Board of Governors to hear from new Supreme Court justice

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Justice Rebecca Dallet will be making remarks at the State Bar of Wisconsin Board of Governor’s meeting on Friday.

Dallet was elected in April to replace Justice Michael Gableman, who decided not to run again.

The Board of Governors is a 52-member body of elected and appointed representatives of the state’s lawyers.

The board’s meeting starts at 3 p.m. Friday at the Blue Harbor Resort, 725 Blue Harbor Dr., Sheboygan.

In addition to hearing from Dallet, the governors are scheduled to vote on whether they will give their blessing to a petition calling on the Wisconsin Supreme Court to prevent attorneys representing Indian tribes in certain types of cases from having to pay pro hac vice fees and submit a pro hac vice application, both of which out-of-state lawyers must do if they want to appear in Wisconsin courtrooms.

BOG’s executive committee has already given the proposal unanimous approval.

Starlyn Tourtillott, BOG secretary and one of the petition’s authors, will be speaking about the proposal, which needs a 60 percent majority vote from the board to be approved.

In other business, the board is expected to take up the Lawyer Referral and Information Services Advisory Committee’s request to amend the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s rules so they deem communication between the staff of the Lawyer Referral and Information Service and their clients privileged and confidential. The proposal also would give LRIS staff workers immunity from lawsuits.

LRIS connects attorneys with clients who are screened in accordance with their location, legal issue and ability to pay.

BOG’s executive committee has recommended that the full board approve the matter, which is on the board’s agenda as a consent item, meaning it will be acted on without debate. Follow @erikastrebel