POSTED: Friday, October 29th, 2010 at 2:10 pm

BY: Jack Zemlicka, jack.zemlicka@wislawjournal.com

Type in the last name “Balistrieri” on the State Bar of Wisconsin’s website and a trio of names pop up.

POSTED: Monday, October 11th, 2010 at 3:03 pm

BY: Jack Zemlicka, jack.zemlicka@wislawjournal.com

These days, most lawyers and law firms are pretty conservative when it comes to advertising dollars.

POSTED: Friday, October 1st, 2010 at 4:46 pm

BY: Jack Zemlicka, jack.zemlicka@wislawjournal.com

It’s the final weekend of Major League Baseball’s regular season and there are still a few playoff positions to be decided.

POSTED: Friday, September 24th, 2010 at 10:58 am

BY: Jack Zemlicka, jack.zemlicka@wislawjournal.com

The Wisconsin Supreme Court admitted Thursday 105 new attorneys who successfully passed the state bar exam.

POSTED: Friday, September 17th, 2010 at 2:05 pm

BY: Jack Zemlicka, jack.zemlicka@wislawjournal.com

College undergraduates can be lectured on the philosophy behind the The Simpsons, the University of Baltimore offers a media class that focuses on zombies in pop culture and now law students can enroll in a course that broadens their fashion sense.

POSTED: Thursday, September 9th, 2010 at 3:18 pm

BY: Jack Zemlicka, jack.zemlicka@wislawjournal.com

It’s no secret that the rivalry between Marquette and UW-Madison runs both deep and wide, although the most public competition tends to take place on the basketball court each year.

POSTED: Monday, August 30th, 2010 at 1:00 am

BY: dmc-admin

Ever heard of Tiger Woods? How about Elin Nordegren? Okay, what about Thomas Sasser or Josefin Lonnborg? While not household names, the two have certainly enhanced their profiles, not to mention their bank accounts, as attorneys representing Woods and Nordegren, respectively, in their divorce. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703846604575447730480810748.html Sasser, 39, practices with West Palm Beach firm Sasser, Cestero [...]

POSTED: Monday, August 23rd, 2010 at 1:00 am

BY: dmc-admin

The recent settlement reached in a lawsuit over a rule requiring disclosure of campaign spending sources is the latest chapter in ongoing efforts to revamp election laws in the state. http://gab.wi.gov/node/1264 But who says justice isn’t for sale? While browsing online for a novelty birthday present for a friend, I came across a website that [...]

POSTED: Monday, April 12th, 2010 at 1:00 am

BY: dmc-admin

As of April 9, the United State District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin is looking for a new magistrate judge to work out of the Milwaukee office. The Judicial Conference of the United States authorized the appointment and a Merit Selection Panel of attorneys and other community members will review applicants and recommend [...]

POSTED: Monday, March 29th, 2010 at 1:00 am

BY: dmc-admin

For all the chatter the mandatory versus voluntary bar issue has generated in the last year, perhaps the legal community has heard enough – at least from potential future leaders of the State Bar. Mere weeks before ballots go out to lawyers only six people attended a president-elect candidate forum hosted by the Milwaukee Bar [...]

POSTED: Monday, March 22nd, 2010 at 1:00 am

BY: dmc-admin

One of Marquette University Law School Dean Joseph D. Kearney’s favorite lines is from one of the institution’s most distinguished alum, who never practiced law. Joseph J. Zilber graduated from the law school in 1941 at the top of his class, but opted to enter the business world instead and found long-term success. “He would [...]

POSTED: Monday, February 15th, 2010 at 1:00 am

BY: dmc-admin

I wouldn’t expect my college alma mater to feature archived video footage each May of me receiving my diploma. Then again, I attended a Division III school and had no aspirations of making a living playing professional basketball. But a former college hoopster who starred on the 1995 national champion UCLA Bruins team is arguing [...]

POSTED: Monday, February 1st, 2010 at 1:00 am

BY: dmc-admin

Today, Marquette University Law School announced a $2 million donation toward construction of its new law school from 1965 graduate Wylie Aitken and his wife. The California attorney formed Aitken Aitken Cohn in Santa Ana and received the law school’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004. In a statement, Dean Joseph D. Kearney, said the $2 [...]

POSTED: Monday, January 18th, 2010 at 1:00 am

BY: dmc-admin

Ever checked the label on that green (or purple) Brett Favre jersey you probably own? Odds are it says Reebok inside the collar, but the U.S. Supreme Court is considering a case that challenges the global athletic supply giant’s exclusive licensing rights with the National Football League. Link Given the billions of dollars in revenue [...]

POSTED: Monday, January 11th, 2010 at 1:00 am

BY: dmc-admin

Having sifted through more than a few disciplinary rulings handed down by the state Supreme Court, many contain tales of fraud, deceit or criminal behavior. But the court’s Jan. 7 decision to deny reinstatement to attorney Jimmie G. Davison reads like something that might be floated around in Hollywood. (Link) The Milwaukee attorney began practicing [...]

POSTED: Monday, December 7th, 2009 at 1:00 am

BY: dmc-admin

Well, any illusions that Tiger Woods wasn’t human have been destroyed. The world’s most famous golfer has been at the center of the media universe since the early morning after Thanksgiving for what the athlete, husband and father described as “personal failings,” presumably not on the links. Link By now, anyone with ears has probably [...]

