A Step Forward

Listen to this article

During her inaugural address, Diane Diel made the surprising revelation that one of her goals involved promoting discussion about the mandatory nature of the State Bar of Wisconsin.

That’s a wise move on her part. The best thing that could happen is for attorneys in Wisconsin to have an open discussion about whether it’s better to have a mandatory or voluntary bar.

The issue was one that propelled Douglas Kammer to victory in the most recent State Bar elections. Kammer, who will assume the presidency in July 2009, campaigned solely on the notion that bar membership should be voluntary.

After Diel was sworn in last week for her upcoming term as president, she indicated plans to get the Board of Governors talking about the issue and to set up a committee to look at voluntary versus mandatory membership.

Clearly this is a topic that is meaningful to at least the 1,871 attorneys who voted for Kammer, and probably more.

I would not go so far as to say that the thousands of the attorneys, who did not take the time to vote, share that sentiment. But it’s a fair bet that some of them do.

This also is an opportunity for the State Bar to disseminate information about the value that it does provide to attorneys throughout the state. A glance at just a few State Bar programs indicates that in an average year 2,000 attorneys turn to the ethics hotline for help. The State Bar’s Practice411 program responded to requests from nearly 600 attorneys and law offices in the past year.

Lawyers participating in the Lawyer Referral Information Service received more than 12,700 referrals from people calling in for legal assistance or seeking it at the State Bar’s Web site.

And about 4,300 attorneys participated in State Bar-sponsored continuing legal education seminars during the 2006-07 fiscal year (that does not include attorneys who participated in CLE OnDemand, CLE seminars produced by individual sections or CLE programs at the annual convention).

Another important piece of information for the discussion is the fact that State Bar officials do not have the final say in whether the organization is voluntary or mandatory. It’s essential to note that the Supreme Court has final word.

The worst thing that could happen would be for the State Bar to ignore the issue, leaving those attorneys who already don’t feel a part of the bar becoming even more disenfranchised.

Diel will assume the role of State Bar president on July 1. By announcing her intention to promote communication and discussion of this issue, she’s starting out on the right foot.