Vol. 75, No. 9, September
2002
Letters
Letters to the editor: The Wisconsin Lawyer
publishes as many letters in each issue as space permits. Please limit
letters to 500 words; letters may be edited for length and clarity.
Letters should address the issues, and not be a personal attack on
others. Letters endorsing political candidates cannot be accepted.
Please mail letters to "Letters to the Editor," Wisconsin Lawyer, P.O.
Box 7158, Madison, WI 53707-7158, fax them to (608) 257-4343, or email
them to wislawyer@wisbar.org.
Is Bar Association unresponsive?
The bureaucracy of the State Bar continues as always to grow and
become more cumbersome for both the bureaucrats in the Bar and the
practicing lawyers who are regulated by the association.
An example of the bureaucracy is evidenced by the statement in the
June 2002 newsletter, Inside the Bar, that the State Bar dues statements
were mailed in the second week of June, with a due date of July 1, 2002,
with an extension of the deadline being granted until July 7, due to a
late mailing.
I received the dues statement on July 5 in an envelope postmarked
July 2.
It would seem that our supreme court ought to spend some time making
an inquiry into the burgeoning Bar association and its capability of
administering the bureaucratic "machinery" now in existence, all to
prevent the danger(s) of an "out-of-control" and unresponsive
association, existing for the benefit of only itself and the insiders
within the bureaucracy.
Unless the inquiry is made, the symptoms of an unresponsive
bureaucracy will continue to grow, as with any unit or arm of
government.
Ted B. Johnson, Cedarburg
The Bar welcomes the opportunity to address members' concerns.
Our records reflect that your original dues statement was mailed several
weeks in advance of your request for a duplicate statement that was,
indeed, mailed to you on July 2.
I appreciated the opportunity to visit with you recently about
your concerns and the current efforts of the Bar to create
organizational focus through the development of a strategic plan. With
an approved strategic plan in hand that contains clearly stated goals
and various means of achieving them, the Bar can proceed in a unified
direction with the plan driving decisions about resource
allocation.
The hard-working members who participate in Bar governance and
activities volunteer to uphold the purposes of the Bar as contained in
SCR 10.02 (2). They conduct the Bar's activities and business
accordingly and are committed to ensuring that the Bar functions to
serve its members, the profession, and the public.
We very much appreciate your taking the time to express your
opinion. It is the sign of an open and healthy organization when members
care enough about their professional association to make the effort to
communicate their concerns.
Betty J. Braden,
State Bar Member Relations and Public Services Director
Wisconsin Lawyer
