Navigation
Vol. 72, No. 11, November 1999

Improving the Present

he State Bar offers a variety of services to enhance the practice of law in Wisconsin. Just as these services help members in their daily practices, member involvement in governance and other Bar activities is rewarding and valuable. Several opportunities for involvement exist, including participation in local and specialty bar associations supported by the State Bar. Members also can participate in statewide governance by serving on a committee, becoming active in a section or division, or by running for the Board of Governors. All of these entities influence State Bar policy and programs and the future of the profession. Many publish newsletters, sponsor CLE programs, and organize other projects of value to members and the public. The following highlights of the past year include new initiatives and a selection of continually strong programs.

Constructing the New State Bar Center

After a decade of discussion and debate, the State Bar Board of Governors passed a motion in FY 98 to move ahead with construction of a new Bar Center. A groundbreaking celebration kicked off FY 99 on July 2, 1998, at the site of the Bar's new home on Madison's northeast side. Building completion came a little more than a year later, under the direction of the Facilities Committee, chaired by Gerald O'Brien from Stevens Point.

The decision to move the headquarters for the first time in 40 years was influenced by many factors, including lack of meeting, parking, and staff work space at the Bar's W. Wilson Street building, and inefficiencies caused by rented off-site storage and printing/mailing operations.

The funding for the $4.65 million facility came from loans, cash from investments, sale of the old building, and the fund-raising campaign. The "Building the Future" campaign finished strong with more than $1.2 million in contributions from nearly 8,000 members in all types of practice around the state and nation. The 100 Percent Club, the backbone of the campaign, offered equal recognition to all 225 firms and legal entities who contributed $300 per attorney. All donors are recognized in the new facility. The general chair of the campaign, Nathan Fishbach from Milwaukee, led the fund-raising effort with the help of the 33 members on the campaign cabinet and hundreds of volunteers.

Member Services

The State Bar's ethics consultant offers members informal guidance and help in resolving questions regarding Wisconsin's Rules of Professional Conduct for Attorneys. In the past year, the ethics attorney provided more than 2,000 informal consultations. In addition, committee members provided informal guidance to approximately 500 members. The Bar's Professional Ethics Committee also released an advisory opinion on disposing of closed client files. Opinions are printed in the Wisconsin Lawyer and are available on WisBar.

The State Bar's two dispute resolution programs serve the interests of the public, the profession, and the judicial system by avoiding unnecessary litigation. The Professionalism Committee's Lawyer Dispute Resolution program arbitrated two disputes during FY 99. The year-old program is an effective mechanism for resolving professional and economic disputes between lawyers arising from law firm breakups by offering mediation and/or arbitration. The Resolution of Fee Disputes service received 328 inquiries during FY 99 and accepted 73 applications for arbitration hearings. This program provides a fast, inexpensive, and confidential method to settle fee disputes between lawyers and clients.

President Susan Steingass emphasized local bar outreach by visiting, with staff, more than 20 bar associations throughout the year. The Local Bar Relations Committee developed a local bar liaison program to increase communication between local and specialty bar associations and the State Bar. Liaisons are kept informed through a new bimonthly newsletter, Liaison Link. The State Bar continued to provide local bar leaders the Directline newsletter, published three times annually, containing tips to help guide and increase involvement in their organizations.

The State Bar supports long-range financial planning sessions for local and specialty bar associations. The Marathon and Waukesha county bar associations completed sessions in FY 99 during which the Bar helped them develop goals and strategies to increase participation and expand public service programs. The State Bar arranged the meeting sites and provided a facilitator to lead the sessions and a reporter to take notes.

The Wisconsin Lawyers Assistance Program (WisLAP) continued to help attorneys, judges, law students, and their families cope with alcoholism and other chemical addictions, depression, acute and chronic anxiety, and problems related to the stress of practicing law. In FY 99, a successful training program was implemented for WisLAP volunteers. The trained volunteers provide information and confidential, meaningful assistance 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

To provide Bar members with a means of communicating with other lawyers about career issues, WisLAP joined forces with the Young Lawyers Division (YLD) in spring 1999 to offer career assistance. The program, "Been There, Done That," brings volunteer lawyers and young lawyers together to talk about career issues, such as transitioning from law school to practice, switching firms, and moving on to other careers.

