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.

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.

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.