Waukesha_County_Bar Association

SCRIPTUS

P.O. Box 88

Waukesha, WI 53187-0088

A Publication of the Waukesha County Bar Association

November, 2009

Danni Caldwell-Editor

			Table of Contents (click on a link to go to the article or item)
			Mark Your Calendars
			President's Letter
			Minutes and Treasurer's Report September, 2009
			Clerk of Courts News
			Section News
			Member News
			New on the WCBA Website

MARK YOUR CALENDARS
December 3, 2009 December 10, 2009 January 11, 2010 February, 2010 April/May, 2010 May 20, 2010	Holiday Party * RSVP Form Here Juvenile GAL Seminar Registration Form Here Annual Judges’ Update Luncheon* Support Staff Luncheon * Spring Awards Dinner * Annual Meeting/CLE * * Members only events.

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A Word From Your President

Dear Members:

I would like to thank everyone who was involved with the 2009 Waukesha County Bar Association Ethics Seminar. A special thanks to Christy D'Angelo for coordinating the speaker portion of the seminar. I trust everyone found the speakers to be very interesting and informative. The ever changing demands of our profession provide a constant challenge to us all. The Waukesha County Bar Association will continue to provide assistance to our members through the seminars and other services we provide. I look forward to seeing you at the upcoming Holiday Party scheduled for December 3, 2009.

Very truly yours,

Doug

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WCBA Board Minutes - Thursday, September 24 , 2009

Attendance: Douglas Swanson, Christine D'Angelo, Michelle Martin, Daniel Habeck, Danni Caldwell, Victoria Schroeder, Kimberly Haines and Sharron Stolpa. Guest - J. Mac Davis.

Call to Order: The meeting was duly called to order by President Doug Swanson.

Courthouse Presentation by Judge Davis: Judge Davis explained to the Board the status of the discussion with regard to remodeling versus rebuilding the Courthouse. It was the consensus of the Board that Judge Davis should make a presentation to the members at large. Judge Davis will work on a presentation. We further discussed that the Annual Meeting may be a good venue for the presentation. Judge Davis was going to attempt to make the presentation in a form that would be eligible for CLE credit. However, the eligibility for a CLE credit would not dictate whether or not the presentation would be made.

Minutes of the August 27, 2009, Board of Directors Meeting:   A motion was made, seconded, and adopted to approve the Minutes of the August 27, 2009, Board of Directors Meeting as submitted.

Treasurer’s and Membership Report:The Treasurer's and Membership Report was reviewed. There were no issues regarding the Report.

Old Business and Committee Reports

State Board of Governors' Report : Kim Haines provided the Board with an update as to the September 11 & 12, 2009, meeting of the Board of Governors.

Scriptus/Website: Danni Caldwell gave an update on the status of the Scriptus and the website.

Events Calendar: The Board reviewed the Events Calendar and discussed the Ethics Seminar (see below).

Transfer of Funds from Checking Account to Money Market Account: Michelle Martin announced that the $10,000 transfer from the checking account to the money market account had been accomplished

Judge Gempeler Portrait - Status: Judge Davis informed the Board that Judge Gempeler's portrait is almost finished. Judge Gempeler has approved the photo for the portrait, and the portrait is in the process of being completed.

Ethics Seminar: The Ethics Seminar is scheduled for Monday, November 9, 2009 at 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Brookfield Suites Hotel. Two of the three speakers are currently slated.

Law School Scholarships:   Doug Swanson informed the Board that the materials have been sent to both Marquette University Law School and University of Wisconsin Law School. The return date for the materials is October 26, 2009.

Bar President Plaque Status:   Dan Habeck informed the Board that he had completed having the plaque updated. The Board approved the invoice for the engraving.

Promote Grant of $2,000 to 180º Juvenile Diversion Program in the Scriptus: The WCBA received a letter thanking WCBA for the grant. The giving of the grant will be promoted in the next Scriptus.
New Business

Self-Help Center - Waukesha County Courthouse: The Board discussed the fact that no additional action needed to be taken with regard to the Self-Help Center. Dan Habek informed the individual who administers the Self-Help Desk that the WCBA was not going to help offset the price of printing the pamphlets.

Tax Returns - Gaylene Stingl: Doug Swanson informed the Board that Gaylene had contacted him for the information necessary to prepare the tax return. The information is being collected and forwarded to Gaylene. The taxes need to be filed in November, 2009.