The "Personalities, Policy and the Polka ... The Legislative Process" program made a successful debut in FY 99. The one-hour presentation, created by the State Bar's Public Affairs Committee and government relations staff, focuses on what lawyers should know about the legislative process from a behind-the-scenes perspective. The presentation includes practical ways of using information in daily practice and providing input into the legislative process. Hundreds of judges and attorneys, including the attorney general, attended the 20-plus presentations at local and specialty bar association meetings and law firms statewide. The program received the "Award of Excellence in Government Relations" from the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Diversity Outreach Efforts

As the nation evolves into an increasingly diverse populace, organizations of every size and nature are challenged to change practices and perceptions in order to achieve organizational missions. The State Bar of Wisconsin is working to embrace the positive opportunities that diversity offers the legal profession.

The State Bar sponsors a summer clerkship program to promote minority placements in settings where minorities traditionally have been underrepresented. Students are matched with private law firms, corporate legal departments, and governmental agencies. Participating employers reap the benefits of a diverse workforce and promote diversity in the profession. In the past year, 16 employers hosted 17 law students who were enthusiastic about their experience.

The Diversity Counsel Demonstration Program, modeled after that of the American Bar Association, provides opportunities for minority and women lawyers to develop relationships with majority-owned law firms. The 1999 networking event was held in Milwaukee. Federal Judge Charles Clevert delivered the keynote address.

The Diversity Outreach Committee works to promote the increased participation of minority lawyers in the State Bar of Wisconsin. Planning began in FY 99 for a special event at Midwinter Convention 2000, "Leadership in the Face of Change: Investing in the Future of the Legal Profession."

The Participation of Women in the Bar Committee works to assist women in achieving full integration and participation in the legal profession. The committee sponsored special networking dinners in spring 1999 for female students from Marquette and U.W. Law School.

Information Central for Members

Information is a valuable commodity for attorneys, and the State Bar has developed a wealth of resources to help members meet their professional needs. These resources include books, seminars, publications, computerized research services, and an interactive Web site.

WisBar, the State Bar's Internet site, continued to provide members access to legal resources and information. In FY 99 WisBar expanded its offerings to include Wisconsin employment law decisions and grievance awards. The searchable database, presented in partnership with the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission (WERC), dates back to 1989. The site also added State Bar Professional Ethics Committee opinions. The Capitol Update page is kept current to inform users of legislative activities, and offers links to position papers, proposed legislation, and related articles.

Discussion groups were enhanced with more features and easier access. Attorneys can post - and respond to - questions and comments on legal topics in a secure, collegial atmosphere. A new interactive CLE calendar offers members an easy-to-view format of monthly CLE events and allows users to click on program titles for more information. The News Connection debuted on WisBar to provide users with round-the-clock news, sports, and business coverage from the Reuters news service.

WisBar continues to reap national recognition as one of the best bar association Web sites. The site received awards from the National Association of Bar Executives Communications Section, the National Conference of Bar Presidents Outstanding Bar Association site, and the Key Resource award from Links2Go. WisBar ended FY 99 by being named top State-local Bar Association Site in the legal.online "Best of Web" competition for the third straight year.

The State Bar produces a variety of publications to share information with members. The monthly Wisconsin Lawyer magazine, the Bar's flagship publication, is consistently rated in membership surveys as one of the top three resources that the Bar offers, with 70 percent of the Bar's members reading one-half or more of a typical issue. The Communications Committee, which serves as the publication's editorial board, and staff redesigned the Wisconsin Lawyer, incorporating feedback from a readership survey conducted the prior year. The new look includes an expanded "Personal Mentions" column, now called "In the News," more frequent coverage of ethics and small-firm practice issues, and a greater commitment to involving readers in the publication.

The monthly State Bar Newsletter, received between issues of the Wisconsin Lawyer magazine, updates members on association activities, including the Board of Governors, new programs, products, services, and current legislative news.

Capitol Update, a timely bulletin on the week's legislative activities in the State Capitol, is an important component of the State Bar's legislative grass-roots program. The Government Relations Team produces Capitol Update weekly, including insight on budget negotiations, legislative hearings, debates, votes, and ways to get involved in the process.

The State Bar also launched News Notes, a free, biweekly summary of legal issues that have been reported in the press statewide and around the nation. News Notes is delivered by fax or email to subscribers and is available on WisBar.

Next Page