News Briefs
Volunteers in the Courts Share
Recipes for Success
First Volunteers in the Courts Conference attracts U.S. Attorney
Reno's attention.
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Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Shirley Abrahamson, creator of the
Volunteers in the Courts program, visits with Barron County Circuit
Court Judge Edward Brunner and Nancy Wheeler, the program's director at
the first-ever Volunteers in the Courts conference.
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Despite the bestselling books of attorney-authors like John Grisham
and Scott Turow, the inner workings of courthouses still mystify many.
Maybe more people would appreciate the services the legal system
provides if they could work side by side with judges, lawyers and
courthouse staff.
A resource catalog from the State Bar and the Wisconsin Supreme Court
takes the mystery out of starting volunteer programs that forge working
partnerships and better understanding between state courts and the
communities they serve. "Court-Related
Volunteer Programs in Wisconsin" contains information on 130 state
programs currently enlisting the help of more than 4,500 volunteers
within the state's court system.
The softcover book describes each program, listing coordinators to
contact for advice, potential sources of funding and volunteers in most
of the state's 72 counties. The information compiled in the catalog's 84
pages was generated through the Wisconsin Supreme Court's statewide
conference, "Volunteers in the Court System: Partners in Justice." In
helping to organize and fund the conference, the State Bar followed the
recommendation of the Judiciary as a
Co-Equal Branch of Government Commission. The commission urged
closer cooperation between the Bar and the supreme court, calling for
Bar support of Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson's new "Volunteers in the
Courts" program.
National Attention
The Volunteers in the Courts conference, the first of its kind in
Wisconsin, drew nearly 200 lawyers, judges, program coordinators, social
workers and volunteers to share innovative program ideas. The April 24
conference, held just before the national conference on volunteerism,
also attracted national attention from the ABA and U.S. Attorney General
Janet Reno.
Reno and Abrahamson share an interest in volunteer projects and
children's issues, according to Nancy Wheeler, assistant to Chief
Justice Abrahamson and Volunteers in the Courts director.
During a stop in Madison May 9, Reno met with Abrahamson and a group
from Dane County's Court Appointed Special Advocates program. Volunteers
in the program, considered a national model, ensure that court-ordered
services for CHIPS children are carried out. Reno focused on the needs
of such community-based efforts, which often are funded by a mixture of
private and public sources.
Though Reno couldn't promise more federal financial support, she did
mention pending legislation that responds to the liability concerns of
those involved in volunteer programs.
Duplicating Success
Despite concerns about money and liability, Wisconsin abounds with
court volunteer success stories. The 40 presenters at the April
conference focused on several model programs designed to enhance court
services with volunteer assistance.
Judge Bill Dyke left the conference's workshop, "New Juvenile Justice
Alternatives," committed to starting a teen court in his Iowa County
circuit court. Recent changes in Wisconsin's juvenile justice code
permit this alternative sentencing method already employed by Winnebago
County. Peer pressure leads to many juvenile criminal acts. This
juvenile services program confronts first-time offenders with the
knowledge that not all of their peers approve of such behavior. In
Winnebago County's Teen Court, teenagers volunteer to act as jurors,
prosecutors, bailiffs and defense counsel under the supervision of Judge
Bruce Schmidt and adult mentors.
The teenage volunteers must follow certain sentencing guidelines such
as ordering offenders to serve on at least three teen court juries or to
perform community service. The program also grants volunteers a degree
of latitude in creating alternate sentences. Offenders have been
required by their peers to write apologies to their victims and even
thank-you letters to supportive parents.
Giving community members a tangible stake in their local court system
has helped attract 200 volunteers to Winnebago County's Teen Court
program.
Matching Interest to Need
Winnebago County engages the help of 101 volunteers in four other
court-related programs. The programs call upon volunteers, many
attracted through word-of-mouth, to help victims of domestic abuse
obtain temporary restraining orders, supervise court-ordered
parent-child visitations, mentor first-time juvenile offenders and
mediate small-and large-claim litigants as an alternative to trial.
Recruiting volunteers from the local community is usually a matter of
matching personal interest to a program's need.
To learn more about the program and available resources, call Wheeler
at (608) 261-8297. To order, "Court-Related Volunteer Programs in
Wisconsin," priced at $10 including tax and shipping, contact the State
Bar at (608) 257-3838 or (800) 362-8096 (statewide).
Fund Drive Targets Legal
Assistance
Federal and private funding cuts threaten access to justice for
thousands of Wisconsin's poorest residents. The State Bar's Delivery of Legal Services
Commission reached that conclusion after studying the legal needs of
low-income people and the adequacy of funding for the state's civil
legal assistance programs.
