ABA president headlines bar association lunch

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Paulette Brown’s stop in Wisconsin on Tuesday is part of her latest goal.

The American Bar Association’s first African-American woman president said she wants to visit all 50 states. Check Wisconsin off the list.

Brown, a labor and employment attorney at Locke Lorde’s Morristown, N.J., office, was in Milwaukee for the Milwaukee Bar Association’s Annual Meeting and Luncheon. Having been a member of organized bar associations for more than 40 years, she credited the groups for opening the doors to various career opportunities.

“They have provided opportunities I couldn’t dream of or know I could dream of when I was brought up in segregated Baltimore,” she said.

Brown noted Tuesday that groups such as the MBA foster in-person interaction and the exchange of ideas in addition to giving the profession a voice. She encouraged members of the legal community to continue to tap the resources of their local organized bar associations in order to encourage fairness in the country’s justice system.

“It is up to the organized bar associations and each of us to make sure … that we have a society that is free of hate and the rule of law is maintained on a regular basis,” she said.

Brown’s remarks were just one piece of the MBA’s program Tuesday. Milwaukee County Chief Judge Maxine White swore in new officers, and incoming MBA President Andrew Wronski of Foley & Lardner and outgoing MBA president Marcia Drame also gave remarks.

The MBA also recognized the winners of its awards at the meeting and lunch, which was held at the Italian Community Center. Follow @erikastrebel