Vol. 76, No. 4, April
2003
Former State Bar President Leonard Loeb's
contributions touched many - families, lawyers, the profession ...
"Leonard deeply believed the practice of law was a
profession and not a business," said Gregg Herman, who practiced with
Loeb for 19 years. "As a result, he loved involvement in bar
associations. Being president of the State Bar was the crowning
achievement in his 50-plus years of practice. His legacy to us is to act
as professionals at work and as devoted spouses, parents, children, and
friends outside of work."
Leonard Loeb died of a heart attack at his home in Fox Point on
Sunday, March 9. He was 73.
Measuring "worth." "Leonard told clients that their
real worth was measured not by what was in the bank, but by their family
and their children," said Herman. "He practiced law and lived his life
consistent with that principle. His pride and joy were his four
children, two of whom are lawyers."
Loeb leaves his wife Karen, daughters Jennifer and Hallie, sons
Harlan and Jordan, and three grandchildren.
"Over the years people have commented on how I have 'followed in the
footsteps' of my father by becoming a lawyer," said Jordan Loeb. "I
always wanted (and still want) to follow in my dad's footsteps, but that
can't be done by simply becoming a lawyer. He was so much more than
that. His qualities center around integrity, insight, and
compassion."
"Dad was a role model in an era when role models were few and far
between," said Harlan Loeb. "His professionalism was priceless, his
understanding was extended to all he knew, and his loyalty to his
friends and organizations was daunting. He believed the enterprise was
larger than himself, and he wove his humanity and love of people in all
he did."
"Leonard made a huge impression on the practice of family law in
Wisconsin, not just because he was one of the best in the field, but
also because he raised the level of the practice for others," said State
Bar President Pat Ballman.
"I think Leonard's most impressive skill was his gift of relating
with people, including clients, judges, and opposing counsel," said
Ballman. "He was unfailingly gracious, whether as a coworker on a Bar
project, or as opposing counsel in a hotly contested divorce case. He
never stooped to negative comments about the other side in a case.
Rather, he was always constructive, optimistic, and positive. And as he
always said, settlements had to be a 'win - win.' That was Leonard -
always assuring everyone walked out a winner."
Dedicated to the profession, clients. "Leonard was a
great friend to our profession," said Myron LaRowe, former State Bar
president. "His dedication to the law and his clients was unsurpassed.
Leonard will be missed by all of us who had the pleasure to know him as
a friend and fellow practitioner."
"Leonard was the 'Compleat Lawyer and Bar Junkie,'" said Harry
Hathaway, immediate past chair, ABA Senior Lawyers Division, who served
with Loeb on the ABA Board of Governors, the House of Delegates, and the
ABA Senior Lawyers Division Council. "He was knowledgeable about so many
issues facing the profession, he was the ultimate resource to us. He was
respected by lawyers and spouses alike because he truly cared about
their lives and well being. He was generous, full of love and
friendship."
"The first thing Leonard did as Milwaukee Bar Association (MBA)
president was to convene an all-day retreat of board members to discuss
ideas for new bar projects," said Nathan Fisbach former Milwaukee Bar
Association president. "By the end of the day, we had a list of over 25
new projects. Leonard appointed each board member as a leader of at
least one of the projects. Almost over night, every board member felt
that he or she was an important part of the MBA."
At the time of his death, Loeb was State Bar Senior Lawyers Division
president; Wisconsin Bar Foundation director; Delegate at Large to the
ABA House of Delegates; a member of the ABA Council of Senior Lawyers
Division, the ABA Standing Committee on Bar Services, and National
Conference of Bar Presidents; a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation;
elected to the American Law Institute; and a retired Colonel, U.S. Air
Force Judge Advocate General's Department.
Founding principles, service. A 1952 U.W. Law School
graduate, Loeb began his law career in the Air Force Judge Advocate
General Corps. He built the firm of Loeb & Herman S.C. in Milwaukee,
upon the principle that children are the most precious assets in a
marriage and should be the most protected asset during a divorce.
During his career Loeb served as State Bar of Wisconsin president and
chair and long-time member of its Family Law Section. He was an active
ABA member serving on the Board of Governors, as ABA Consortium for
Legal Services president, and as chair of both the ABA Standing
Committee on Legal Assistance for Military Personnel and Family Law
Section. Loeb served as Milwaukee Bar Association president and chair of
its Family Law Section. Loeb also was the founding president of the
Thomas E. Fairchild American Inns of Court and the Leander J. Foley Jr.