The commission recommended establishing a stable, diverse funding
base capable of preserving and expanding civil legal services for
Wisconsin's poor. This recommendation resulted in the formation of the
Equal Justice Coalition, which initiated a statewide coordinated
fund-raising plan. A development director and assistant, hired with
State Bar seed money, will work to raise $5 million from lawyers,
businesses and foundations for the next several months. Contributors
will be asked to make three-year pledge commitments. The campaign will
kickoff at the State Bar's Annual Convention in late June.
The coalition includes: Legal Action of Wisconsin, Legal Services of
Northeastern Wisconsin, Western Wisconsin Legal Services, Wisconsin
Judicare, the Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee and the Wisconsin Trust
Account Foundation. To learn more, call Deborah Kilbury Tobin at (608)
250-6177 or (800) 444-9404, ext. 6177.
Melli Award Honors Contributions to
Women in the Law
The Legal Association for Women seeks nominations for the 1997
Marygold Melli Achievement Award.
This annual award recognizes an outstanding Wisconsin individual who
has made significant contributions to women in the law by: advancing the
interests of women members in the legal profession; promoting
improvements in the administration of justice; promoting equality and
social justice for all people; promoting the rights of women in society;
and/or improving relations between the legal profession and the
public.
The award was established in 1994 to honor Melli, and to nurture and
celebrate her leadership style. Melli successfully combined a
distinguished career at the UW-Law School, prolific publication,
extensive community and professional service and raised four children.
Ruth B. Doyle, Mary Lou Munts and Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson
received the awards in 1994, 1995 and 1996, respectively.
Nomination forms and additional information are available from Iris
Christenson, 6409 Odana Rd., Suite A, Madison, WI 53719, (608) 273-8609.
Completed nomination materials must be received by July 15.
Dunn Award Brings Visibility to
'Invisible Lien' Author
Milwaukee attorney Arthur J. Harrington was named the winner of this
year's Hon. Charles Dunn Author Award. The State Bar Communications
Committee selected Harrington's May 1996 article, "The 'Invisible Lien':
Public Trust Doctrine Impact on Real Estate Development in Wisconsin,"
based on its comprehensive and well-written treatment of an emerging
area of the law.
Only one Dunn award, named after Wisconsin's first chief justice, is
presented each year to recognize writing excellence in articles
published in the Wisconsin Lawyer. Communications Committee members Mark
C. Young, Robert V. Petershack and Alyson K. Zierdt chose Harrington's
article citing its effective summary of the Public Trust Doctrine's
development and reach.
"Art has a talent for illuminating a complex area without tripping
over its complexities," said Young, award subcommittee chair.
Harrington, who heads the Environmental Law Practice group at
Mil-waukee's Godfrey & Kahn S.C., will receive a plaque at the June
Board of Governors' luncheon.
Two other authors also received certificates of commendation for
articles published in the Wisconsin Lawyer last year:
- Stacy C. Gerber Ward for the July 1996 article, "Sexual Misconduct
Claims and the Discovery Rule"; and
- Joseph A. Ranney for the February 1996 article, "Wisconsin Women and
the Law Since 1920 - Part II," one of a series of articles on
Wisconsin's legal history.
Figuratively Speaking
- Percentage of U.S. men who say they would have no problem turning in
a family member if they suspected they were the Unabomber, according to
a CNN/USA Today Gallup poll: 28
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"If you like law and sausages, you should never watch either
one being made."
-- Widely attributed
to Otto Von Bismarck
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- Percentage who say they would turn in a family member, but it would
be hard: 58
- Percentage who say they wouldn't turn them in:
9
Source: U.S.A. Today, September 16,
1996
- In a survey of Chicago-area law firms, the percentage of firms that
expect law school graduates to know how to draft legal documents:
10
- Percentage that expect graduates to have a knowledge of substantive
law: 28
- Percentage that said law school graduates should have good writing
and library skills: 90
Source: New England Law Review, Summer
1995
- Average debt of a law school graduate in 1993:
$30,000
- Average debt of a law school graduate today:
$43,000
Source: Education Resources Institute; Institute
for Higher Learning
- Percentage of corporate counsel who believe that lawyers
occasionally inflate their hours, according to a study by William G.
Ross: 40
Source: American Journal of Trial Advocacy,
Volume 20, No. 1, Fall 1996, p. 92
Wisconsin Lawyer