POSTED: Monday, November 9th, 2009 at 1:00 am

BY: dmc-admin

With the Wisconsin Law Journal set to host our Unsung Heroes event next Friday, it is a nice acknowledgement to non-attorneys in the legal profession, especially at a time when many firms are doing more with less. In talking with lawyers during the recession, it’s no secret that clients are asking, and in some cases [...]

POSTED: Monday, October 12th, 2009 at 1:00 am

BY: dmc-admin

Around this time of year plenty of Wisconsinites start to sprout their winter whiskers as a way to round out a good Tom Selleck Halloween costume or to intimidate deer from a tree stand in the north woods. Whatever the motivation, it’s all about the end product at least for an annual competition sponsored by [...]

POSTED: Monday, September 21st, 2009 at 1:00 am

BY: dmc-admin

The State Bar of Wisconsin officially welcomed 12 new district members to the Board of Governors in style at the Chula-Vista resort in Wisconsin Dells on September 11. During a pre-meeting orientation, assistant executive director Lynda Tanner spoke about some of the goals and challenges facing the organization in the coming years, including evolving expectations [...]

POSTED: Monday, August 17th, 2009 at 1:00 am

BY: dmc-admin

Allegations that Gov. Jim Doyle’s former senior legal counsel may have been practicing law without a license probably raised more than a few eyebrows from people in the local legal community. Link But it also seems bizarre that Chandra Miller Fienen, who resigned on Aug. 7 after the Republican Party of Wisconsin filed a complaint [...]

POSTED: Monday, July 20th, 2009 at 1:00 am

BY: dmc-admin

Given that United States Supreme Court hopeful Sonia Sotomayor’s appointment to the bench would be historic and the fact that her nomination has been cloaked in controversy, it is no surprise that her four-day confirmation hearings have been covered from the inside out. It has been hard to avoid newsy nuggets on the Web, updated [...]

POSTED: Monday, June 22nd, 2009 at 1:00 am

BY: dmc-admin

Anyone looking to match wits with a member of Wisconsin’s legal community on national television should tune in this Friday. On June 19, attorney Ingrid A. Nelson, judicial assistant to Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson, will compete as a contestant on “Jeopardy!” The Lake Mills resident taped her appearance in April and shortly after sat [...]

POSTED: Monday, May 18th, 2009 at 1:00 am

BY: dmc-admin

When it comes to aesthetic beauty, the state Supreme Court hearing room is an assault on the eyes, from the four grand paintings documenting Wisconsin’s judicial history, to the marble pillars lining the walls. Unfortunately, the audio capabilities of the room do little to compliment the visual grandeur. As a regular attendee of open administrative [...]

POSTED: Monday, April 27th, 2009 at 1:00 am

BY: dmc-admin

It’s hard not to feel for the blue collar worker who unexpectedly lost his job and has fallen behind on house payments during the recession. With unemployment rates rising in 64 of 72 counties during March and the entire state well ahead of 2008 figures, bankruptcies and foreclosures are rampant. But it is hard to [...]

POSTED: Monday, March 30th, 2009 at 1:00 am

BY: dmc-admin

On the heels of recent events which have again heated up the debate about when and why judges should step away from hearing cases, a new state Supreme Court ruling could further fuel the fire. The high court voted 5-2 in favor of a Heritage Farms, Inc., owned in part by former Justice Jon P. [...]

POSTED: Monday, March 23rd, 2009 at 1:00 am

BY: dmc-admin

With all of the other legislation that gets chewed up and spit out in Madison on an annual basis, it’s shocking that there hasn’t been a law passed that legalizes office sports pools. But one could be on the way, thanks to a pair of Wisconsin legislators, who presumably enjoy picking the occasional upset during [...]

POSTED: Monday, March 9th, 2009 at 1:00 am

BY: dmc-admin

Anyone who has ever tuned in to a professional sports broadcast had heard the line “any rebroadcast, reproduction or other use of this game without the express written consent of [insert league here] is prohibited.” But who has the authority to determine how high school sporting events in Wisconsin can be broadcast online? That is [...]

POSTED: Monday, February 16th, 2009 at 1:00 am

BY: dmc-admin

We’ve all been there. You are in your car heading home during rush hour and your cell phone rings. What do you do? If you answer it, at minimum you may endure a dirty look from a fellow motorist. Chatting and driving is generally frowned upon and someone who gets caught combining the two in [...]

POSTED: Monday, February 16th, 2009 at 1:00 am

BY: dmc-admin

It was quite a week for everyone invested in the new Marquette University Law School.Fundraising for the project crept closer to its $85 million goal with the announcement that the Northwestern Mutual Foundation (NMF) pledged $1 million on Feb. 6. But four days later, anyone associated with the construction likely held their collective breaths after [...]

POSTED: Monday, January 26th, 2009 at 1:00 am

BY: dmc-admin

Judges who recuse themselves from cases often seem to take the stance of better safe than sorry. That’s fine, and I certainly would not want a judge being even subconsciously subjective if I were on trial for murder, or in court to contest a speeding ticket. But the rationale for when a judge steps away [...]