Skwierawski takes helm of MBA

Listen to this article

Hon. Michael Skwierawski

Retirement has been kind to Michael Skwierawski, but he has not been kind to retirement.

The former Milwaukee County judge hung up his judicial robes in August 2003 after presiding over 513 jury trials during his 25 years on the bench, but his responsibility to the legal system continued to beckon.

So Skwierawski, 63, quieted his gavel and let his work with the Milwaukee Bar Association do the talking first as a board member, then vice president, president-elect and finally president this June.

“Now that I am retired, I have a little more time and felt I could make a contribution to the MBA,” said Skwierawski. “I had been on the board of directors for several years and had a good feel for how the organization worked so it’s been a pretty seamless transition, which is how it should be.”

Skwierawski praised his predecessors and an efficient staff for his smooth progression.

“What keeps a non-profit organization like this on an even keel is the staff,” said Skwierawski. “We’re the only bar organization in Wisconsin, other that State Bar, that has paid full time staff, nine as a matter of fact, and that allows us to do a lot of things other groups don’t have the resources to do.”

Combining the New and Old

Less than two months into the role, the new president has several initiatives he hopes to implement during his term, in addition to sustaining current MBA programs.

Primary among them is continuing to strengthen the communication bonds between attorneys and judges. As someone who has worked in both professions, Skwierawski knows cooperation is vital to an effective judicial system.

“Even back when I was a chief judge in Milwaukee, I was concerned that the levels of communication and understanding between lawyers and judges were not as good as they could be,” said Skwierawski. “When I was voted to be on the board at the MBA that is one of the things I was asked to improve.”

Feeling the MBA’s knowledge of issues pertaining to the courthouse was insufficient, and vice versa, Skwierawski helped get the board to institutionalize that at least one judge be on the bar board at all times.

“I think it really became beneficial last year when there were budgetary issues in the county,” said Skwierawski. “Both sides had a better understanding of what was going on.”

Keeping the community informed and involved in the legal process is another area Skwierawski has targeted for improvement. He hopes to reduce the sometimes negative connotations associated with lawyers.

“What lawyers do for the community is critically important and I think the public at large doesn’t understand that,” stated Skwierawski. “Lawyers take a lot of abuse for what they do; sometimes it’s justified, but most of the time it isn’t.

Skwierawski’s professional and personal experience has led him to conclude that most lawyers are a well-trained, ethical group of citizens who have a deep commitment to making the community a better place to live.

His push to generate more cooperative and productive relationships with the area’s voluntary bar associations like the Association of Women Lawyers, the Association of African American Lawyers and the Wisconsin Hispanic Lawyers Association is a proactive approach to broadening MBA appeal.

“I’m not proposing that everyone jump into the same pool, but our resources are greater than some of those organizations and working together would certainly make for more options within the community,” said Skwierawski.

A concrete alternative was recently launched by the MBA in the form of the Modest Means program, an initiative designed to provide legal support to people of moderate to low incomes.

“Most professions don’t have a central clearinghouse where people can call and find out where a lawyer can help with issues involving real estate, wills or consumer concerns, and we do that,” said Skwierawski. “Modest Means is an extension of that philosophy.”

Skwierawski estimated that the MBA’s Lawyer Referral and Information Service (LRIS) handled 8,300 cases and received near 43,000 phone calls last year. The heavy volume has sparked more interest in expanding specialized legal assistance.

Skwierawski and the LRIS are currently working in conjunction with the Helen Bader Foundation on a program to aid non-profit organizations.

“It has gone several different directions over the past year, but it’s expected to be similar to the concept of Modest Means,” said Skwierawski. “There may be reduced rates, but it’s hard to quantify because non-profit organizations come in an incredible array as far as what they do and their economic viability.”

Timing is Everything

The bottom line for Skwierawski has always been to enhance the public’s access to justice, an objective he has believed in likely since he toted golf bags around Westmoor Country Club in Brookfield as a child.

“We lived in West Allis and parents would carpool and drop us off at 6:30 in the morning,” recalled Skwierawski. “I caddied in grade school and high school. It’s where I picked up the game.”

A recipient of the prestigious Chick Evans Caddie Scholarship,
Skwierawski earned his undergraduate degree from Marquette University and his subsequent law degree from Georgetown in 1967.

Over the next 39 years he sharpened his legal skills as an attorney for over a decade and then as a Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge.

	Related Links Milwaukee Bar Association

While his results on the links never quite equaled those in the courtroom, he found abundant success in his family life with a lasting marriage, four children and nine grandchildren.

“We were blessed with three grandchildren this spring which I like to call the class of ’06 and they keep my wife and I pretty busy, but I think grandparenting is the best thing since sliced bread,” said Skwierawski.

What remaining time Skwierawski does have, he spends as a sole practitioner in mediation and arbitration and occasionally “escapes” to the family cottage in northern Wisconsin.

“I like to call myself at least semi-retired or a half-time worker, because that’s really all I’d like to work,” said Skwierawski. “Otherwise, why did I retire in the first place?”

Jack Zemlicka can be reached by email.