I’m Dan Gartzke, your new State Bar of Wisconsin president. Part of my job is to write these monthly 500-word columns for Wisconsin Lawyer. It will be my goal to make them relevant to as many of you as possible. Obviously, I come from my own perspective of a family law practitioner in Dane and the surrounding counties, but I think I can make my columns relevant beyond my own experiences.
Dan D. Gartzke, U.W. 1986, practices family law with Boardman & Clark LLP, Madison. In addition to serving on the State Bar of Wisconsin’s Executive and Finance committees, he is a member of the Children & the Law and the Family Law sections and the Senior Lawyers Division, and is a Fellow of the Wisconsin Law Foundation.
We are bombarded with so much information, so many people competing for our attention, each trying to make a point that is meaningful, or sounds meaningful, or is at least clever or memorable in the cacophony of influencers, such as TikTok, Instagram, Reddit, and Substack, and whatever else is out there.
I won’t join in that competition. I’m not an H.L. Mencken, or William Buckley, or even a Dave Barry. I’m just a lawyer writing a monthly column about the State Bar. It will be my goal to connect with you, or someone like you, on an occasional basis. Hopefully, my words will resonate with some readers, sometimes.
Read these columns, if you like, and if you find something of interest or connection to you, enjoy it. If you have a comment and want to send it to me, I’ll welcome the input. I might even adopt your idea in a future column.
Our State Bar is a community of about 25,000 members. About one-third of us reside or practice outside Wisconsin. We have a wide range of interests, practice areas, and ages. We are a diverse membership, and that is a source of strength. I will aim to use these columns to add to our strength.
I wish to thank those who have helped me in my abbreviated run-up to my presidency. Immediate past president Ryan Billings and now former president Dean Dietrich have been instrumental in guiding me into my position. Steve Sawyer, as president-elect, has added his insights. And, of course, State Bar Executive Director Larry Martin has been invaluable since day one.
Finally, Larry is retired, effective Sept. 2. We welcome Jill Creston Rothstein as our new executive director. There is an article introducing Jill elsewhere in this issue, and I encourage you to take the time to read it. She is a remarkable individual and is dedicated to building on the State Bar’s future.
Thank you for electing me as your State Bar president. I look forward to the challenges and opportunities ahead.
» Cite this article: 98 Wis. Law. 4 (September 2025).
