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    Wisconsin Lawyer
    October 01, 2000

    Wisconsin Lawyer October 2000: Legal News and Trends

    Legal News & Trends


    Milwaukee event showcases legal technology

    The 1st Annual Wisconsin Law & Technology Show, Nov. 30 at the Sheraton Four Points in Milwaukee, brings together a full day of seminars and legal technology exhibits specifically geared toward lawyers, legal and MIS support staff, and court personnel.

    Presented by the Milwaukee Bar Association and the American Bar Association Law Practice Management Section (cosponsors), along with the State Bar of Wisconsin, Dane County Bar Association, Law Librarian Association of Wisconsin, and the Paralegal Association of Wisconsin, the program features sessions ranging from "Developing a Law Firm Web Site on Little or No Budget" to "Protecting Your System from Techno Gremlins." Speakers include Wisconsin Attorney General James Doyle and Hon. Barbara B. Crabb, U.S. District Court Judge for the Western District of Wisconsin.

    Admission is $99 for lawyers and $49 for nonlawyers registering by Oct. 27. For more information, or to register, call (800) 328-4444, or visit www.npilaw.com.

    Eastern District launches federal defender program

    Federal Defender Services of Eastern Wisconsin Inc. (FDS), a nonprofit charitable corporation for representing indigent defendants in federal criminal cases, is setting up shop in Milwaukee. The program, funded by a federal judiciary grant and overseen by a board of directors, is one of 15 privately-run community defender organizations nationwide. An alternative to federal agencies and CJA (Criminal Justice Act) panels, FDS will seek through its nine-member staff to provide clients with "a defense as good or better than they could hire," says Dean Strang, executive director. "Our overarching goal is to defend indigent people accused in federal court with legal skill, creativity, and devotion, taking advantage of the latitude afforded by the organization's private status."

    Strang sees the court's decision to implement this program as at least partially rooted in the "desire for more uniformly good representation of accused men and women who are too poor to hire an attorney and are at a great disadvantage when prosecuted by the federal government. It also is a more cost-effective way to provide defense to indigents when a federal court caseload reaches a certain number of indictments," he says.

    Panel system continues. FDS supplements, rather than replaces, the existing panel system. Strang estimates 25 to 35 percent of indigent criminal defense cases in the Eastern District will continue to go to private lawyers appointed by his office. "Because of conflicts of interest and ethical constraints, we're not able to represent everyone who qualifies," he explains.

    Strang cites helping to reform the CJA panel and providing ongoing support and training for its members as a priority. He also looks to develop a presence and rapport within Eastern District geographic pockets that contribute disproportionately to the FDS clientele.

    "Confronting and reshaping client and public expectations about public defenders will be an ongoing challenge," adds Strang. "There is a perception - particularly among many of our clients - that public defenders are something less than lawyers; we must change that by proving we care and doing superior legal work."

    Strang anticipates FDS will take its first case in December.

    Corporate information available online

    It's now possible to access the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions' (DFI's) Corporate Registration Information System (CRIS) online at www.wdfi.org. Visitors can obtain information including legal business name, current status (incorporated, organized, merged, dissolved), statutory entity description (corporation, limited liability company, cooperative), registered agent's name and address, previously used entity names, and more from 350,000 Division of Corporate and Consumer Services business records.

    DFI Secretary John F. Kundert sees the online service as "saving customers time and money." He notes it's only the beginning of what the department hopes to offer on the Internet.

     

    Women lawyers less optimistic

    Fifty-six percent of women lawyers responding to a 2000 telephone survey believe they are treated the same as men at work. However, 52.5 percent of women and 60.4 percent of men believe their prospects for career advancement are equal, compared to 72 percent of women and 83 percent of men surveyed 17 years ago.

    Source: ABA Journal poll

    Eight tips for dealing with the media

    The way attorneys approach the media goes a long toward determining reporting quality, according to a panel of media representatives and attorneys addressing the image of lawyers in the community at the 2000 State Bar Annual Convention last June.

    "Space and time are media commodities," explained attorney and WTMJ radio talk show host David Melnick. "Those in the media are stretched for time but need stories."