Matrimonial Chapter - American Inns of Court.
Memorial contributions can be made to the Leonard L. Loeb Memorial
Fund, Milwaukee Jewish Community Foundation, 1360 N. Prospect Ave.,
Milwaukee, WI 53202.
Supreme court creates Wisconsin Ethics 2000
Committee
In February the Wisconsin Supreme Court created a 19-member committee
to review the American Bar Association's (ABA) proposed changes to the
Model Rules that the ABA House of Delegates considered and adopted in
part in 2002. The Wisconsin Ethics 2000 Committee will hold its first
meeting on April 21 in Madison.
The Wisconsin Ethics 2000 Committee will review the Wisconsin Rules
of Professional Conduct for Attorneys in light of the changes, both
proposed and adopted, to the Model Rules by the ABA Ethics 2000
Commission, and propose any other changes it deems appropriate. The
committee also will consider the rules petition to be submitted by the
supreme court-appointed Fee Arbitration Study Committee and will respond
to that petition at a public hearing in the fall of 2003. The court
created the Fee Arbitration Study Committee to study and make
recommendations regarding mandatory and voluntary fee arbitration
programs for lawyer-client fee disputes.
Wisconsin Ethics 2000 Committee members
Committee members include 13 lawyers and 6 nonlawyers. Attorney
Michael McChrystal, Milwaukee, will serve as reporter;
and Attorney Kenneth Streit, Madison, will serve as
associate reporter.
Other attorney members include: Thomas J. Basting
Sr., Ralph Cagle, Daniel W. Hildebrand,
Ben Kempinen, Earl H. Munson, Barbara A. Neider, and
Maura Whelan, all of Madison; Nathaniel Cade
Jr., Hannah Dugan, and Mel Scott Johnson, all
of Milwaukee; and Dean R. Dietrich, Wausau. Nonlawyer
members include: Rosemary Hinkfuss and Casey L.
Perry of Green Bay; Marcia Mentkowski and
Dawn L. Miller, Milwaukee; Mary O.
Pieschek, Oneida; and Michael Staeck,
Racine.
The Ethics Committee will not consider multijurisdictional or
multidisciplinary practice matters.
The committee will recommend changes, if any, to the existing
Wisconsin rules by petition to the supreme court by October 2004. The
supreme court anticipates scheduling the matter for a public hearing
next winter.
The committee will solicit written input from the bench, bar, and
public.
"The changes proposed to the ABA Model Rules run the gamut from
simple refinements of rule language, to new rule coverage, to reversals
of prior policy on a few matters," says committee member Michael
McChrystal. "We will certainly have our hands full over the next several
months in evaluating all the issues involved."
The Commission on the Evaluation of the Rules of Professional
Conduct, commonly known as Ethics 2000, was appointed by the ABA in 1997
to review the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct, which were
adopted in 1983, and propose changes or revisions to update the rules
for today's legal practice. The commission completed its work in 2001
and proposed changes to the Model Rules, which the ABA House of
Delegates considered and adopted in part in 2002.
Wisconsin courts easier to find at new
url
The Wisconsin court system has a new address in cyberspace:
www.wicourts.gov.
Western District Bar holds annual meeting in
Madison
All State Bar members are invited to attend the Western District of
Wisconsin Bar Association (WDBA) annual luncheon and CLE program on
April 24, from 12 to 4:30 p.m. in Madison.
Luncheon speaker, Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals Chief Judge Joel
M. Flaum, will present "Challenges in Judicial Administration" at noon
at the White Horse Inn.
Flaum will lead the CLE program from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the U.S.
Courthouse with the subject of "Practicing Before the Seventh Circuit
Court of Appeals." Other CLE presentations include "Employment
Litigation Update - Recent Developments in State and Federal Employment
Law" and "ERISA and the Federal Court Practitioner." A panel discussion
with federal judges will conclude the CLE program, which will be
followed by a reception.
The luncheon is $15. The CLE program is free for WDBA members; $50
for non-WDBA members. Annual WDBA membership dues are $35. The program
has been submitted for 3 CLE credits and 2.75 Minnesota CLE credits. For
more information, contact Bob or Le Jordan at (608) 848-9008 or cow@mailbag.com.
Wisconsin
Lawyer