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Features

Top 9 Recent Wisconsin Supreme Court Decisions

The article highlights nine significant Wisconsin Supreme Court decisions from the 2013-14 term, during which the court issued more than 50 substantive decisions.

By Beth Ermatinger Hanan

Top 10 Recent Wisconsin Federal Court Decisions

The article looks at 10 significant Wisconsin federal court decisions interpreting Wisconsin law in 2014, encompassing common-law claims and statutory interpretations.

By Michael B. Brennan

Energy Upgrades: Creative Financing for Commercial Property

Projects to gain energy efficiency to reduce costs are top of mind for commercial building owners, but financing through traditional lending practices is hard to come by. Property Assessed Clean Energy programs are a new statutory financing mechanism that provides a new opportunity for general-practice attorneys to offer building-efficiency upgrade solutions for a variety of clients.

By Arthur Harrington & Amy Heart

Opinions, Voices & Ideas

President's Message
Every Lawyer Has a Story
In meeting members throughout the state, Bob Gagan has learned that every lawyer has a story and every lawyer is a story.

Your State Bar
The Gift of Leadership
As you ponder your year-end giving, George Brown suggests making a gift to the Wisconsin Law Foundation to support programs that help develop tomorrow’s leaders.

101
How to Appeal Mid-litigation Decisions
Kimberly Alderman explains the types of situations in which a court of appeals is more likely to review a trial court’s nonfinal order or decision.

10 Questions
Jim Peterson: On Catching Chickens and Becoming a Federal Judge
Six months after taking a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin, Jim Peterson talks about his experiences thus far.

Ethics
Not All Counsel from a Lawyer is ‘Legal Advice’
Lawyers who work as in-house counsel must keep in mind that attorney-client privilege does not apply to all advice they give to their employers, warns Dean Dietrich.

On Balance
Grit: A Critical Success Strategy
Everyone falls down sometimes, but not everyone gets up and keeps going. Paula Davis-Laack says the crucial difference is grit, which helps you overcome stumbles and continue toward long-term goals.

Managing Risk
What We Have Here Is a Failure to Communicate
Good communication isn’t based on what you say to your client, says Tom Watson. It’s based on what the client understands.

As I See It
Finding the Middle Ground? Allowing Depositions in Criminal Cases
Kaivon Yazdani discusses the pros and cons of a possible amendment to Wisconsin’s Rules of Criminal Procedure that would allow attorneys to depose witnesses, and proposes a solution that aims to be neutral.

Final Thought
800 Years of Magna Carta! Why celebrate?
John Skilton explains why the Magna Carta is deemed the bedrock of American Constitutional history.