State Bar of Wisconsin Wins Two International Awards

MADISON, May 27, 2005 -- The international Association for Continuing Legal Education Administrators (ACLEA) announced the State Bar of Wisconsin will receive two of only 15 annual awards granted to competitors representing more than 300 organizations. The Awards for Outstanding Achievement are for ACLEA's Best Program category for the "Building for Success" seminar and the Best Publications category for "Drafters Guide to Wisconsin Condominium Documents." The award for outstanding achievement is the top prize; only one is awarded in five categories of prizes.

"The 'Building for Success' seminar really deserves this recognition," said Continuing Legal Education Committee co-chair Nathan Fishbach of Milwaukee. "It's a unique model of how we can provide exceptional training for younger lawyers by capturing and sharing the quality and expertise of our more experienced members."

The "Building for Success" seminar began as an idea of the late Leonard Loeb, former State Bar President. In 2003, then-State Bar President George Burnett appointed a committee to develop Loeb's vision of mentoring into a forum for new and not-so-new attorneys. "Building for Success" provides an outstanding, affordable CLE experience to new lawyers in the best tradition of increasing their competence which benefits the public.

Seminar content, presented by many of Wisconsin's outstanding attorneys, focuses on two primary areas. The first, Law as a Profession, emphasizes the values of good communication, ethical behavior and civility. The second emphasizes the "how-to's" of starting a law practice and features practical skills, law practice development and practice management.

The "Drafters Guide to Wisconsin Condominium Documents," authored by attorneys Jesse Ishikawa of Madison and Brian Mullins of Green Bay, details the preparation of documents relating to the aspects of condominium practice including development, organization, operation, purchase, and sales. The guide provides explicit direction for lawyers handling matters involving condominium law. The book is considered especially timely because its release was coordinated with the effective date of a major revision of Wisconsin's condominium laws, and covers each of those changes in detail while remaining relevant for condominiums established before that date.

The State Bar of Wisconsin is the mandatory professional association, created by the Wisconsin Supreme Court, for attorneys who hold a Wisconsin law license. With more than 21,000 members, the State Bar aids the courts in improving the administration of justice, provides continuing legal education for its members to help them maintain their expertise, and assists Wisconsin lawyers in carrying out community service initiatives to educate the public about the legal system and the value of lawyers.

ACLEA members are professionals in the fields of continuing legal education, and legal publishing. Its annual awards are highly competitive and winning projects represent the highest level of achievement for the staff and volunteers involved.

Press Releases