May 21, 2025 – The Wisconsin Supreme Court admitted 151 Marquette University Law School graduates to the State Bar of Wisconsin May 19 in two ceremonies in the Assembly chambers at the State Capitol.

“What a great day to celebrate,” exclaimed Chief Justice Ann Walsh Bradley at the 9 a.m. admissions ceremony. “I say let us rejoice and be glad.”

In a similar vein, Justice Jill J. Karofsky, presiding over the 11 a.m. admission ceremony, felt as one with the many parents, family, and friends in the gallery after returning from her daughter’s law school graduation in the Twin Cities.

“I'm still really, really emotional and even more tired, so I know how all of you feel,” Karofsky said.

Mackenzie Retzlaff holds up her new State Bar pin while waiting to sign the Attorneys Roll book following the 11 a.m. ceremony at the State Capitol. Visit the State Bar of Wisconsin’s Facebook page ​for more photos of this event from the 9 a.m. ceremony and the 11 a.m. ceremony. Photos: Shannon Green.​

Legal Formalities

“Today’s celebration has a long history and time-honored traditions,” Chief Justice A.W. Bradley explained.

Lawyer parents, relatives, spouses, even a fiancé, moved the supreme court for the student’s admission. Marquette Law School Dean Joseph D. Kearney, saying he was sad to see these students leave but happy to welcome them as colleagues, moved for the admission for the rest of the class.

Each prospective lawyer took the attorney oath, administered at 9 a.m. by Justice Rebecca Frank Dallet and at 11 a.m. by Justice Janet C. Protasiewicz.

New Wisconsin lawyer Twinkle Dutta, center, poses with her family before the doors of the Supreme Court Hearing Room. With her are, from left: brother Sahil Dutta; husband and Wisconsin attorney Bhanu Singh Slathia; mother Archana Dutta; and father Vipan Dutta.

‘Celebration and Reflection’

Justice Brian Hagedorn spoke to the new lawyers to “to celebrate this important day with you, which is really one of the turning points in your life because it's the end of one season and the beginning of a new one, and that's cause for both celebration and reflection.”

Hagedorn suggested that one reflect upon his or her career in the law by developing the lifelong habit of virtue. “When you encounter a difficult situation as a virtuous person, you're going to do the good consistently and you do it with increasing ease.”

Changing a common phrase, Justice Hagedorn said, “It’s not what you know, it’s not who you know, it’s who you are that really matters.”

Similarly, State Bar President Ryan Billings welcomed the new lawyers to the State Bar, “to be your own kind of lawyer.”

“We all possess a unique and wondrous combination of skills and abilities and quirks, and my advice to you is to use what makes you uniquely you and use that to help you in your practice to build your practice,” Billings said.

Chief Justice Ann Walsh Bradley welcomes the new admittees at the 9 a.m. ceremony.

New Lawyer Reflections

One of the final steps in becoming a lawyer in Wisconsin requires signing a special "book," a tradition begun in Territorial days, Chief Justice A.W. Bradley explained. The line snaked from the Assembly to the Supreme Court Hearing Room, where each new lawyer signed – one of the final steps in becoming a Wisconsin lawyer.

These new lawyers expressed enthusiasm and amazement – thrilled at the prospect of learning more in practice and somewhat awestruck by this watershed moment.

Bryce Ebben is destined to work in business transactions at Ruder Ware, L.L.S.C. in Wausau. Thinking about starting his legal career, Ebben said he is “really excited to learn. You get just the tip of the iceberg in law school. You don’t get as much practical stuff, so I’m ready to get into the world and learn the practical stuff in terms of the law.”

Erika Escamilla of Milwaukee looks forward to working at Rizzo & Diersen, S.C. in Kenosha. “They do general practice, so a little bit of exposure to everything. So, I’m very excited for that, just to get my feet wet and start practicing and advocating.”

Michael Garrity of Appleton will work in corporate and real estate practice at Godfrey & Kahn, S.C. in Green Bay. “It’s going to be a big learning experience starting out just to get out and get my feet on the ground and start turning out the work,” he said.

Capt. Logan Gorsuch of Wauwatosa may have been the only new lawyer in military dress. A West Point graduate, Gorsuch will work as a judge advocate general at Fort Drum near Watertown, N.Y. “I’m excited. Looking forward to helping soldiers and anyone else who needs it,” Gorsuch said.

