![]()
Vol. 70, No. 6, June
1997
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 Mil-waukee'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 | 