Improving the Present
he State Bar offers a variety of services to enhance the
practice of law in Wisconsin. Just as these services help members in
their daily practices, member involvement in governance and other Bar
activities is rewarding and valuable. Several opportunities for
involvement exist, including participation in local and specialty bar
associations supported by the State Bar. Members also can participate in
statewide governance by serving on a committee, becoming active in a
section or division, or by running for the Board of Governors. All of
these entities influence State Bar policy and programs and the future of
the profession. Many publish newsletters, sponsor CLE programs, and
organize other projects of value to members and the public. The
following highlights of the past year include new initiatives and a
selection of continually strong programs.
Constructing the New State Bar Center
After a decade of discussion and debate, the State Bar
Board of Governors passed a motion in FY 98 to move ahead with
construction of a new Bar Center. A groundbreaking celebration kicked
off FY 99 on July 2, 1998, at the site of the Bar's new home on
Madison's northeast side. Building completion came a little more than a
year later, under the direction of the Facilities Committee, chaired by
Gerald O'Brien from Stevens Point.
The decision to move the headquarters for the first time in 40 years
was influenced by many factors, including lack of meeting, parking, and
staff work space at the Bar's W. Wilson Street building, and
inefficiencies caused by rented off-site storage and printing/mailing
operations.
The funding for the $4.65 million facility came from loans, cash from
investments, sale of the old building, and the fund-raising campaign.
The "Building the Future"
campaign finished strong with more than $1.2 million in contributions
from nearly 8,000 members in all types of practice around the state and
nation. The 100 Percent Club, the backbone of the campaign, offered
equal recognition to all 225 firms and legal entities who contributed
$300 per attorney. All donors are recognized in the new facility. The
general chair of the campaign, Nathan Fishbach from Milwaukee, led the
fund-raising effort with the help of the 33 members on the campaign
cabinet and hundreds of volunteers.
Member Services
The State Bar's ethics consultant offers members
informal guidance and help in resolving questions regarding Wisconsin's
Rules of Professional Conduct for Attorneys. In the past year, the
ethics attorney provided more than 2,000 informal consultations. In
addition, committee members provided informal guidance to approximately
500 members. The Bar's Professional Ethics Committee also released an
advisory opinion on disposing of closed client files. Opinions are
printed in the Wisconsin Lawyer and are available on
WisBar.
Continuing its tradition of service to the public and
profession, the State Bar's dispute resolution programs help adversaries
avoid unnecessary litigation by resolving conflicts through mediation
and/or arbitration. A Y2K dispute resolution program joins the Lawyer
Dispute Resolution program and the Resolution of Fee Disputes
service.
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The State Bar's two dispute resolution programs
serve the interests of the public, the profession, and the judicial
system by avoiding unnecessary litigation. The Professionalism
Committee's Lawyer Dispute Resolution program
arbitrated two disputes during FY 99. The year-old program is an
effective mechanism for resolving professional and economic disputes
between lawyers arising from law firm breakups by offering mediation
and/or arbitration. The Resolution of Fee Disputes
service received 328 inquiries during FY 99 and accepted 73 applications
for arbitration hearings. This program provides a fast, inexpensive, and
confidential method to settle fee disputes between lawyers and
clients.
President Susan Steingass emphasized local bar
outreach by visiting, with staff, more than 20 bar associations
throughout the year. The Local Bar Relations Committee developed a
local bar liaison program to increase communication
between local and specialty bar associations and the State Bar. Liaisons
are kept informed through a new bimonthly newsletter, Liaison
Link. The State Bar continued to provide local bar leaders the
Directline newsletter, published three times annually,
containing tips to help guide and increase involvement in their
organizations.
The State Bar supports long-range financial planning
sessions for local and specialty bar associations. The Marathon
and Waukesha county bar associations completed sessions in FY 99 during
which the Bar helped them develop goals and strategies to increase
participation and expand public service programs. The State Bar arranged
the meeting sites and provided a facilitator to lead the sessions and a
reporter to take notes.
The Wisconsin Lawyers Assistance Program (WisLAP)
continued to help attorneys, judges, law students, and their families
cope with alcoholism and other chemical addictions, depression, acute
and chronic anxiety, and problems related to the stress of practicing
law. In FY 99, a successful training program was
implemented for WisLAP volunteers. The trained volunteers provide
information and confidential, meaningful assistance 24 hours a day,
seven days a week.
To provide Bar members with a means of communicating with other
lawyers about career issues, WisLAP joined forces with the Young Lawyers
Division (YLD) in spring 1999 to offer career assistance. The program,
"Been There, Done That," brings volunteer lawyers and
young lawyers together to talk about career issues, such as
transitioning from law school to practice, switching firms, and moving
on to other careers.
