Columns

A correlation between gambling and fraud?

Tracy L. Coenen Employee fraud always has a “cause.” The “cause” is the motive, desire, or need that is being filled by the theft from one’s employer. A need doesn’t have to be a true need in order for fraud to occur, but can be a perceived need on the part of the thief. One […]

Representing the child’s best interest, not the child

Gregg Herman Last week, I discussed a meeting which occurred in April 2007, during the spring meeting of the ABA Family Law Section in Monterey, Calif., when groups of lawyers from the ABA Family Law Section and the ABA Litigation Section met with representatives of the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (NCCUSL) […]

Representing children in family law cases

Gregg Herman In April 2007, during the spring meeting of the ABA Family Law Section in Monterey, Calif., a remarkable event occurred: Opposing groups of lawyers met for a full day to discuss rules for serving as a representative for children in custody, abuse and neglect cases. Although the role of a guardian ad litem, […]

Fraud in government versus private industry

Decision contains valuable lessons on maintenance

Gregg Herman As regular readers of this column know, I am sometimes mystified by the decisions of the Publication Committee and wish there were more input by practitioners in them. Such was the case initially upon reading Jantzen v. Jantzen, No. 2006AP1690 (Wis. Ct. App. Jun. 19, 2007) (recommended for publication). I soon changed my […]

When upper-level executives go bad

Tracy L. Coenen It’s easy to assume that upper-level executives in companies with fraud scandals were always bad people. By assuming that they were inherently bad people, we don’t have to confront the issues related to trusting people who seemed trustworthy. We don’t have to explore the idea that people can turn bad or choose […]

Case will address lawyers employing deception clients

Nate Cade This month’s column focuses on the lengths an attorney can go to represent his clients. How zealous of an advocate can you be? And in fact, in zealously representing your client, may you use deception to accomplish that task? That is a question our Supreme Court may soon answer for us. One of […]

Big frauds start small

Tracy L. Coenen Take a look at the frauds in the news, and most of them are huge. Huge frauds make huge news. As investors and the general public demand more transparency from companies and executives, the issue of fraud is being talked about more than ever. Everywhere we turn, the word fraud is rearing […]

The legal aspects of lawyer advertising

Nate Cade Unfortunately as lawyers there are lots of rules that regulate our profession, and most of them are created by lawyers. Some rules deal with conflicts, some rules pertain to your interaction with your associates, employees and fellow partners, and some rules pertain to interaction with clients. And then we have the advertising rules. […]

Road map for filing civil appeals

Practitioners faced with an adverse final order or judgment may view the appellate process as daunting. Chapters 808 and 809 of the Wisconsin Statutes, however, provide a practical roadmap for a civil appeal’s successful prosecution. This article discusses the traditional appeal from a final civil judgment to the court of appeals. Chapters 808 and 809 […]

Iraq reconstruction fraud: Where are your tax dollars going?

Tracy L. Coenen Whether you agree with the Iraq War or not, one thing is certain: There is fraud going on and your tax dollars are being spent. Of the approximately $350 billion (give or take) spent so far by the United States on the war and rebuilding effort, there have been plenty of cases […]

Iraq reconstruction fraud: Where are your tax dollars going?

Tracy L. Coenen Whether you agree with the Iraq War or not, one thing is certain: There is fraud going on and your tax dollars are being spent. Of the approximately $350 billion (give or take) spent so far by the United States on the war and rebuilding effort, there have been plenty of cases […]