John H.Lederer

Personal

• Married; three children
  
  
• Residence: Oregon, Wis., since 1975

Education

• Secondary: Phillips Academy, Andover, Mass.
  
  
• Undergraduate: U.W. Madison
  
  
• Graduate: U.W. Law School, J.D. (1973), Wisconsin Law Review editor, legal writing instructor, Legal Assistance to Inmates intern

Practice

• Law clerk to Hon. Walter E. Hoffman, U.S.D.C. (E.D. Va.) 1973-75
  
  
• Joined DeWitt law firm in Madison, 1975, partner, 1976, retired 1992; general practice, ranging from defending against car repossessions to complex trial litigation in several states, appellate work before the Wisconsin courts, four Federal Circuit Courts of Appeal, and U.S. Supreme Court (briefed and argued three cases). Practice also included representation before legislative committees or agencies in 20 states and federal agencies. Active in law firm management.
  
  
• Supervisor, U.W. Law School, Legal Assistance to Inmates Program, 1978-79
  
  
• Lecturer in anti-trust, U.W. Extension, 1980-87
  
  
• Retired from practice of law after open heart surgery; in process of resuming active status

Professional activities

• State Bar of Wisconsin: Chair, Technology Resource Committee, 1991-96; member, Ad Hoc Technology Committee, Electronic Bar Services Committee, Office Management and Intellectual Property sections; chair, Directory Online Subcommittee; author, several seminal Avision memos for State Bar; author or co-author, several articles on citation reform; co-author, Technology Resource Committee Report on Citation Reform; worked with staff on technology issues, creation of WisBar web site; speaker on citation reform at numerous conferences and debates nationwide; speaker, numerous CLE courses involving technology
  
  
• Speaker, technology and organization issues at numerous conferences, including Comdex (Las Vegas), Networld (Dallas and Las Vegas), National Association of Bar Executives (Orlando)
  
  
• Member, National Academy of Science committee evaluating transportation safety studies, 1988
  
  
• Active participant in ad hoc coalition that defeated legislative attempt to create private publisher property interest in federal case law, 1996
  
  
• Chair, Union for Public Domain, 1996-present, international public interest organization on copyright and intellectual property issues
  
  
• Author of online essays, several of which have been republished in various legal journals and newsletters
  
  
• Member, Wisconsin, Virginia, numerous federal bars

The problems we face

The profession has major problems. The legal system is not working well, despite efforts of many good lawyers. We are not able to perform well our role in society as counselors, resolvers of conflict, and protectors of rights. We cost too much, we take too long, we work too hard. We have an adversarial system that has expanded beyond its rational boundaries.

We appear to have halted in our progress toward our ideals of equal justice and a government of laws rather than men.

The causes of the problems are complex. Many relate to society rather than just to the profession. Nonetheless, until we do our job better, we will continue to suffer low public esteem and low self-satisfaction.

The State Bar's principal problem is that, save for CLE, most lawyers regard it as irrelevant to them. It is not effectively addressing the problems of the profession. That is dire for a Bar such as ours, which is larger and more expensive per lawyer than our neighboring states' bar associations.

The core of my candidacy is this: I want to work to solve the first problem, and in the process, solve the second. I want the State Bar to be a relevant part of solving the problems of the profession.

The opportunity

The State Bar is in the information business. Over the next five years it will undergo a major change in the way it does business; so will everyone in the information business. That change offers great opportunity and great risk.

The opportunity is to use the expanded communications that the Internet and similar technology offer to make the profession a different, tighter and more effective community. The technology can be used to reduce the cost of practicing law with benefits to lawyers, clients and society. It can be used to provide lawyers with common resources such as case law, statutes, brief banks, new developments, and CLE at considerably reduced cost.

The changes can create an increased ability to draw upon one another for help and experience. It can reduce reinventing the wheel. It can be used to provide a small solo rural practitioner the same access to specialist resources that a large urban firm enjoys. It can make the State Bar a principal provider of current, timely, useable information tailored to an individual lawyer's particular needs. It can make the Bar a more potent political force.

The risk is that the State Bar, encumbered with internal politics, slow to change, and confused about its mission, will not make the changes that it needs to make in a timely and coherent manner. If it fails to do so, the State Bar will become less rather than more relevant.

Anyone involved with technology and organizations knows that the technology part is easy. It is the organizational change that is hard.

Getting people to agree on the goals and getting them to rise above parochial interests and unify in reaching those goals is the principal problem. That is what I would work for in my presidency.

Why me?

We all come to the table with different abilities, experiences and temperament. I have advantages and disadvantages. Both of my opponents are good, capable people. Whether I am the right person to lead the State Bar really depends upon what you think the job is that needs to be done.

If you agree with me on the need for change, I suggest that you consider my candidacy. I believe I have a grasp of where we need to go and a knowledge of what we need to get there.

I anticipate a turbulent presidency, if you elect me. Change is stressful. But I think you will later regard it as something good to have happened for the profession, the State Bar and yourself.

If you want more information, you can obtain it at my website, or by calling (608) 252-9250 and asking for a printed copy of the website materials. The material there is extensive and is straight and direct.