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    Wisconsin Lawyer
    April 01, 2001

    Wisconsin Lawyer April 2001: Inside the Bar: Alphabet Soup Convention

    Inside the Bar


    Alphabet Soup Convention

    by George C. Brown,
    State Bar executive director

    George Brown

    DURING THE GREAT DEPRESSION, PRESIDENT Franklin Roosevelt created several programs and federal agencies to bring the nation out of its economic crisis: the NRA, WPA, and the CCC were just a few of them. These efforts changed the federal government's role in the lives of the states and the people down to the present day.

    Some argue that the legal profession is facing crises today that will forever change the face of the profession. These issues are represented by an alphabet soup of titles not seen since the Roosevelt administration: DNA, MDP, MJP, and UPL. At the State Bar Annual Convention in May, you will have an opportunity to learn about these issues and others that will have an impact on how you practice law in the future.

    DNA Evidence. We all know what it is and how it has been used to convict and free people charged with crimes. At the presidential showcase program on Thursday, May 3, nationally acclaimed DNA experts Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld will look deeper into issues behind DNA testing. (Please see the articles on the U.W.'s Innocence Project and our new genetic world in this issue.)

    MDP, MJP, UPL. These are some of the issues contained in the "gargantuan" resolution facing the State Bar Board of Governors at its May 4-5 meeting. The potential creation of multidisciplinary practice (MDP), the rise of multijurisdictional practice (MJP), and the relative inability to enforce the unauthorized practice of law (UPL) statutes will be among the topics discussed during the Friday, May 4, presidential showcase program, "Seize the Future." Led by State Bar President Gary Bakke, the panelists include Harry Ruffalo, a U.W. Law School adjunct professor who helped Arthur Anderson establish its legal practice.

    Other three-letter acronyms also abound at the convention. The Business Law and the Bankruptcy Law sections each will explain the impact of the revised UCC Article 9 on their practice areas; the ADR Section will help prepare you for mediation and the new collaborative family law process; and the Law Practice Section will look at the changes in law practice caused by MDP and MJP.

    You will find best practice tips on risk avoidance, efficiency, and family law issues; instruction on a variety of litigation topics; and updates on legislation in numerous practice areas.

    Technology impact is everywhere these days. There will be programs ranging from the law of international e-commerce to how to use Internet-based legal research and the effective use of technology in your practice.

    The business of the State Bar will be everywhere. Section and division boards and committees will be meeting throughout the convention. Thursday, Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson will swear in President-elect Gerry Mowris as the 46th president of the State Bar at a reception for all convention attendees. And on Friday, the Members' Recognition luncheon will honor 105 State Bar members for their 50 years of service to the profession.

    There's a lot going on at this year's Annual Convention that can impact the practice of law. I hope to see you there.


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