Nominations of President-Elect for Wisconsin State Bar:   The Board discussed the fact that the State Bar was looking for nominees for President-Elect from the Waukesha County area. It was the consensus of the Board that it would be a good idea to have a candidate if one was willing to be nominated and wanted to be President-Elect. Doug Swanson will contact certain individuals who have shown interest in the past of being nominated for President-Elect.

Annual Meeting CLE: Michelle Martin informed the Board that she had contacted the Sections regarding CLE seminars for after the annual meeting. Michelle indicated that she had heard from a couple of the Sections so far, and she will wait to hear from all of the Sections before she works with Doug Swanson to set a date for the Annual Meeting.

Adjournment: A motion was made, seconded, and adopted to adjourn.

The meeting was adjourned by unanimous consent.

Respectfully submitted,

Michelle E. Martin, Secretary/Treasurer

The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, January 28, 2010*, at 12:00 p.m. in Room G55, Administration Building.*

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From the Clerk of Courts

    On behalf of our entire court staff, we would like to wish all the members of the Waukesha Bar a joyous holiday season!   It is our pleasure to serve you and the citizens of Waukesha County. We wish you a safe and happy holiday season and a new year full of good health, happiness and laughter.

Kelly Haag, Clerk of Juvenile Clerk
Sally Lunde, Register in Probate
Kathleen Madden, Clerk of Circuit Court

Family Court Self-Help Center Changes

    Effective January 1, 2010, the Family Court Self-Help Center will implement some changes to the delivery of Court Self-Help services. Walk-in hours will be replaced with clinics to be held on Tuesdays and Wednesday from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm. Self-represented citizens interested in using the Self-help Center to guide them with their own divorce will be asked to attend two clinics where Court staff will explain the Court process, provide the forms and instructions necessary to complete their divorce, and review their forms prior to filing to ensure completeness. Clinics for Contempt and Post-Judgment Modification will also be offered. One-on-one appointments and phone-in hours will continue to be available as well as the Family Legal Clinic for those litigants who are seeking legal advice. Questions about upcoming changes should be directed to Chief Deputy Clerk John Cain at 262-548-7533, Family Division Supervisor Diane Crowley at 262-548-7545, or Self-Help Coordinator Tera Nehring at 262-896-6870.

New Center Hours Effective January 1, 2010:

By Appointment                                By Phone
Tuesday, 12:00 pm-4:00 pm            Tuesday, 9:00 – 10:00 am
Thursday, 8:30 am – 12:00 pm        Thursday, 2:00 – 3:00 pm

Clinics will be held on rotating Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 4:30 to 6:30 pm in the following subject areas:

    Divorce 1: Getting Started                       Divorce 2: Preparing the Final Paperwork
    Contempt                                                    Modification
    Family Legal Clinic (every Wednesday)

Jury Management Changes

    Waukesha County Circuit Courts is pleased to announce a change to the jury management system effective January 1, 2010. Currently Waukesha County jurors are summoned for a two-week terms of jury service. Effective January 1, 2010, Waukesha County Circuit Courts will implement a one day or one trial jury management system. If a juror is not selected to serve on a jury by the end of the first day of service, the juror is not required to return and their jury service is considered fulfilled. When a juror is chosen to sit on a panel in a trial, they are required to serve for the duration of that trial and their jury service is considered fulfilled at the conclusion of the trial. Jurors who have fulfilled their jury service will not be called to serve again for at least another four years.

    This shorter term of jury service will increase the probability that a person can and will serve, thus reducing excusal, postponement, and failure to appear rates. A shorter term of service will also define just how inconvenienced each citizen will be and reduces the time and economic burden of jury service imposed on any one citizens and distributes the burden more equitably among the jury-eligible population of the community. The burden on individual employer is likewise reduced. Questions about these upcoming changes should be directed to Clerk of Circuit Court Kathleen Madden at 262-548-7582.

Section News

Please send section news and information to Michelle Martin at mmartin@murnlaw.com or Danni Caldwell at wcba1@waukeshabar.org.

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Member News

Holiday Party RSVP’s Due Soon!

Holiday Party invitations/RSVP forms were sent to all current members. The form can also be accessed on our website. This is a members only event, so renew your membership now to take part in this great annual event.

Juvenile Guardian ad Litem Seminar

The registration form for the Juvenile GAL seminar (free to members of WCBA) is now on the opening page of the WCBA website. You can also link to it from the Events Calendar on page one of the electronic version of this newsletter.

New on the WCBA Web Site

Please provide your input into our new member poll on the website opening page.

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Comments or questions about the Scriptus should be directed to:

Danni Caldwell, Editor

548-7432

wcba1@waukeshabar.org

HAVE A GREAT THANKSGIVING!