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    Wisconsin Lawyer
    September 01, 2002

    Letters

    Ted Johnson; Betty Braden

    Wisconsin Lawyer
    Vol. 75, No. 9, September 2002

    Letters

    Letters to the editor: The Wisconsin Lawyer publishes as many letters in each issue as space permits. Please limit letters to 500 words; letters may be edited for length and clarity. Letters should address the issues, and not be a personal attack on others. Letters endorsing political candidates cannot be accepted. Please mail letters to "Letters to the Editor," Wisconsin Lawyer, P.O. Box 7158, Madison, WI 53707-7158, fax them to (608) 257-4343, or email them to wislawyer@wisbar.org.

    Is Bar Association unresponsive?

    The bureaucracy of the State Bar continues as always to grow and become more cumbersome for both the bureaucrats in the Bar and the practicing lawyers who are regulated by the association.

    An example of the bureaucracy is evidenced by the statement in the June 2002 newsletter, Inside the Bar, that the State Bar dues statements were mailed in the second week of June, with a due date of July 1, 2002, with an extension of the deadline being granted until July 7, due to a late mailing.

    I received the dues statement on July 5 in an envelope postmarked July 2.

    It would seem that our supreme court ought to spend some time making an inquiry into the burgeoning Bar association and its capability of administering the bureaucratic "machinery" now in existence, all to prevent the danger(s) of an "out-of-control" and unresponsive association, existing for the benefit of only itself and the insiders within the bureaucracy.

    Unless the inquiry is made, the symptoms of an unresponsive bureaucracy will continue to grow, as with any unit or arm of government.

    Ted B. Johnson, Cedarburg


    The Bar welcomes the opportunity to address members' concerns. Our records reflect that your original dues statement was mailed several weeks in advance of your request for a duplicate statement that was, indeed, mailed to you on July 2.

    I appreciated the opportunity to visit with you recently about your concerns and the current efforts of the Bar to create organizational focus through the development of a strategic plan. With an approved strategic plan in hand that contains clearly stated goals and various means of achieving them, the Bar can proceed in a unified direction with the plan driving decisions about resource allocation.

    The hard-working members who participate in Bar governance and activities volunteer to uphold the purposes of the Bar as contained in SCR 10.02 (2). They conduct the Bar's activities and business accordingly and are committed to ensuring that the Bar functions to serve its members, the profession, and the public.

    We very much appreciate your taking the time to express your opinion. It is the sign of an open and healthy organization when members care enough about their professional association to make the effort to communicate their concerns.

    Betty J. Braden,
    State Bar Member Relations and Public Services Director


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