News Briefs
Melli award honors contributions to women in the law
Marygold Melli
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The Legal Association for Women is accepting nominations for the 1999
Marygold Melli Achievement Award.
Since 1994, the association has presented the award to a 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 honors Marygold Melli, professor emerita at the U.W. Law
School, who successfully managed a distinguished career at the school, a
prolific writing career, and extensive community and professional
service while raising four children.
Ruth B. Doyle, Mary Lou Munts, Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson, Hon.
Barbara Crabb, and Diane Greenley are previous award recipients.
Nomination forms and additional information are available from
Gretchen Vetzner, 16 N. Carroll St., Madison, WI 53703, (608) 257-1369.
Nomination materials are due by July 1, 1999.
Guardian ad litem training requirements go into effect July 1
On July 1, SCR 35
goes into effect. This rule requires that all attorneys who wish to
serve as guardians ad litem (GAL) in family court must have attended six
hours of GAL education during the combined current reporting period
specified in SCR
31.01(7) when he or she accepts an appointment and the immediately
preceding reporting period. The training must be approved under SCR
35.03.
Attorneys wishing to serve as GALs in family court can earn up to 13
GAL training credits at the video replay of the State Bar seminar "Guardian ad Litem Training: Child Custody
and Family Law."
The video replay of this two-day seminar is June 16 - 17 in Eau
Claire, Green Bay, Hudson, La Crosse, Madison, Milwaukee, Oshkosh,
Rhinelander, Superior, and Wausau. The first day of the seminar offers
basic training for lawyers without GAL experience. The second day
addresses advanced GAL issues. For more information on the seminar,
contact the State Bar.
Legal service agencies need computers and office equipment
Has your firm upgraded its computers recently? Have you redecorated
your offices, leaving behind empty filing cabinets and bookshelves? If
so, consider donating the items to one of Wisconsin's legal service
agencies.
The Milwaukee firm of Davis & Kuelthau S.C. recently donated 10
laptop computers to Legal Action to assist the agency's efforts.
"These computers are invaluable tools in keeping on top of our
clients' cases and obtaining current information," says John Ebbott,
executive director of Legal Action. "Our lawyers can stay in closer
contact with government agencies, community groups, their local bar
associations, and their colleagues while away from their offices. We
truly appreciate Davis & Kuelthau's generosity."
Six of the donated laptops are used in Legal Action's Milwaukee
office, while the remainder have been divided among its Madison,
Kenosha, and Racine offices. The agency, which provides free civil legal
services to low-income and elderly people, still is in need of computers
(486s or better), modems, copiers, laser printers, filing cabinets, and
bookshelves.
For more information on donating equipment to Legal Action of
Wisconsin Inc., contact Sandra Dobbles of Legal Action of Wisconsin Inc.
at (414) 278-7777, ext. 3059. Cathy Smith of the Legal Aid Society of
Milwaukee Inc. says, "We're always looking for computers (486s or
better) and office furniture. Our building manager can arrange to pick
up donated items." Contact Smith at (414) 765-0600, ext. 123.
Legal Services of Northeastern Wisconsin Inc. can use "anything
you've got," according to office manager Carolee Petty. For more
information on donating equipment, contact Petty at (920) 432-4645.
WisBar adds news feeds from Reuters
The WisBar News Connection
is a new area on WisBar that provides users with round-the-clock news
coverage.
The News Connection offers Reuters news, sports, and business
coverage; financial commentary from Upside; news and political
commentary from News.com; computing and technology news from ZD-Net; and
a list of the week's top video rentals - with links to descriptions,
reviews, and photos from each film - from Hollywood Online.
The award-winning Web site also offers free case law from the
Wisconsin Supreme Court and Court of Appeals; access to 7th Circuit and
U.S. Supreme Court decisions; downloadable legal forms; and Caselaw
Express, a free email service that provides subscribers with weekly
indexes of cases added to the Wisconsin Supreme Court and Court of
Appeals databases.
Young Lawyers publish "HIV and Your Rights" handbook
People living with HIV or AIDS in Wisconsin now have a new legal
resource. The AIDS Law Committee of the State Bar Young Lawyers Division
has produced "HIV and Your Rights," a 45-page handbook that covers legal
issues including estate planning, discrimination and civil rights,
landlord-tenant issues, health insurance, and government-provided
benefits. The handbook also includes a statewide resource section with
related programs and phone numbers.
"The majority of people living with HIV and AIDS in this state live
in poverty and are unaware of their legal rights or the legal resources
available to them," says Ilan Chorowsky, chair of the committee. "This
free handbook answers any questions they might have about
confidentiality rights, obtaining health insurance, advance planning
needs, discrimination, or how to get professional help with such
issues."
