Practice Imperfect

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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.

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But it also seems bizarre that Chandra Miller Fienen, who resigned on Aug. 7 after the Republican Party of Wisconsin filed a complaint with the Office of Lawyer Regulation, did not take the seemingly simple steps to become licensed after passing the state bar exam.

The Associated Press reported than a Doyle spokesperson stated that Miller Fienen was hired with the understanding that she would pass the bar exam and get licensed. She reportedly has passed the test but, for reasons that were not disclosed, never received a law license.

BYU Law School graduate Jeffrey R. Atkin earned his Wisconsin license in 2001 and currently is senior counsel with Foley & Lardner LLP in Los Angeles.

He recalled that once he passed the bar in Wisconsin, there was little else to be done, aside from getting sworn in.

While many states, including Wisconsin have a rigorous application process and require certification of personal fitness and moral character, Atkin noted than the majority of that takes place prior to passing the bar.

“If you pass the exam, it’s kind of unfortunate not to finish it off,” he said.

Miller Fienen was an attorney with Howard Rice Nemerovski Canady Falk & Rabkin in San Francisco prior to taking a job as Executive Assistant at the Wisconsin Department of Commerce and later as senior legal advisor in Doyle’s office.