Features

• • Celebrating Wisconsin's Legal History
  • In 2003, the Wisconsin Supreme Court, State Bar, and Court of Appeals will all mark milestones.
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  • Good Samaritans Gone Bad: Derelict Designated Drivers are Exempt from Liability
  • Under Wisconsin's alcohol provider immunity statute, even individuals - such as designated drivers - who are only peripherally involved in procuring alcohol for an adult are protected from liability for damages caused by the intoxicated adult.
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  • Mandatory Arbitration of Consumer Rights Cases
  • The ability of corporations to opt out of the public civil justice system by using mandatory arbitration clauses in consumer contracts poses a fundamental policy question for Congress and the courts. Still, there are ways to preserve clients' rights to have their day in court.
• • Article Series on History
  • This is the first of a series of articles on Wisconsin legal history that will appear in the Wisconsin Lawyer through 2003 to commemorate significant anniversaries of the Wisconsin Supreme Court (150 years), the State Bar of Wisconsin (125 years), and the Court of Appeals (25 years).
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  • Chief Justice Edward G. Ryan: A World in Which Nothing is Perfect
  • While Ryan deeply believed in a decentralized agrarian society in which any concentration of power was evil, his love of law as an instrument of order led him to defend the imperfect federal constitution as still the "political hope of mankind ... in a world in which nothing is perfect."
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  • FY02 Annual Report - Defining the Value of the Legal Profession
  • In FY02 the State Bar organized a statewide effort to assist military personnel and their families with their legal needs, as the nation responded to the Sept. 11 acts of terrorism. The theme of solving problems, sharing expert advice, and serving the community that defined this program became the core of a communications effort to educate the public about the value of lawyers to society.
• • FY02 Annual Report - Executive's Message
  • The State Bar undertook significant initiatives during FY02 to streamline our internal operations and plan for the future. With these changes, we will continue to improve our service to our 20,000-plus members and the public.
• • FY02 Annual Report - Looking Ahead
  • Incoming President Patricia Ballman has outlined three goals she is committed to working on during her term: spearheading an effort to educate the public about the value of the legal profession; continuing the fight for government funding of civil legal services for the indigent; and improving diversity within the legal profession.

Opinions, Voices & Ideas

Also Inside

• Letters
• Book Reviews
• Court of Appeals Digest
• Supreme Court Orders
• Supreme Court Digest
• Lawyer Discipline
• In the News