Sneak peek: Products liability and over-assessed real estate highlight July Wisconsin Lawyer

July 19, 2011 – The July Wisconsin Lawyer, now available online and in mailboxes soon, features the inspiring story of the State Bar of Wisconsin’s new president, big changes in Wisconsin products liability law, the importance of understanding property tax assessments, and other topics to inform and entertain readers. Here are some of the highlights:

Writer Dianne Molvig gets personal with new State Bar President Jim Brennan, who literally came back to life after a sudden cardiac arrest in 2008 and continues to pursue justice as a public interest lawyer in immigration law.

“Some people don’t like to hear this,” Brennan notes, “but we have hundreds of thousands of folks who have immigration problems that could be solved if they could find an attorney who is competent in this complicated area of the law and is willing to take their cases.”

In their article, “A New Era: Products Liability Law in Wisconsin,” Axley Brynelson lawyers Timothy D. Edwards and Jessica E. Ozalp discuss the “sea change” in Wisconsin’s products liability law under the Omnibus Tort Reform Act, including a new “hotly debated” test for defectiveness when a plaintiff alleges injury by product design defect.

Thomas J. McAdams, a commissioner for the Wisconsin Tax Appeals Commission, talks tax assessments, appraisals, and appeals in his article, “Over Assessed? Appealing Home Tax Assessments,” noting that an “estimated 60 percent of the nation’s taxable property may be over assessed.”

In “Leaving a Client: Confidentiality Upon Withdrawal,” State Bar Ethics Counsel Timothy J. Pierce gives guidance when motions to withdraw conflict with the duty of confidentiality. If a judge requires a reason for withdrawal, Pierce notes, “how then does a lawyer go about withdrawing in a manner that does not breach the duty of confidentiality?”

In addition, Dean R. Dietrich, past chair of the State Bar’s Ethics Committee, advises on the ethical implications of “witness preparation” in his monthly ethics column. And the “Managing Risk” column by attorney Thomas J. Watson, director of communications at Wisconsin Lawyer’s Mutual Insurance Co., highlights the most common mistakes that can lead to malpractice claims.

“The Power of Remembrance” is the theme of State Bar Executive Director George Brown’s column. In it, Brown remembers the late Justice Bill Bablitch and highlights the power in remembering the important work that lawyers and judges do every day.

Don’t miss the first of a two-part article on women lawyer’s and the work-life balancing act by attorney Michael Moore, a professional coach for lawyers. “In many law firms, the generational evolution of new values has not overcome institutionalized practices,” Moore writes. “Despite these obstacles, many women lawyers continue to walk the tightrope to success.”

Finally, online social media guru Genae Girard explains how Facebooking with humor, interactive questions, content, current events, using profession facts, and promos and specials – the so-called HICCUP method – will keep clients connected to the firm or business.