Sign In
    Wisconsin Lawyer
    June 01, 1997

    Wisconsin Lawyer June 1997: News Briefs

    News Briefs

    Volunteers in the Courts Share Recipes for Success

    First Volunteers in the Courts Conference attracts U.S. Attorney Reno's attention.

    Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Shirley Abrahamson, creator of the Volunteers in the Courts program, visits with Barron County Circuit Court Judge Edward Brunner and Nancy Wheeler, the program's director at the first-ever Volunteers in the Courts conference.

    Despite the bestselling books of attorney-authors like John Grisham and Scott Turow, the inner workings of courthouses still mystify many. Maybe more people would appreciate the services the legal system provides if they could work side by side with judges, lawyers and courthouse staff.

    A resource catalog from the State Bar and the Wisconsin Supreme Court takes the mystery out of starting volunteer programs that forge working partnerships and better understanding between state courts and the communities they serve. "Court-Related Volunteer Programs in Wisconsin" contains information on 130 state programs currently enlisting the help of more than 4,500 volunteers within the state's court system.

    The softcover book describes each program, listing coordinators to contact for advice, potential sources of funding and volunteers in most of the state's 72 counties. The information compiled in the catalog's 84 pages was generated through the Wisconsin Supreme Court's statewide conference, "Volunteers in the Court System: Partners in Justice." In helping to organize and fund the conference, the State Bar followed the recommendation of the Judiciary as a Co-Equal Branch of Government Commission. The commission urged closer cooperation between the Bar and the supreme court, calling for Bar support of Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson's new "Volunteers in the Courts" program.

    National Attention

    The Volunteers in the Courts conference, the first of its kind in Wisconsin, drew nearly 200 lawyers, judges, program coordinators, social workers and volunteers to share innovative program ideas. The April 24 conference, held just before the national conference on volunteerism, also attracted national attention from the ABA and U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno.

    Reno and Abrahamson share an interest in volunteer projects and children's issues, according to Nancy Wheeler, assistant to Chief Justice Abrahamson and Volunteers in the Courts director.

    During a stop in Madison May 9, Reno met with Abrahamson and a group from Dane County's Court Appointed Special Advocates program. Volunteers in the program, considered a national model, ensure that court-ordered services for CHIPS children are carried out. Reno focused on the needs of such community-based efforts, which often are funded by a mixture of private and public sources.

    Though Reno couldn't promise more federal financial support, she did mention pending legislation that responds to the liability concerns of those involved in volunteer programs.

    Duplicating Success

    Despite concerns about money and liability, Wisconsin abounds with court volunteer success stories. The 40 presenters at the April conference focused on several model programs designed to enhance court services with volunteer assistance.

    Judge Bill Dyke left the conference's workshop, "New Juvenile Justice Alternatives," committed to starting a teen court in his Iowa County circuit court. Recent changes in Wisconsin's juvenile justice code permit this alternative sentencing method already employed by Winnebago County. Peer pressure leads to many juvenile criminal acts. This juvenile services program confronts first-time offenders with the knowledge that not all of their peers approve of such behavior. In Winnebago County's Teen Court, teenagers volunteer to act as jurors, prosecutors, bailiffs and defense counsel under the supervision of Judge Bruce Schmidt and adult mentors.

    The teenage volunteers must follow certain sentencing guidelines such as ordering offenders to serve on at least three teen court juries or to perform community service. The program also grants volunteers a degree of latitude in creating alternate sentences. Offenders have been required by their peers to write apologies to their victims and even thank-you letters to supportive parents.

    Giving community members a tangible stake in their local court system has helped attract 200 volunteers to Winnebago County's Teen Court program.

    Matching Interest to Need

    Winnebago County engages the help of 101 volunteers in four other court-related programs. The programs call upon volunteers, many attracted through word-of-mouth, to help victims of domestic abuse obtain temporary restraining orders, supervise court-ordered parent-child visitations, mentor first-time juvenile offenders and mediate small-and large-claim litigants as an alternative to trial. Recruiting volunteers from the local community is usually a matter of matching personal interest to a program's need.

    To learn more about the program and available resources, call Wheeler at (608) 261-8297. To order, "Court-Related Volunteer Programs in Wisconsin," priced at $10 including tax and shipping, contact the State Bar at (608) 257-3838 or (800) 362-8096 (statewide).

