Highlights

News Releases

Feb
14
2020
- 101: How to Combat Revenge Porn
- Here are tips for how to respond if someone has shared or posted intimate photos of a client without the client's consent.

Jan
31
2020
- State Bar Testifies on Assembly 'Ghostwriting' Bill
- The State Bar of Wisconsin’s leadership recently registered its stance on a legislative bill that impacts attorney “ghostwriting,” a practice that allows attorneys to provide brief pro bono assistance to low-income individuals and families by helping them fill out forms and other legal papers.

Jan
09
2020
- Social Media, the First Amendment, and Government Actors
- An electronic device used to access Twitter, Facebook, and other social media might not physically resemble a city park or an auditorium, but if you're a government official, your social media site may be a public forum. Citizens and government officials alike should understand First Amendment implications of social media use.

Jan
06
2020
- Screening for Elder Fraud and Abuse
- Screening for elder abuse doesn't require a medical degree. Instead, a lawyer's powers of observation and note-taking, record-keeping, and organizational skills can go far to identify and help vulnerable clients.

Dec
23
2019
- State's first female lawyer broke barriers and made history
- Lavinia Goodell was feisty and would have fit right in 100 years ago, when women were fighting for the right to vote.

Dec
18
2019
- When Measles Meets Due Process
- An essential element of emergency preparedness is knowing the legality of possible responses. Learn here how governmental officials might legally respond if Wisconsin is hit with an outbreak of measles or another highly contagious disease.

Dec
13
2019
- Government Attorneys Top Slate of State Bar Officer Candidates
- Meet the 2020 State Bar of Wisconsin officer candidates, including two government lawyers who are nominees for State Bar president-elect. The candidates come from a wide variety of backgrounds and from across the state – get to know them before the election in April.

Nov
30
2019
- Janesville Gazette: One of Wisconsin’s most important historical figures is finally getting her real face back
- Janesville’s Lavinia Goodell was the state’s first female lawyer. She was admitted to the Rock County Bar in 1874. For more than 60 years, she has been inaccurately portrayed in history books and, more recently, on a mural on the Rock County Courthouse and on a plaque inside the courthouse.

Nov
08
2019
- The Quest for a Warrantless OWI Blood Draw
- Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court announced a general rule that a law enforcement officer can proceed without a warrant when seeking to do a blood draw on an unconscious driver. But the Court avoided an issue hotly debated by Wisconsin Supreme Court justices, whether driving on the state’s highways is implicit consent to driving-related searches.

Nov
06
2019
- Meet this Year's Champions of Innovation
- Who are Wisconsin's innovators? The "That's a Fine Idea: Legal Innovation Wisconsin" initiative spotlights these risk takers who advance the legal profession with perseverance, creative thinking, and big ideas.

Oct
21
2019
- Wills for Heroes: One of Many Ways Lawyers Give Back to their Communities
- Last year, on New Year’s Eve, Lake Mills Fire Capt. Christopher Truman was off-duty when he stopped on Madison’s busy highway corridor to help a young woman whose vehicle had spun into a median in bad weather conditions.

Jul
12
2019
- Law Students with Diverse Backgrounds Complete Summer Clerkships
- Nineteen first-year University of Wisconsin and Marquette Law School students with diverse racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds – with some coming from as far away as China, Puerto Rico and Jamaica – are being recognized by the State Bar of Wisconsin for completing the organization’s 10-weeks paid Diversity Clerkship Program. The program matches students with private law firms, corporate legal departments, and governmental agencies to give them practical legal experience.

Jun
05
2019
- Learn to Navigate the Murky Legalities of Hemp, CBD Oils on June 19
- Madison, WI - Recent federal and state legislation decriminalized the growing, processing, and selling of hemp and its related products. While the laws have changed, the issue is far from black and white. The State Bar of Wisconsin is inviting a limited number of media representatives to attend a presentation on “Hemp & CBD Oil in Wisconsin: The New Green Gold.”

Jun
13
2019
- Incoming State Bar President Jill Kastner: "It’s Not About Me. It's About You."
- Jill Kastner was sworn in as the State Bar of Wisconsin's 64th president last evening in Green Bay at the organization's Annual Meeting and Conference, noting that her presidential year isn't a spotlight for her personal successes as a lawyer-leader.

Feb
01
2019
- State Bar Recognizes Journalists with Golden Gavel Awards
- Madison, WI – The State Bar of Wisconsin applauds the recipients of the 2018 Golden Gavel Awards for their important contributions to the public’s understanding of our system of law and justice.