Former State Bar president plans push for financial transparency (UPDATE)

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The lack of financial transparency within the State Bar of Wisconsin has already prompted one member of the organization’s Finance Committee to resign.

Now past Bar president Doug Kammer said he may approach the state Supreme Court about what he called a lack of accountability by the Bar for its financial decisions.

During his term as president, Kammer said he was denied access to staff salaries and argued that the information would help board members make more informed budgetary decisions.

“There is a lot of dysfunction, and a lack of transparency is a big part of that,” he said.

The Executive Committee provided salary ranges for staff that categorized employees by job title and showed approximately how many employees within a range were near the top.

Specific salary information is viewable by the president only through approval from the Executive Committee and for “business reasons.”

Finance Committee member John Byrnes sent his letter of resignation to President Jim Boll in April and claimed the preparation of the annual budget inhibits the ability of the committee to do an effective and thorough review.

“I decline to participate in a flawed process that does not meet the members’ need or expectations,” he said in the letter.

An explanation of staff salaries and other expenditures are needed to present an accurate financial picture to attorneys who pay mandatory dues, Byrnes said.

Byrnes, a Virginia attorney, could not immediately be reached for comment.