    Fund Drive Targets Legal Assistance

    Federal and private funding cuts threaten access to justice for thousands of Wisconsin's poorest residents. The State Bar's Delivery of Legal Services Commission reached that conclusion after studying the legal needs of low-income people and the adequacy of funding for the state's civil legal assistance programs.

    The commission recommended establishing a stable, diverse funding base capable of preserving and expanding civil legal services for Wisconsin's poor. This recommendation resulted in the formation of the Equal Justice Coalition, which initiated a statewide coordinated fund-raising plan. A development director and assistant, hired with State Bar seed money, will work to raise $5 million from lawyers, businesses and foundations for the next several months. Contributors will be asked to make three-year pledge commitments. The campaign will kickoff at the State Bar's Annual Convention in late June.

    The coalition includes: Legal Action of Wisconsin, Legal Services of Northeastern Wisconsin, Western Wisconsin Legal Services, Wisconsin Judicare, the Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee and the Wisconsin Trust Account Foundation. To learn more, call Deborah Kilbury Tobin at (608) 250-6177 or (800) 444-9404, ext. 6177.

    Melli Award Honors Contributions to Women in the Law

    The Legal Association for Women seeks nominations for the 1997 Marygold Melli Achievement Award.

    This annual award recognizes an outstanding 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 was established in 1994 to honor Melli, and to nurture and celebrate her leadership style. Melli successfully combined a distinguished career at the UW-Law School, prolific publication, extensive community and professional service and raised four children. Ruth B. Doyle, Mary Lou Munts and Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson received the awards in 1994, 1995 and 1996, respectively.

    Nomination forms and additional information are available from Iris Christenson, 6409 Odana Rd., Suite A, Madison, WI 53719, (608) 273-8609. Completed nomination materials must be received by July 15.

    Dunn Award Brings Visibility to 'Invisible Lien' Author

    Milwaukee attorney Arthur J. Harrington was named the winner of this year's Hon. Charles Dunn Author Award. The State Bar Communications Committee selected Harrington's May 1996 article, "The 'Invisible Lien': Public Trust Doctrine Impact on Real Estate Development in Wisconsin," based on its comprehensive and well-written treatment of an emerging area of the law.

    Only one Dunn award, named after Wisconsin's first chief justice, is presented each year to recognize writing excellence in articles published in the Wisconsin Lawyer. Communications Committee members Mark C. Young, Robert V. Petershack and Alyson K. Zierdt chose Harrington's article citing its effective summary of the Public Trust Doctrine's development and reach.

    "Art has a talent for illuminating a complex area without tripping over its complexities," said Young, award subcommittee chair. Harrington, who heads the Environmental Law Practice group at Milwaukee's Godfrey & Kahn S.C., will receive a plaque at the June Board of Governors' luncheon.

    Two other authors also received certificates of commendation for articles published in the Wisconsin Lawyer last year:

    • Stacy C. Gerber Ward for the July 1996 article, "Sexual Misconduct Claims and the Discovery Rule"; and
    • Joseph A. Ranney for the February 1996 article, "Wisconsin Women and the Law Since 1920 - Part II," one of a series of articles on Wisconsin's legal history.

    Figuratively Speaking

    • Percentage of U.S. men who say they would have no problem turning in a family member if they suspected they were the Unabomber, according to a CNN/USA Today Gallup poll: 28

      "If you like law and sausages, you should never watch either one being made."

      -- Widely attributed to Otto Von Bismarck

    • Percentage who say they would turn in a family member, but it would be hard: 58
    • Percentage who say they wouldn't turn them in: 9

    Source: U.S.A. Today, September 16, 1996

    • In a survey of Chicago-area law firms, the percentage of firms that expect law school graduates to know how to draft legal documents: 10
    • Percentage that expect graduates to have a knowledge of substantive law: 28
    • Percentage that said law school graduates should have good writing and library skills: 90

    Source: New England Law Review, Summer 1995

    • Average debt of a law school graduate in 1993: $30,000
    • Average debt of a law school graduate today: $43,000

    Source: Education Resources Institute; Institute for Higher Learning

    • Percentage of corporate counsel who believe that lawyers occasionally inflate their hours, according to a study by William G. Ross: 40

    Source: American Journal of Trial Advocacy, Volume 20, No. 1, Fall 1996, p. 92


Join the conversation! Log in to comment.

News & Pubs Search

-
Format: MM/DD/YYYY