On April 23, 40 lawyers who passed the bar exam were admitted to practice in Wisconsin. The lawyers were welcomed by the Wisconsin Supreme Court justices, Board of Bar Examiners (BBE) Chair James A. Morrison, BBE Director John E. Kosobucki, and State Bar President Thomas Basting.
Wisconsin
Lawyer
Vol. 81, No. 5, May
2008
Chief justice tells new lawyers, "Be lawyers of
courage"
On April 23, 40 lawyers who passed the bar exam were admitted to
practice
in Wisconsin. The lawyers were welcomed by the Wisconsin Supreme Court
justices, Board of Bar Examiners (BBE) Chair James A. Morrison, BBE
Director John
E. Kosobucki, and State Bar President Thomas Basting.
In her remarks to the newly admitted lawyers, Chief Justice Shirley
Abrahamson said, "Be lawyers of courage. Courage means standing
tall and having your
voice heard. Courage means telling a client, or worse yet a senior
partner, what
she doesn't want to hear. Courage means defending positions of a client
that
are unpopular. A courageous lawyer aids the underprivileged. A
courageous
lawyer helps the poor. Courage means not signing a deal when a wink and
a nod are
required to avoid coming to grips with troublesome issues. Courage means
taking
a stand. It is often easier to go along to get along."
Abrahamson also reminded the new admittees of a lawyer's civic
responsibility: "Get involved, engage in public service, join
community organizations, make
a contribution. I ask each of you as a new member of the law community
to use
your legal trade to make a difference in society."
Basting urged the new lawyers to accept public defender cases and do
pro
bono work in their communities. "Unfortunately not all of our
citizens have access
to justice. You can help assure the promise of our country's founders
by doing
pro bono work and by qualifying yourselves to take public defender
cases. Good
lawyers defending our less fortunate citizens fulfill the promise of
equal
justice for all," he said.
Justices Louis B. Butler Jr. and Annette Ziegler administered the
oath in
the supreme court hearing room during two ceremonies. Following the
ceremonies,
the State Bar hosted a reception at the Monona Terrace, and each
attorney signed
the supreme court roll that has been signed by every lawyer admitted to
practice
in Wisconsin since the state was a territory.
This brings membership to 22,791. Marquette and U.W. 2008 swearing-in
ceremonies will be held in May and June.
Wisconsin
Lawyer
