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Membership & Benefits

Learn more about the benefits available to you as a State Bar member and how to maintain your preferred membership status.

Maintaining Your Membership| Membership Benefits| MyStateBar| FAQ

With our legal research tools, the information you need is at your fingertips. Members of the State Bar who are in good standing have free access to FastCase. From the same search page, you can also search Books Unbound, our website, Wisconsin Lawyer Magazine, Wisconsin Case Law and more.

Practice411

What's Keeping You Up at Night? Help is as close as your phone or computer, thanks to Practice411 - the State Bar of Wisconsin's Law Office Management Assistance Program. From integrating your technology to assisting with trust accounting, and from getting and keeping clients to operations management, Practice411 can help improve your office's effectiveness ... and your quality of life.

Ethics

The Ethics Program provides responsive, practical advice and detailed guidance in navigating Wisconsin's Rules for Professional Conduct for Attorneys. Through the ethics hotline, members can informally and confidentially discuss ethics questions by telephone with the State Bar's ethics counsel Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Written guidance is also available through Wisconsin Ethics Opinions. The Ethics Program can also help in other ways by reviewing your fee agreement or providing a speaker for your CLE event.

Groups

State Bar groups consist of Sections, Committees and Divisions. You will also find information about the Board of Governors in this area. Together these groups provide a wide range of opportunities for professional development while also helping to improve the administration of justice and the practice of law in Wisconsin. They offer a great way to get involved with your State Bar. Please note that some content may only be open to members of a particular group.

Sections| Committees| Divisions| Join a Group

Pro Bono

Whether you are an experienced volunteer lawyer or just getting started, we assembled these resources to help you find a way to help. In our Pro Bono resource center, you can look for volunteer opportunities in your area using our searchable directory, learn about benefits for volunteers, find about how to make a donation and much more.

Lawyer Referral Programs

The Lawyer Referral and Information Service (LRIS) matches participating attorneys with clients who are pre-screened for legal issue, geographic location, and ability to pay the attorney's regular rates. LRIS also provides information on legal resources statewide. Callers may also be directed to one of our other services: Lawyer Hotline or Modest Means. Lawyer Hotline provides brief answers to basic legal questions. The Modest Means service matches qualified clients with attorneys willing to make alternative fee arrangements for clients whose income is too high to qualify for free legal aid but too low to afford standard legal fees.

Lawyer Hotline| LRIS| Modest Means

Wisconsin Lawyers Assistance Program (WisLAP)

The Wisconsin Lawyers Assistance Program (WisLAP) provides confidential assistance to help lawyers, judges, law students, and their families cope with life's problems. WisLAP is based upon the premise of Lawyers Helping Lawyers and Judges Helping Judges. We have over 150 trained volunteer lawyers and judges, and a licensed clinical manager available to consult with you and to offer support and guidance 24/7. WisLAP does not require callers to disclose their identity, does not keep case records and is exempt from reporting professional misconduct to the Office of Lawyer Regulation or the Judicial Commission.

Get Involved

The State Bar is your organization. We depend on volunteers like you to develop and guide all the benefits and services that are available through the State Bar. Make the State Bar your own. Get involved today.

Leadership

Overall leadership of the State Bar of Wisconsin is provided by the Board of Governors. The Board of Governors manages and directs the affairs and activities of the organization. The board appoints members of its committees, including the Executive, Finance, Strategic Planning and the Audit Committees.

Wisconsin Law Foundation

The Wisconsin Law Foundation is a charitable and educational organization that serves to promote public understanding of the law, improvement of the administration of justice and other law-related public service through funding of innovative and creative programs that improve the vision of the American justice system.

Join or Contribute| Grants and Awards| Make an Impact| Fellows| About Us

Client Protection / Fee Disputes

The State Bar of Wisconsin's Fee Arbitration Program was developed to provide an informal and economical alternative to litigation for lawyers and clients who are unable to agree upon a fee charged for legal services.

Fee Dispute Arbitration