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  • January 01, 2004

    Inside the Bar January 2004: Governor's proclamation launches life planning week, State Bar hosts hotline

    Gov. Jim Doyle proclaimed the week of Nov. 24 "Life Planning Week" to remind Wisconsin families about the importance of preparing for future health needs.

    Inside the Bar Inside the Bar
    January 2004

    Governor's proclamation launches life planning week, State Bar hosts hotline

    Gov. Jim Doyle proclaimed the week of Nov. 24 "Life Planning Week" to remind Wisconsin families about the importance of preparing for future health needs. Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager presented the governor's proclamation at a press conference, which was immediately followed by a two-hour hotline. Lautenschlager was joined by volunteer attorneys who answered more than 30 phone calls from the public.

    In the two weeks following the proclamation, more than 6,000 copies of the State Bar's publication, A Gift to Your Family: Planning Ahead for Future Health Needs, were downloaded from LegalExplorer, the State Bar's public Web site. More hotlines are planned for February. This comprehensive end-of-life planning guide educates the public about issues surrounding advance directives, such as power of attorney for health care, living wills, and other issues such as organ and tissue donation.

    "The State Bar was pleased to initiate Life Planning Week," said State Bar President George Burnett. "During the past four years we have distributed nearly 100,000 planning guides to help Wisconsin residents prepare for their medical future. The governor's proclamation brought visibility to this valuable publication and demonstrated the value lawyers bring to the public, a message the State Bar is consistently using in its communications to the public."

    "Planning ahead for future health needs can make all the difference to you and your family during a medical emergency," said Lautenschlager. "Life Planning Week is a reminder for Wis-consin residents to discuss health care decisions and put your wishes in wri-ting before that emergency happens."

    The hotline was sponsored by the State Bar, in conjunction with the Madison law firm of DeWitt, Ross & Stevens. Lautenschlager was joined by State Bar President-elect Michelle Behnke; Michael Christopher of DeWitt, Ross & Stevens; Maureen Lokrantz of Hill, Glowacki, Jaeger & Hughes LLP; and Betsy Abramson and Meg Gaines, both with U.W. Law School.

    The proclamation cited the 1999 joint efforts of the State Bar, the Wisconsin Hospital Association, the Wisconsin Medical Society, and Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center in a statewide public service campaign on life planning. The consumer guide, now in its fourth printing, was produced through that partnership.

    Print copies are available for $1 for members, plus tax, shipping, and handling. Volume discounts are available. Order online at the State Bar's new Marketplace.

    Single copies can be downloadedPDF 1.16 MB.

    For more information, contact the State Bar at (800) 728-7788 or (608) 257-3838.


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