Waukesha_County_Bar Association

SCRIPTUS

P.O. Box 88

Waukesha, WI 53187-0088

A Publication of the Waukesha County Bar Association

October, 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
November 9, 2009 December 3, 2009 December 10, 2009 January, 2010 February, 2010 April/May, 2010 May, 2010 Exact dates will be posted when set.	Annual Ethics Seminar * Holiday Party * Juvenile GAL Seminar 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:

As we are all aware, the State Bar Mandatory versus Voluntary Bar Association has been a hot topic for the last few years. All members of the State Bar Association have received a letter requesting input and a specific explanation as to why an individual may prefer one option over the other. Regardless of how any individual within the Waukesha County Bar Association may view the debate, we would like to remind you that our Board of Governor Representatives are Jeff Zirgibel and Kimberly Haines. I trust each of them would be happy to speak with any of you on the topic. You can also contact any member of the Board of Directors with requests for information. At the monthly Board of Directors meeting our Board of Governors Representatives report upon all issues raised at the Board of Governors' meetings. Please feel free to contact any of us or attend any of our monthly meetings which are listed on the Waukesha County Bar Association website.

Very truly yours,

Doug

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WCBA Board Minutes - Thursday, August 23, 2009

Attendance: Douglas Swanson, Michelle Martin, Daniel Habeck, Danni Caldwell, Craig Kuhary, Kimberly Haines and Sharron Stolpa. Guest - Robert Stack.

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

Minutes of the July 23, 2009, Board of Directors Meeting:   A motion was made, seconded, and adopted to approve the Minutes of the July 23, 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. A question was raised with regard to the LRIS for Waukesha County. Some individuals joined the WCBA in 2009, prior to July 1, in order to maintain their LRIS membership. Now that they need to pay new dues for the WCBA fiscal year 2009-2010, some individuals are asking if their dues that they paid in early 2009 could be applied to the 2009-2010 fiscal year. Because the WCBA has not done that in the past, it is not going to do it in the future.

Old Business and Committee Reports

State Board of Governors' Report : Kim Haines stated there was no report at this time because the next meeting of the Board of Governors will occur on September 11 & 12, 2009.

Scriptus/Website: Danni Caldwell gave an update on the status of the Scriptus and the website. Danni explained to the Board that the WCBA was having issues with regard to its website. This is due to an expiration of the registration for the domain name, which expires every two years. This expiration deadline will now be added to the Events Calendar as part of the WCBA's to-do list, as no reminder is sent from the domain name company reminding us of the expiration of the domain name.

2009-2010 Budget: The Budget will be placed on the website for members to review and access as they desire.

New Mailing Address Changes: It was noted that the WCBA's new address is not reflected in all spots on the website. The website will be corrected so that the address is accurate everywhere that is necessary.

Events Calendar: The Board discussed the use of the Events Calendar not only for events, but also for ongoing items that the Board needs to handle on an annual basis. In discussing events, Craig Kuhary volunteered to spearhead the Awards Night dinner event.

2009-2010 Slate of Officers and Directors: Doug Swanson submitted the list of officers to the Wisconsin Lawyer.

Ethics Seminar: Doug Swanson will work with the Brookfield Suites Hotel to set a date for the Ethics Seminar.

New Business

Presentation by Judge Davis on New Courthouse: Doug Swanson will speak with Judge Davis to obtain Judge Davis' thoughts on a presentation to the members with regard to the status and various positions.

Wisconsin County Bar Association Website Issues: This matter was addressed in Old Business under Scriptus/Website.

Judge Harry Snyder Retirement: The Board discussed the fact that Judge Harry Snyder is going to be retiring and what, if anything, the Board needs to do with regard to same. The consensus was that there is nothing the Board needs to do for his retirement, given the past practices of the WCBA.

Judge Gempeler Portrait: The Bar discussed Judge Gempeler's portrait for the ceremonial courtroom. Apparently, the preparation of the portrait is in the works. The Board will work with Judge Davis for payment of the portrait, as the WCBA has done in the past for other retiring judges.

Law Day 2010: Dan Habeck informed the Board that the Law Day 2009 event that was spearheaded by LRIS was poorly attended by "clients". Although there were enough lawyers to staff the events, there were not enough "clients" for the lawyers to participate. The question then becomes whether or not the WCBA participates in the LRIS Law Day event in 2010. This is something to be considered in the future, and requires no action at this time.

Self-Help Desk-Waukesha County Courthouse: The Self-Help Desk in the Clerk of Court's office is going to be printing a pamphlet for pro se parties. The WCBA was approached to perhaps offset the cost of printing. In turn, the WCBA would have advertising on the pamphlet. A discussion ensued as to the benefits and disadvantages of supporting this item. Because no action was needed at this time, no action was taken.

Law School Scholarships: Doug Swanson will send out the requisite applications and information to the law schools. It is his goal to have the scholarships awarded in enough time so that the students could attend the Ethics Seminar in November and be presented with the scholarships if they were able to attend.

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

The meeting was adjourned by unanimous consent. The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, August 27, 2009*, at 12:00 p.m. in Room G55, Administration Building.*

Respectfully submitted,

Michelle E. Martin, Secretary/Treasurer

* The next meetings are scheduled for Thursday, October 22, 2009 and Thursday, November 19, 2009, both at 12:00 p.m. in Room G55, Administration Building.

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From the Clerk of Courts

Nothing for this issue.

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

Upcoming Events

Our annual Ethics seminar is rapidly approaching. Get your registration form in soon to be able to participate in this great, free event for our members! The registration form is available on the WCBA website opening page.

The Holiday party invitations will be sent in mid-November. Make sure you save the date on your calendar!

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

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!