"HIV and Your Rights," to be released June 15, will be distributed to
hospitals, testing sites, social service organizations, and libraries
statewide. The booklet also will be distributed at the State Bar Annual
Convention in Green Bay on June 23 - 25. For information or to receive a
copy of the "HIV and Your Rights" handbook, call (800) 486-6276, ext.
47.
Study reveals increase in minorities and women at large firms
Current data from the National Association for Law Placement (NALP)
show that, nationally, women attorneys and attorneys of color working as
associates or staff/senior attorneys in the nation's largest law firms
closely match their numbers among recent law school graduates. About two
in five (40.9 percent) associates and staff/senior attorneys are women;
11.8 percent are people of color.
The results are from an analysis of the 26 cities with the most
individual law offices listed in the latest National Directory of
Legal Employers, which is published by NALP.
The study reveals that both groups were best represented among summer
associates: 18.5 percent were attorneys of color and 44.4 percent were
women. Denver had the highest percentage of women partners, and Miami
had the highest percentage of partners of color, 18.2 percent, with no
other city even hitting 10 percent. The most women associates can be
found in Baltimore, Austin, and San Francisco, all with percentages in
the high 40s. The most associates of color are in the California cities
of Menlo Park, Palo Alto, and San Francisco, all with percentages in the
20s.
NALP also analyzed data from all firms listed in the directory,
including Wisconsin. In Wisconsin, 12.59 percent of all partners are
women; 1.13 percent are people of color. Among all associates, 40.13
percent are women, and 6.65 percent are people of color. Thirty-eight
percent of summer associates are women; 16.13 percent are people of
color.
Avoid temptation to reply to email "spam"
"Spam, unsolicited email sent by commercial vendors as a sort of
electronic direct marketing effort, is popular because it costs almost
nothing, especially when compared with printing and postage costs for
direct postal mail campaigns," according to Art Saffran, State Bar of
Wisconsin Computer Services director. Many times the spammer's offer is
for a get-rich-quick scheme or "adult-oriented" product, service, or Web
site. "Spammers" collect email addresses from a variety of sources; some
commercial Web sites sell their email address lists gathered from people
who buy online or register at a Web site.
So what can you do to avoid spam? With the wealth of information and
services online today, you shouldn't have to avoid joining interesting
discussion groups or shopping online simply to escape ending up on a
spammer's emailing list, says Saffran.
"Your first temptation might be to reply to the spammer and tell them
where they can put their email. Spammers are elusive, however, and many
times the return address is fake, and any email sent to it will be
returned as 'undeliverable.' And if your reply does get through, that
only confirms that there's a warm body attached to that address, and
you're likely to receive more spam."
Software companies and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are
developing spam blockers and filters; some legislatures are considering
passage of anti-spam legislation. Some computer-savvy anti-spam
activists encourage researching and contacting spammers' ISPs. But until
there is a truly effective piece of spam-blocking software or
legislation, the best tool you have to discourage spam email is: the
"delete" key. To reduce spam email, delete all spam email and never buy
products from spam offers.
Coming in June: Wisconsin Lawyer gets a facelift
Next month the Wisconsin Lawyer will sport a new look: a
redesign that substantially updates the publication's appearance since
its current format was launched 10 years ago.
"Although the publication's design has evolved over the past decade,
it's time for a facelift," observes editor Joyce Hastings. "The new
design offers a more contemporary column format that is visually
appealing and easier to read. In addition, the popular 'Personal
Mentions' column will feature member photographs to facilitate
lawyer-to-lawyer networking."
A readership survey conducted nearly a year ago also gave impetus to
editorial fine-tuning. "The survey results hit home the importance of
delivering editorial variety to appeal to the diverse needs of the
Wisconsin Lawyer readership," comments Brookfield attorney Mark
C. Young, chair of the 13-member Communications Committee, which serves
as the publication's editorial board.
"While our instate readers prefer the publication continue to
emphasize state legal developments, our 5,000 out-of-state members are
more interested in practice management," says Young. "And while younger
readers tell us of their interest in technology and career assistance,
our more seasoned readers like an occasional legal history piece. Our
challenge is to offer something of interest to you, no matter your
practice setting."
"Of course, the Wisconsin Lawyer's success depends upon
readers' contributions," says Young. "If you have a time- or
money-saving practice tip, share it with your colleagues. Turn the
speech you wrote for a seminar into an article. Contribute a humorous
anecdote. Tell us about human interest stories, from the lawyer who has
a unique pastime to someone whose public service activities has exceeded
the call of duty." Contact the Wisconsin Lawyer staff
or call Joyce Hastings at (800) 444-9404, ext. 6126.
Wisconsin Lawyer