Note: A petition for review of any change in the bylaws will be
entertained by the court if signed by 25 or more active State Bar
members and filed with the clerk of the court within 60 days after
publication of notice of change. Hearings upon such a petition will
be pursuant to notice in such manner as the court directs.
I, George C. Brown, the Executive Director of the State Bar of
Wisconsin, do hereby certify that the following bylaw amendment
resolution was duly voted by the Board of Governors on Jan. 25,
2000.
Business on a Consent
Agenda
State Bar Bylaw Article III is amended to read as
follows:
Article III Board of Governors
Section 9. Meetings of Board of Governors.
(b) Notice of the time and place of regular and special meetings
of the Board shall be given to each member by the Executive Director
by mail or telephone at least five days before the meeting. At any
regular meeting of the Board any business may be transacted which
is within the power of the Board, whether or not specified in the
call or notice of the meeting. At any special meeting of the Board,
any business may be transacted which is within the power of the
Board if specified in the call or notice of the meeting. Members
of the Board may participate and vote by telephone at any special
meeting, but not at a regular meeting. Members appearing by telephone
at a special meeting shall be deemed present for the purpose of
determining a quorum. Action by the Board may be taken by a majority
of members present at a meeting at which a quorum is present, except
action upon legislative proposals, proposed supreme court rule changes
and proposed executive agency rule changes shall require approval
by a 60% majority of members present at a meeting at which a quorum
is present. At any regular or special meeting, any business placed
on a consent agenda that is part of the notice or call will be acted
upon without debate. Business listed on the consent agenda may be
removed by any one governor within a 72-hour notice to the Secretary
of the State Bar.
I, George C. Brown, the Executive Director of the State Bar of
Wisconsin, do hereby certify that the following bylaw amendment
resolutions were duly voted by the Board of Governors on January
25, 2000.
Nomination and Election
Dates for Officers, Governors
State Bar Bylaw Articles II and III are amended as
follows:
Article II
Officers Section 1. Nominations.
The President-Elect, the Secretary and the Treasurer of the State
Bar shall be elected from a list of candidates nominated in the
manner herein prescribed. A committee of five members to nominate
candidates for said offices to be voted on at the next annual election
shall be appointed by the President of the Association with the
approval of the Board of Governors at the first regularly scheduled
Board meeting following the annual convention. Such report shall
name two or more candidates nominated by the committee for the Office
of President-Elect, two or more candidates nominated for the Office
of Secretary and two or more candidates nominated for the Office
of Treasurer. Before making its report, the committee shall solicit
from the membership the names of members interested in seeking nomination
to any office scheduled for election. The committee shall make its
report no later than the first business day in November
December 15 in each year. Other persons may be nominated
for any of said offices by petition signed in the case of each candidate
by not less than one hundred active members of the Association,
and filed in the Office of the Executive Director on or before the
first business day of December February of the year
preceding of the election, provided that before the
filing of such petition a statement shall be endorsed thereon by
the nominee to the effect that the member consents to nomination
for the office designated in the petition.
Article III Board of Governors
Section 3. Nomination Petitions.
Nominations for the Office of Governor shall be by petition signed
in respect of each nominee by not less than ten persons entitled
to vote for such candidate. Blank forms for that purpose shall be
supplied by the Executive Director of the Association on request.
Nomination petitions for candidates to be voted on at the annual
election in any year shall be filed in the office of the Executive
Director not later than the first business day of January
March of such year, provided that before the filing of such
petition a statement shall be endorsed thereon by the nominee to
the effect that the nominee consents to nomination for the office
designated in the petition. No nominating petition for governor
shall be filed on behalf of any member practicing in the same county
in which another member is a governor whose term does not expire
at the next annual meeting.
Section 4. Voting List. On the third Friday of January March
in each year the voting list shall close for the election in that
year. Every active member of the Association in good standing on
that date shall be entitled to vote in the State Bar District in
which the member's principal office for the practice of law is located,
for officers of the State Bar and for the governor or governors
for such district to be elected that year.
Section 5. Mailing of Ballots. On or before the first second
Friday of February April in each year the Executive
Director shall prepare and mail required ballots to each active
member of the State Bar entitled to vote at the annual election.
One form of ballot sent to persons entitled to vote in each State
Bar District shall contain the names of the nominees for the several
offices of the State Bar to be filled at the annual election, and
a separate form of ballot shall contain the names of the nominees
for the Office of Governor from such district. If any such person
entitled to vote in such election fails to receive his or her ballots,
or if it appears that any such ballot has been lost or destroyed,
a new ballot shall be furnished to the person by the Executive Director.
The third fourth Friday of February April
in each year shall be the last day for voting in such election and
no ballots received after that date shall be counted.
I, George C. Brown, the Executive Director of the State Bar of
Wisconsin, do hereby certify that the following bylaw amendment
resolution was duly voted by the Board of Governors on April 14,
2000.
Confidentiality of
Ethics Opinions Requestor or Subject
State Bar Bylaw Article IV is amended as follows:
Article IV Standing Committees
Section 3. Committee on Professional Ethics.
This committee shall formulate and recommend standards and methods
for the effective enforcement of high standards of ethics and conduct
in the practice of law; shall consider the "Rules of Professional
Conduct for Attorneys" as adopted by the Wisconsin Supreme Court
and the observance thereof, and shall make recommendations for appropriate
amendments thereto. The committee shall have authority to express
opinions regarding proper professional conduct, upon written request
of any member or officer of the State Bar. However, the committee
shall not issue opinions as to the propriety of past or present
conduct of specific member attorneys unless requested to do so by
a grievance committee of the State Bar or by the Board of Governors
of the State Bar. In those latter instances of requests relating
to a specific member, they shall be treated as confidential and
shall not be open to public inspection. In such cases, the opinion
of the committee shall not disclose the names of any parties, but
such opinion shall be open for inspection in the same manner as
other opinions of the committee. Unless waived by the requestor
or subject, the identities of all requestors of past and current
opinions or advice shall be confidential and information relating
thereto shall also remain confidential. Members of the committee
or designees who provide ethics advice to member attorneys shall
be subject to this requirement of confidentiality.