The "Personalities, Policy and the Polka ... The Legislative
Process" program made a successful debut in FY 99. The one-hour
presentation, created by the State Bar's Public Affairs Committee and
government relations staff, focuses on what lawyers should know about
the legislative process from a behind-the-scenes perspective. The
presentation includes practical ways of using information in daily
practice and providing input into the legislative process. Hundreds of
judges and attorneys, including the attorney general, attended the
20-plus presentations at local and specialty bar association meetings
and law firms statewide. The program received the "Award of Excellence
in Government Relations" from the American Society of Association
Executives (ASAE) at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.
Diversity Outreach Efforts
Organizations within the Bar are working to address issues
and concerns of minority and other Bar members so that all lawyers may
participate fully in the organization and the legal
profession.
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As the nation evolves into an increasingly diverse populace,
organizations of every size and nature are challenged to change
practices and perceptions in order to achieve organizational missions.
The State Bar of Wisconsin is working to embrace the positive
opportunities that diversity offers the legal profession.
The State Bar sponsors a summer clerkship program to
promote minority placements in settings where minorities traditionally
have been underrepresented. Students are matched with private law firms,
corporate legal departments, and governmental agencies. Participating
employers reap the benefits of a diverse workforce and promote diversity
in the profession. In the past year, 16 employers hosted 17 law students
who were enthusiastic about their experience.
The Diversity Counsel Demonstration Program, modeled
after that of the American Bar Association, provides opportunities for
minority and women lawyers to develop relationships with majority-owned
law firms. The 1999 networking event was held in Milwaukee. Federal
Judge Charles Clevert delivered the keynote address.
The Diversity Outreach Committee works to promote
the increased participation of minority lawyers in the State Bar of
Wisconsin. Planning began in FY 99 for a special event at Midwinter
Convention 2000, "Leadership in the Face of Change: Investing in the
Future of the Legal Profession."
The Participation of Women in the Bar Committee
works to assist women in achieving full integration and participation in
the legal profession. The committee sponsored special networking dinners
in spring 1999 for female students from Marquette and U.W. Law
School.
Information Central for Members
Information is a valuable commodity for attorneys, and the State Bar
has developed a wealth of resources to help members meet their
professional needs. These resources include books, seminars,
publications, computerized research services, and an interactive Web
site.
WisBar, the State Bar's Internet site, continued to
provide members access to legal resources and information. In FY 99
WisBar expanded its offerings to include Wisconsin employment
law decisions and grievance awards. The searchable database,
presented in partnership with the Wisconsin Employment Relations
Commission (WERC), dates back to 1989. The site also added State Bar
Professional Ethics Committee opinions. The Capitol
Update page is kept current to inform users of legislative
activities, and offers links to position papers, proposed legislation,
and related articles.
Discussion groups were enhanced with more features
and easier access. Attorneys can post - and respond to - questions and
comments on legal topics in a secure, collegial atmosphere. A new
interactive CLE calendar offers members an easy-to-view
format of monthly CLE events and allows users to click on program titles
for more information. The News Connection debuted on WisBar to provide
users with round-the-clock news, sports, and business coverage from the
Reuters news service.
Grassroots Program at Work
for You, With You
The Government Relations Team advocates on several legislative
initiatives at the direction of State Bar Board of Governors and
sections, with the help of nearly 800 volunteer attorneys statewide who
are involved in the grassroots program. The program is free to members
who want to be informed and active in the legislative process.
Grassroots members receive Capitol Update, legislative alerts, and are
called upon when quick action on legislation is needed.
The Bar successfully worked on a variety of legislation in the
state's biennial budget bill, including the Business Law Section's
support of electronic appointment of proxies `and the Family Law
Section's support of comprehensive family law changes. The State Bar
Board of Governors opposed a professional tax on attorneys, which was
removed from the budget bill.
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WisBar continues to reap national recognition as one of the best bar
association Web sites. The site received awards from the National
Association of Bar Executives Communications Section, the National
Conference of Bar Presidents Outstanding Bar Association site, and the
Key Resource award from Links2Go. WisBar ended FY 99 by being named top
State-local Bar Association Site in the legal.online "Best of
Web" competition for the third straight year.
