style="margin-top: 5px; margin-bottom: 6px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:8pt;"> *This offer is not available with any other discount and expires December 16, 2016. Discount cannot be applied to previous purchases, or used for renewals of subscriptions, auto-supplementation subscriptions, or Books UnBound full library subscriptions.</span></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 6px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:8pt;">MKT430E </span></p>
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