OLR district investigative committees seek lawyer and public
applicants
July 10, 2001
The Wisconsin Supreme Court's Appointment Selection Committee is
seeking applicants for lawyer and public appointments to the district
investigative committees. "District investigative committees are an
important part of the Office
of Lawyer Regulation (OLR) system, making the initial investigation
and recommendations in grievance matters," says selection committee
co-chair Michelle Behnke. "If these district committees are not filled,
it will hurt the effectiveness of the OLR process."
"The district investigative committees are in desperate need of
public applicants for 2001 in districts 4, 10, 11, 13, 14, and 16," says
Behnke. "Nominations and hence appointments for these districts are not
complete for terms that were to begin January 1, 2001. The Appointment
Selection Committee will meet in August to try to complete nominations
for 2001, but we need applicants to complete the process."
"Public members from all walks of life are eligible to apply, but we
especially need public applicants who are active in their communities
and willing to participate in public service."
"While the most pressing need is for public members in the districts
mentioned above, we need both lawyer and public applicants for all
districts for 2002," added Behnke. "The committee will meet in October
to consider applicants for 2002. I encourage both lawyers and public
members to submit resumes and letters of interest."
"Lawyers are in a unique position in their communities to identify
and encourage public members to serve on the district investigative
committees," urges State Bar President-elect Gerry Mowris. "If lawyers
want to continue to have peer review of discipline matters, it is
imperative we support the district investigative committees. It is up to
all of us to help recruit lawyer and nonlawyer members to these
committees."
According to Behnke, the selection committee must forward to the
supreme court two names for every vacancy. To the extent possible,
one-third of the members should be nonlawyers. Lawyers must have at
least five years of practice experience and no record of public
discipline.
Send a letter of interest and/or resume to: Appointment Selection
Committee, c/o Cornelia Clark, Clerk of the Supreme Court of Wisconsin,
P.O. Box 1688, Madison, WI 53701-1688, fax to Clark's attention at (608)
267-0980, or email cornelia.clark@courts.state.wi.us.
For more information about the role of district investigative
committees, see Supreme
Court Order 99-03.