The State Bar produces a variety of publications to
share information with members. The monthly Wisconsin
Lawyer magazine, the Bar's flagship publication, is
consistently rated in membership surveys as one of the top three
resources that the Bar offers, with 70 percent of the Bar's members
reading one-half or more of a typical issue. The Communications
Committee, which serves as the publication's editorial board, and staff
redesigned the Wisconsin Lawyer, incorporating feedback from a
readership survey conducted the prior year. The new look includes an
expanded "Personal Mentions" column, now called "In the News," more
frequent coverage of ethics and small-firm practice issues, and a
greater commitment to involving readers in the publication.
The monthly State Bar Newsletter, received
between issues of the Wisconsin Lawyer magazine, updates
members on association activities, including the Board of Governors, new
programs, products, services, and current legislative news.
Capitol Update, a timely bulletin on the
week's legislative activities in the State Capitol, is an important
component of the State Bar's legislative grass-roots
program. The Government Relations Team produces Capitol
Update weekly, including insight on budget negotiations,
legislative hearings, debates, votes, and ways to get involved in the
process.
The State Bar also launched News Notes, a
free, biweekly summary of legal issues that have been reported in the
press statewide and around the nation. News Notes is delivered
by fax or email to subscribers and is available on WisBar.
Educating Our Members
State Bar CLE continued its commitment to provide
quality legal education to Wisconsin attorneys. In addition to producing
the familiar and highly regarded State Bar books and seminars, the Bar
is exploring ways technology will affect the delivery of CLE. At
present, Wisconsin lawyers can peruse the State Bar CLE Books catalog,
search an interactive CLE Seminars calendar, and place their orders and
register online. The Bar added an information technology staff attorney
to help develop technology-based systems for the delivery of continuing
legal education, including an online CLE index and searchable database
of material published by the State Bar, and an online practice reference
library.
CLE Books continued to spotlight the expertise of
some of Wisconsin's most talented attorneys as more than 350 lawyers
volunteered to serve as authors or reviewers. Wisconsin Trial
Practice was copublished this year with the State Bar's Litigation
Section. The new book picks up where Wisconsin Civil Procedure
Before Trial leaves off, covering issues that arise at every stage
of jury and bench trials, from pretrial conferences to post-trial
motions.
LLCs and LLPs: A Wisconsin Handbook, also published in FY
99, is a completely revised edition of one of CLE Books' most popular
practice books. Other notable revisions include The Marital Property
Classification Handbook and the Wisconsin Attorney's Desk
Reference. Ten other revisions, 27 supplements to existing
publications, and a new statutory compilation - The Real Estate and
Real Property Codebook - rounded out the CLE Books' publication
list for the fiscal year.
Finally, CLE Books'
comprehensive elder law book, Advising Older Clients and Their
Families, was recognized this year by the international Association
for Continuing Legal Education (ACLEA). ACLEA granted the two-volume
work its highest award for a CLE publication, the Award of Professional
Excellence.
CLE Seminars presented nearly 80 live programs
during the past fiscal year. It also offered video replays in 11
locations across the state, along with six telephone seminars, offering
a total of 408 credits and reaching more than 15,661 registrants. More
than 250 Wisconsin practitioners volunteered their time and expertise as
seminar faculty.
Every year the CLE Seminars department collaborates with State Bar
sections and committees, other legal organizations, and
interdisciplinary professional groups to provide substantive and
practical CLE. This year, the State Bar Appellate Practice Section and
the CLE Seminars department put on a highly successful Appellate
Advocacy Workshop. Supreme court justices and court of appeals
and federal court judges provided personal, one-on-one coaching and
commentary to a small group of appellate practitioners to help them
develop and refine their advocacy skills.
The State Bar also cosponsored CLE programs with the Corporate
Practice Institute, the Wisconsin Institute of Certified Public
Accountants, the American Board of Trial Advocates, the Wisconsin
Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, and the Wisconsin Psychological
Association.
In FY 99 alone, State Bar CLE Seminars served the education
needs of 15,661 registrants. The nearly 80 live programs, video replays,
and telephone seminars offered a total of 408 continuing legal education
credits.
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The theme for last year's Midwinter Convention at
the Midwest Express Center in Milwaukee was "Tools for 2000." The
convention offered 31 CLE seminars on topics ranging from alternative
dispute resolution to "Truth-in-Sentencing" legislation. The Bar also
offered programs on stress management for lawyers and year 2000 computer
problems. At the annual Member Recognition Luncheon, Outagamie County
Circuit Court Judge Harold V. Froelich was honored as State Bar
Judge of the Year.
The State Bar's Annual Convention, held in Green
Bay, offered "More Tools for 2000." Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson
swore in Leonard L. Loeb as the new State Bar president. At the annual
President's Luncheon, Hon. Patrick Sheedy and Hon. Peter Pappas were
corecipients of the Lifetime Jurist Achievement Award.
