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Ramirez stays humble about his role in the community

By: Jack Zemlicka, [email protected]//January 20, 2012//

Ramirez stays humble about his role in the community

By: Jack Zemlicka, [email protected]//January 20, 2012//

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Ralph Ramirez (Staff photo by Kevin Harnack)

Waukesha County Circuit Judge Ralph Ramirez said he doesn’t consider himself a role model, aside from setting a good example on how to live life for his three children.

But Ramirez, 52, acknowledged the label can be hard to avoid.

He is the first Hispanic circuit court judge elected in Waukesha County without having been first appointed, and he appeared in a 2009 NBC Nightly News profile on the growth of the Latino community in Wisconsin.

“It was two minutes,” Ramirez said, “of my 15 minutes of fame.”

While the Waukesha native said he is proud of his community and cultural roots, any recognition that comes along with doing his job or contributing to society is unexpected.

Prior to joining the bench in 1999, Ramirez spent 13 years as an assistant district attorney in Waukesha County and served as the chief prosecutor for the Waukesha County Metro Drug Enforcement Group.

Ramirez offered some seasoned responses to this week’s Asked & Answered questions.

Wisconsin Law Journal: If you could develop one CLE course for credit, what would it be about?

Ralph Ramirez: It would be about equal access to the courts and the use of certified interpreters for people with language barriers. As the chair of the Committee to Improve Interpreting and Translation in the Wisconsin Courts I have been promoting these concepts for many years.

WLJ: What was your least favorite course in law school and why?

Ramirez: First year small group contracts. I believed that UCC was an acronym for the Uniform Code of Confusion.

WLJ: What do you consider your biggest achievement to date and why?

Ramirez: My greatest achievement without question is being married for 29 years to a wonderfully smart and beautiful woman and raising three equally wonderful children. The bonus is all five of us are Badgers.

WLJ: What is the one luxury item you cannot live without?

Ramirez: My Kindle, loaded with all sorts of good books. A close second is my pair of snowshoes that help me enjoy this beautiful Wisconsin winter weather.

WLJ: What is one thing attorneys should know that they won’t learn in law school?

Ramirez: That the relationships that you build with other lawyers, judges, your support staff and court staff are just as important as your legal knowledge.

WLJ: What is the first concert you went to?

Ramirez: Deep Purple, 1974. Remember ‘Smoke On The Water?’

WLJ: If you could trade places with someone for a day, who would it be and why?

Ramirez: I think I would trade places with my mom or dad sometime during their childhood to really understand their lives and struggles. Perhaps I’d trade places with my dad as a young man in World War II Europe to better understand the experiences that shaped what we call the ‘Greatest Generation.’

WLJ: What is your motto?

Ramirez: My motto comes from decades of training in Shotokan karate: Seek perfection of character; Be faithful; Endeavour; Respect others; Refrain from violent behavior.

WLJ: What is your favorite movie about lawyers or the law and why?

Ramirez: ‘My Cousin Vinny.’ We all need a good laugh, and don’t forget that the lawyers shook hands at the end of the case.

WLJ: If you hadn’t become a lawyer, what career would you have chosen?

Ramirez: Realistically, a chef based on my work experience and love of the job. Idealistically, I would have opted for traveling around the world as a diver on the Calypso with Jacques Cousteau.

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