At the dinner were (from left) Fellows Derek Mosley and Mary Triggiano, who is a past recipient of the Goldberg Award.
Oct. 22, 2025 – In a night of celebration, the Wisconsin Law Foundation awarded the Goldberg Award to Madison attorney Cheryl Daniels and honored 26 new Fellows of the Law Foundation.
The Annual Fellows Recognition Dinner was held Oct. 16, 2025, at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center in Madison. More than 140 attended the black-tie optional dinner, where the Law Foundation celebrated not only its newest Fellows, but also the recipient of its prestigious
Charles L. Goldberg Distinguished Service Award.
Cheryl Daniels, recipient of the 2025 Goldberg Award, spoke of the importance of a welcoming community within the legal profession.
Cheryl Daniels Receives Goldberg Award
Daniels is the 2025 recipient of the award from the
Wisconsin Law Foundation, the charitable arm of the State Bar of Wisconsin. The award is among the State Bar’s highest honors, recognizing a lifetime of professional achievement and dedication to the law.
Daniels, past president of the State Bar of Wisconsin and twice past president of the Law Foundation, received the award to honor her career, which she dedicated to connection and service to the community and the legal profession in Wisconsin.
Honored for her service, Daniels recalled those who encouraged her to join and participate in organizations in her community and within the State Bar – experiences that enhanced her career.
She encouraged her colleagues to “bring that next person in. Bring that young lawyer in. Bring other people who are in your community or law organizations, wherever you're working, those within the State Bar and in the public,” Daniels said. By doing this, “that means that all of us are working together – and that we are all sharing (this award) with me.”
Chief Clayton Winneshiek, Traditional Chief of the Ho-Chunk Nation (right), gave a greeting and prayer before the dinner. He is pictured here with Samantha C. Skenandore, a member of the Law Foundation Board of Directors.
The Wisconsin Law Foundation: Strong Thanks to Your Support
The
Wisconsin Law Foundation is the charitable arm of the State Bar of Wisconsin, supporting law-related education and public service programs statewide.
Shannon Green is communications writer for the State Bar of Wisconsin, Madison. She can be reached by
email or by phone at (608) 250-6135.
“I am proud to report that the state of your Wisconsin Law Foundation continues to be strong and growing,” said Fran Deisinger, Law Foundation president.
“Financial support for the Foundation this past year continues to build our corpus while allowing us to grant more dollars than ever before,” he said.
“With your support, we will be able to grant over $108,000 this year, funding charitable and educational programs that promote citizen comprehension of the law, improve the administration of justice, and provide law-related public service," said Deisinger.
Recipients of the Law Foundation's 2025 Belle Case La Follette Awards are, from left: Frances Lowenfield Blair and James S. Morrissey. Not pictured: Emily C. Boylan.
Belle Case La Follette 2025 Award Recipients Honored
Among the Foundation's awards are the Belle Case La Follette Awards, given to three recent law school graduates who represent people whose legal needs have been historically unmet, clients who are underserved, or those in rural areas with limited access to legal service. These recipients are:
James S. Morrissey (U.W. 2022), an immigration attorney at the Catholic Multicultural Center's Immigration Legal Services Program in Madison;
Emily C. Boylan (Marquette 2021), with the Milwaukee Justice Center. She focuses her career exclusively on providing access to justice within the Milwaukee and Waukesha communities for those who cannot afford to hire an attorney for civil legal matters; and
Frances Lowenfield Blair (Duke 2021), with Wiley Law SC, in Chippewa Falls. In her practice, which covers multiple counties in northwest Wisconsin, she represents disadvantaged clients in a variety of cases while also handling public defender court-appointed cases.
New Fellow Benjamin Kurten (left) and Nancy Kurten point at Benjamin's name on the list of new Fellows.
Fellows of the Law Foundation Celebrates 25 Years and 26 New Fellows
The night also celebrated 26 new members of the
Fellows of the Wisconsin Law Foundation.
“In 2000, the Inaugural Class of Fellows was presented at the first Annual Fellows Recognition Dinner. Tonight is the 25th Anniversary of that inaugural Class of Fellows,” said Hon. Charles N. Clevert Jr., president of the Fellows Board of Trustees.
Membership in the Fellows of the Wisconsin Law Foundation is considered a professional honor and evidence of professional distinction. The program honors State Bar of Wisconsin members who have achieved significant accomplishments in their careers and contributed leadership and service to their communities. The Fellows membership is limited to 2.5% of the State Bar's total membership, and new members are nominated by current Fellows.
The program supports the mission of the Wisconsin Law Foundation, the State Bar of Wisconsin's charitable and educational arm that promotes public understanding of the law, improvement of the administration of justice, and other law-related public service through funding of innovative and creative programs that improve the vision of the American justice system.
New Fellows pose for a photo before the dinner.
Congratulations to These New Fellows of the Wisconsin Law Foundation
Virginia M. Antoine Sarah J. Barnes Scott F. Brown Joseph S. Diedrich Stephen A. DiTullio Sally Egan Erik Kurt Eisenmann Kyle Engelke Martina Rae Gast James Eric Goldschmidt Benjamin Taylor Kurten Rebeca M. López Larry J. Martin | | Theresa Marie McDowell Jessica C. Mederson Hon. Richard G. Niess Jeffrey O’Brien Megan Ann Phillips Jared M. Potter Hon. Frank D. Remington Michael P. Richman Angela Marie Rust Tracey L. Schwalbe Todd G. Smith Heidi R. Thole Nicholas C. Watt |