Justice Jon P. Wilcox presented the awards and noted that between the
two, they have served the public, the bench, and the bar for more than
102 years. Also recognized was Charles "Chuttie" Senn, who received the
Heffernan Award for his long commitment to law-related
education. Susan Steingass awarded three members with the
Distinguished Service Award, including John Macy, for
his work on the Finance Committee; Nathan Fishbach, for chairing the
"Building the Future" Campaign Cabinet; and Gary Yakes, for his many
years on the Board of Governors. Other honorees at convention were the
winners of the Local Bar Grant Competition Awards. These awards
recognize local and specialty bar associations that have completed
public service projects within the last two years. During FY 99 the Bar
Grant Competition Committee awarded $9,000 in grants to develop a
supervised visitation program in Milwaukee County for statewide use,
parenting programs in Iowa County, a Family Law Information Center at
the La Crosse County Courthouse, and a high school curriculum on
obligations of entering into contracts and loans.
Reaching Outside the Profession
The State Bar is committed to educating the public about the legal
system - reaching the public through the mock trial program, consumer
publications, and legal resources.
The Bar's nationally recognized law office videotape series
provides members an economical and effective way to educate clients and
staff. "Preparing for Your Personal Injury Case" joined the list of
videos for clients in FY 99.
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The State Bar's Law Office Videotape series,
respected nationally for its quality, is an economical and effective way
to educate clients and legal staff. In FY 99 the Law Office Videotape
Committee produced "Preparing for Your Personal Injury Case" to help
clients understand the options available to them and the process they'll
go through when they pursue a personal injury case.
The Communication Committee oversees development of the 16-title
consumer pamphlet series, providing attorneys with a
low-cost way to dispense basic legal information to clients and the
public. In the past year, nearly 100,000 pamphlets on topics from arrest
to wills and estates reached Wisconsin consumers. New titles completed
during the year include "Guardians ad Litem in Family Court," which was
distributed to family court commissioners statewide, and "Hiring and
Working with a Lawyer."
During the year, staff worked with various consumer education
committees to develop a consumer Web site,
www.legalpointers.com, a "sister site" to the existing WisBar. The goal
is to create a site that allows consumers to easily access information
tailored to their needs, such as finding an attorney, and answers common
questions about the law and our legal system. The public debut is
planned for January 2000.
The Public Service Announcement series, sponsored by
the Professionalism Committee, continued its statewide radio
announcements on such topics as automobile insurance, divorce, buying a
used car, employee rights, drunk driving, eviction, worker's
compensation, child support, and harassment by a collection agency.
Law Talk, a 30-minute public affairs television
program sponsored by the Cable and Broadcast Outreach Committee,
continues to air on cable access stations in various parts of the state.
Participating cities include Madison, Milwaukee, Whitewater, Stoughton,
Lake Mills, Oshkosh, Baraboo, Mineral Point, Wisconsin Rapids, and
Janesville. The show educates the public about the legal system and how
it works in an easy-to-understand, entertaining format. This year's
topics included "truth-in-sentencing" legislation, consumer issues,
employment discrimination, and the jury system.
The Clients' Security Fund, established in 1981 by
the Wisconsin Supreme Court, reimburses people who have lost money
through dishonest acts of Wisconsin attorneys. The program is financed
by an annual assessment of all practicing attorneys in the state. In FY
99 the Fund acted on 32 claims. Of the 24 claims approved for payment,
23 were paid for a total amount of $214,607.95.
The Lawyer Referral and Information Service refers
citizens in need of legal services to attorneys or appropriate
government and community agencies after careful screening. Last year,
LRIS fielded 50,000 calls. A fourth, full-time legal assistant was added
in FY 99 to increase service to the public and the members. Attorneys
who participate in the service collectively received $2 million from
referrals in FY 99. The Lawyer Hotline program
coordinates volunteer lawyers who answer consumers' simple legal
questions. A State Bar staff member travels to cities across the state
providing attorneys with a unique opportunity to serve the public by
hosting a lawyer hotline. More than 1,500 callers are served annually by
the program.
The State Bar produced a second edition catalog of Volunteers
in the Courts, in partnership with the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
Containing information on more than 200 programs that use volunteers to
aid the work of the courts, the catalog, the first of its kind in the
nation, was recognized by Attorney General Janet Reno as a successful
way to enhance public involvement in the judicial process.
