Features

Estate & Business Planning for Family Farms

Effective estate planning for many rural Wisconsin residents is a matter not only of the typical goal of treating all heirs fairly but also the goal of ensuring that the family’s assets can continue for agricultural purposes by future generations within the family. The author lays out the types of farm-specific information a lawyer should gather from the client and offers a farm-client case study.

Getting Your Ducks in a Row:
Three Steps to Effective Succession Plans

Effective succession planning includes preserving and transmitting knowledge, maintaining existing client relationships and creating new sources of revenue, developing future leaders, valuing the law practice, acknowledging generational differences, and adhering to ethics rules throughout the planning process. Read why serving clients well now includes planning for what will happen when you’re no longer around.

John Doe II and Political Speech: A Constitutional Perspective

The four-year-long John Doe II investigation into campaign finance activities associated with Gov. Scott Walker’s recall election captured statewide and national attention. This constitutional-law analysis of the John Doe II decision offers an overview of John Doe II, focusing particularly on the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s decision to terminate the investigation on the basis that it violated constitutional free speech protections.

Opinions, Voices & Ideas

Paul Swanson
'It Takes a Touch'
A willingness and ability to take a new path when it appears has served new State Bar President Paul Swanson well, in his education and career and with his family and personal pursuits.

Your State Bar
A New Beginning Starts with New Shoes
New executive director Larry Martin says you can’t fill someone else’s shoes, so he’s bringing his own vision and enthusiasm to help State Bar members thrive in an ever-changing world.

As I See It
Scales of Injustice: Worker’s Comp for Federal Employees
Michael McCready believes more injured federal employees would be represented by lawyers if the federal worker’s comp system did not contain barriers to retaining and paying counsel.

Ethics
Technical Competence Requires Knowing the Fundamentals
Lawyers need not have computer science or engineering expertise, says Dean Dietrich. But the ethics rules do expect an understanding of technology and its benefits and risks.

Managing Risk
When Mistakes Occur, Honesty is the Best (Noninsurance) Policy
Tom Watson says how to resolve a potential error might not be obvious, but one thing is 100 percent clear: covering up the mistake is wrong.

Marketing
Why Lawyers Should Say No to ‘No Charge’ Invoice items
If you believe clients think “Gee, what a nice lawyer,” when you no-charge for invoiced items, you might want to think again.

On Balance
Job Crafting: Reshape Your Practice for a Better Life Fit
If work is causing you a lot of stress, Paula Davis-Laack suggests remaking your job to make it a better match.

Technology
So, You Want To … Use Non-law Products for Legal Productivity
Tison Rhine identifies two products that aren’t marketed specifically to lawyers but could be great for legal productivity.

Final Thought
Pick Up the Damn Phone
Brandon Evans says even phone-phobic lawyers can save time and hassle just by having a conversation instead of exchanging emails.