Coming from Atlanta, Samuel Granderson is looking for the right fit. He plans to work in transactional work such as trusts and estates and is currently considering offers from Wausau to Milwaukee.

Marquette Law grad Monica Martinez poses before the name wall outside the Supreme Court Hearing Room just before signing the Attorneys Roll book.

“I’m just trying to live in the present as much as I can, understand what the Justice said, we’ve worked to get to this point, so not to think too far ahead, but also just kind of relish the moment that I’m in. I’m the first attorney in my family.”

Even with a focused practice that Mary Claire Griffith-McCrery will join in the financial institution department of Godfrey & Kahn, S.C. in Milwaukee, she sees much more to learn.

“I’m very excited to figure out, you know, while I’m in a niche group already, there’s still so much more to learn about the specific practice areas. I’m just really … excited about figuring out which direction I want to take it. If I want to go more mergers and acquisitions, regulatory work, things like that,” she said.

Contributions to communities came first to mind for several new lawyers. Markie Jacobson of Milwaukee said she will go to a fellowship at Legal Aid in Milwaukee. “I just want to be able to help and be in the community.”

With an undergraduate degree in accounting, Franklin Wong of River Hills will work on corporate law for Meissner Tierney Fisher & Nichols S.C. in Milwaukee. He’s looking forward to “being part of really big transactions that affect local communities.”

Jonah DeBeir, who will work at GE Healthcare in Milwaukee in regulatory compliance, said “the three years went by really, really quickly. I’m so glad to be here.”

His grandma, Donna Volker, was enthusiastic. “He is my youngest grandson, and I'm so very proud of him, and we don't have any lawyers in the family, so now he is my personal attorney. He just doesn't know it yet.”

In this view from the families' perspectives, Justice Hagedorn (at the podium) delivers the speech at the 11 a.m. ceremony, which took place in the Assembly Chamber at the Capitol.

Phoebe Lersch, like many new lawyers still feels like a law school student, but she also is studying to take the Illinois bar exam in July. She plans to return to her home in Peoria, Ill. But she “hopes to move back eventually.”

For Anna Ashley, the admissions ceremony marks both a milestone and a launching point. “Today is the culmination of a lot of work,” she says, “and the start of a new path.”

While both of her parents are lawyers, Ashley credits her high school mock trial experience for especially inspiring her to pursue a legal career. She joined mock trial on the recommendation of one of her teachers. “It was my social studies teacher in my sophomore year of high school that pushed me to join mock trial,” she says. The experience prompted her to pursue law. Ashley will join Dorsey & Whitney LLP in Minneapolis.

For Guy Eric Chinang Digue, admissions carries deep personal significance for him and his family. Digue immigrated to the U.S. from Cameroon at the age of 10 and grew up in Milwaukee. His decision to pursue law was based on that journey. “My immigrant experience taught me just how important law is to even the basic necessity of everyday life,” he said.

Digue is staying in Milwaukee, and aims to practice business law.

Taking the Attorney's Oath in the 9 a.m. ceremony are, from left: Capt. Logan Gorsuch, Samuel Granderson, and Mary Claire Griffith-McCrery.

For Twinkle Vipan Dutta, taking the oath and becoming a lawyer "is very meaningful,” she said. “I feel very blessed and privileged to be here. If my parents hadn't immigrated to this country, I wouldn't have had this opportunity."

From Mequon, Dutta credits her inspiration to pursue law to her husband, Wisconsin attorney Bhanu Singh Slathia, and her mother, Archana Dutta, who practiced law in India.

And though the next steps may be challenging, Dutta is optimistic: “It'll be worth it.”

Erica Walburg waited a decade between college and law school to find her path in law. During that time, she worked with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs – and that job changed her trajectory. “I really, really enjoyed it,” she said. When a supervisor – a Marquette law grad – told her she would be a fantastic lawyer, she decided to pursue law.

Walburg joins Milwaukee firm Amundsen Davis, where she’ll practice commercial litigation.

This moment, she said, is a fresh beginning. “It's going to be a new chapter of things – a new chapter, a new era. You know, as the state motto says: Forward.”

Rodrigo Ernesto Villalobos proudly points to his name on the wall of new Wisconsin lawyers.

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