For the 16th year, the State Bar sponsored the Wisconsin High
School Mock Trial Tournament. Involving more than 1,600
students and many judges, attorney/coaches, and teachers annually, the
tournament culminated last May with Sheboygan High School placing fourth
in the nation during the National Mock Trial Competition in St. Louis,
Missouri.
The Mock Trial Journalism program offers high school
students an opportunity to attend the state mock trial competition and
test their news- and opinion-writing skills under deadline pressure.
Approximately 25 high school students participated in FY 99.
The State Bar's Law-related Education Committee teamed up with the
Wisconsin Association of Trial Lawyers (WATL) for its 10th year in
presenting 90-minute versions of fictional criminal and civil trials as
part of the State Fair Mock Trial program. The program
educates fairgoers about the jury system, and shows how judges, lawyers,
and lay people operate in a courtroom. Audience volunteers participate
in the trials by acting as the jury.
Peers in Education Addressing Conflict Effectively
(PEACE) teaches educators conflict resolution techniques to
reduce the level of violence in their schools. PEACE successfully
completed its fourth year, gathering 17 elementary schools from around
the state in Madison for training. Sponsored by the State Bar and the
Attorney General's office, the program trains teachers, parents, and
others to create student peer mediation programs in their schools. The
trained adults then teach the students, who make the program work.
The Court with Class program gives high school
students an opportunity to attend a Wisconsin Supreme Court oral
argument. The program, cosponsored by the Wisconsin Supreme Court and
the State Bar, attracted more than 850 students last year from both
public and private high schools. To enhance the visit, students receive
a plain-English synopsis of the case they will hear, and have a chance
to visit with a justice afterward.
The Business Assistance Program continued in FY 99
to offer guidance to new and expanding businesses. Participating
attorneys donated legal counseling to businesses and nonprofit
organizations to help them avoid legal problems that could end in
bankruptcy.
The Alternative Dispute Resolution and Business Law Sections became
the first two sections to work together to develop a public service
project, the Y2K Dispute Resolution Program. This
service will offer businesses and other organizations a fast, low-cost,
and confidential method of settling disputes over Y2K computer problems
without going to court. The program uses trained volunteer attorneys as
mediators and arbitrators to settle such disputes.
The State Bar Media-law Relations Committee and the Wisconsin Supreme
Court cosponsored the first-ever Media-law Seminar in
Green Bay to help the media and the judiciary understand each other's
roles and responsibilities, and to build bridges between the two. Nearly
40 judges and journalists participated in a fictional sentencing of a
drunk-driving case. The judges and journalists, who were asked to decide
appropriate sentences and write potential headlines, had a lively
discussion.
Special Events
Aside from the day-to-day services and programs that the State Bar
offers, each year the Bar organizes a host of special events to involve
both members and the public.
The Volunteer Lawyer Recognition Celebration acknowledged the
attorneys, judges, law firms, organizations, and law students who made
outstanding pro bono, public service, or law-related education
contributions in FY 99. The event honored 12 individuals and two law
firms.
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The State Bar and the Wisconsin Law Foundation annually recognize
outstanding volunteer work by attorneys who provide pro bono legal
services, public service, and law-related education to the community at
the Volunteer Lawyer's Recognition Celebration. Last
year, 12 individuals and two firms were honored at a celebration held at
the Monona Terrace and Convention Center in Madison. Wisconsin Supreme
Court Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson delivered the keynote address
and reminded those present that, "Together, we can make a huge
difference."
The Delivery of Legal Services Symposium, offered
during the Annual Convention, provided a forum to discuss ways to
provide adequate legal services to all citizens, regardless of income.
Topics included the role of law schools in instilling the pro bono
ethic, institutionalizing with bar leadership the importance of pro bono
and delivery of legal services issues as a vital part of the association
and profession, and ethical issues confronting lawyers who are acting in
a pro bono capacity. The State Bar's Legal Assistance Committee
sponsored the event.
The State Bar cosponsored the second-annual Midwest Small
Firm Success Conference in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The state bars
of Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, and Nebraska participated in
the two-day event that drew more than 200 participants. The conference
provided a forum for rural attorneys and small, urban practitioners to
network and share ideas to improve their practices.
Nearly 50 local and specialty bar association leaders participated in
the 1999 Wisconsin Bar Leaders Conference (WBLC)
sponsored by the State Bar and the Local Bar Leaders Conference
Committee. For the first time, the conference was held as a stand-alone
event in the spring instead of during the traditional pre-Midwinter
Convention time slot. Participants liked the change and said that the
WBLC provides a great opportunity to meet other bar leaders in a relaxed
atmosphere while discussing issues of mutual interest.
Preparing
for the Future
Wisconsin
Lawyer