Vol. 77, No. 3, March
2004
Golf, Anyone?
Come spring, a lady's fancy turns to civil rights, public education,
health care law, managing a law practice, continuing legal education -
Whap! - and golf.
by George C. Brown,
State Bar executive director
Last fall, my neighbor died just
short of her 101st birthday. Jo had been raised in Madison, the daughter
of a well-known local merchant. By the time I came to know her, she was
in her early 90s.
We didn't see each other regularly, especially during the winter
months, but come spring, we would talk from time to time. And almost
always, Jo talked golf. She had learned to play on the first golf course
built in Madison, a nine-hole course she occasionally still called the
Lakewood golf course. Today, it is the 6,398 yard (par 71) Maple Bluff
Country Club, site of this year's annual State Bar golf tournament, to
be held on May 7, 2004, the last day of the State Bar Annual
Convention.
Jo's long life spanned nearly the entire 20th century and was divided
almost equally by the landmark ruling that lawyers nationwide are
commemorating this year, the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Brown
v. Board of Education. Jo was 52 the year Brown struck
down laws segregating public schools and became the law of the land, and
she lived almost long enough to see the 50th anniversary of that
decision.
The 50-year legacy of Brown in the quest for equality and
civil rights is the subject of the Annual Convention spotlight program
on Thursday morning, May 6. NAACP Chair Julian Bond will be the keynote
speaker, followed by a panel discussion moderated by president-elect
Michelle Behnke analyzing the impact Brown has had on Wisconsin
law. That afternoon, three panel discussions on the law and public
education will evaluate Brown's impact on access to education
and the development of recent alternatives to traditional public
education.
The Thursday Showcase CLE Luncheon will feature a discussion on
continuing efforts to improve access to justice in Wisconsin. Featured
speakers and panelists include Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson, Gov.
James Doyle (invited), Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager, and state
Rep. Mark Gundrum, chair of the Assembly Judiciary Committee.
The impact of Sarbanes-Oxley on health care providers and private
companies, proposed changes to the Wisconsin Rules of Professional
Conduct for Attorneys, doing business in Canada, unbundling of legal
services, white collar crime, spoliation of evidence, fee splitting, and
various aspects of mediation and arbitration are but some of the more
than 100 topics to be covered during the 24 CLE programs presented
during the three-day convention.
Special events include the president's reception following the
presidential swearing-in ceremony on Thursday evening, the always
popular Law Practice Section symposium breakfast Friday morning for
those who want to talk about the business of lawyering, and the 50-year
member reception and member's recognition luncheon on Friday. And don't
forget Jo's favorite sport. She would have liked to welcome you to her
course.
Wisconsin
Lawyer