    Melnick and fellow panelists Media-Law Relations Committee Chair Steve Ritt; WISC 3, Madison, Editorial Director Neil Heinen; and Wisconsin State Journal Associate Editor Tom Still offered lawyers the following advice for optimizing media exposure:

    o Make sure you have a story to tell - something truly newsworthy.

    o Select the best type of medium and the best outlet within that medium for your story. Consider your target audience, the subject matter, and the medium. Calculate where you'll get the best exposure.

    o Learn whom to contact within the media regarding a specific type of story.

    o Get the reporter's attention. Don't simply send a press release. "First, call your media contact and briefly lay out the facts, explaining the story's importance," said Melnick. "If he or she is interested, send an executive summary substantiated with facts.

    o Package the story. Give the media something to refer to and support their notes, making sure that handouts are consistent with what you say in interviews. This increases the chances of the story being used because it saves the reporter time, and it ensures against inaccuracies and misquotes. "Most reporters want to be fair to a fault, and if you get them the information, most will be," said Heinen.

    "Also, don't assume the media will understand the story," added Melnick. "The law is a very specialized field with complex issues, and even an experienced reporter can have difficulty interpreting the information and presenting it. Provide explanatory materials."

    o Bear credibility in mind, especially the first time out. This is an opportunity to establish your reputation with the media and create an impression of trustworthiness and reliability. "Too many lawyers approach dealing with the media as a business opportunity," noted Melnick. "Be as objective as possible."

    o Set ground rules for interviews. Ritt recommends beginning off-the-record if possible. "Get a feeling for where everyone's coming from; then, when everyone is comfortable, move onto the record." It's also important to distinguish between what's off-the-record for background and what the reporter is allowed to cite but not attribute.

    "Assume you're always on the record unless it's specifically noted otherwise," Melnick advised.

    o Don't be shy about following up on media coverage. If an interview agreement is violated, point it out.


    State Bar, ABA provide career development resources

    Could you use some help honing your professional skills, advancing your career, or dealing with professional demands? The State Bar's Young Lawyers Division and the American Bar Association's (ABA's) new legal Career Resource Center offer free and low-cost products and services that address these needs.

    Through its Career Assistance Committee, the Young Lawyers Division supports Bar members with programs addressing job satisfaction, alternative career placement, workplace stress, and other professional development issues.

    o The committee's WisBar job search page links members to sites including LawJobs Career Center, AttorneyJobs.com, the U.W. Law School Job Databank, and Marquette Law School's Office of Career Planning.

    o In conjunction with WisLAP, the Bar's 24-hour stress and substance abuse hotline, the committee offers a "Been There, Done That" program that enables WisLAP hotline callers to discuss career-related concerns and ideas with appropriately matched volunteer fellow attorneys. The WisLAP number is (800) 543-2625.

    o YLD's anonymous online "Forum for All Young Lawyers" allows lawyers to post, read, and respond to questions, issues, and experiences pertaining to the practice of law.

    o The YLD Educational Resource Library, housed at the Wisconsin State Law Library, features information on career development, law practice building, public speaking, and public relations, as well as substantive topics in print, audio, and video formats. Professional development offerings range from Alternative Careers for Lawyers and America's Greatest Places to Work With a Law Degree to The Young Lawyer's Jungle Book: A Survival Guide. Information on specific titles is available through WISOLL, the State Law Library's online catalog. State Bar members can borrow materials by mail for three weeks. There is a $2-per-item handling fee and no limit on the number of items that can be checked out. For a complete list of titles in nearly 50 subject areas and their availability, visit www.wisbar.org/yld/library.html, or call the State Law Library at (800) 322-9755 or (608) 266-1600 for further information.

    ABA offers career guidance. ABA Career Resource Center products and services include free Web-based job search question-and-answer sessions, hosted by ABA-CLE and Career Resource Center director Kathy Morris, to begin later this fall.

    Further career enhancement and job search resources are available online through ABA's Career Counsel Web site, which features articles, daily tips, and special information for law students, lawyers, and employers. ABA members also can access EmplawyerNet (www.emplawyernet.com) from the site to receive discounted rates for online access to job listings as part of the ABA Member Advantage Program. For more information, call the ABA at (312) 988-5000.

    Wisconsin Lawyer


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