Despite a delay over the choice of an arbitrator, a dispute over mandatory State Bar dues is heading toward arbitration, with response briefs due Jan. 22.

A closed-door discussion regarding the State Bar’s procedure to hire an outside attorney ended with no decision Saturday morning.

Wisconsin attorneys will pay $30 more in dues per year if the State Bar’s Board of Governors passes its proposed budget during its meeting Friday and Saturday.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court unanimously struck down a State Bar bylaw Friday that would have allowed the Board of Governors to remove one of its own, with one justice saying the rule as written was “insane.”

The State Bar of Wisconsin paid a high-powered attorney $27,688 to argue for a controversial rule change that would allow its Board of Governors to remove a member.

Bobbi Howell measures her career success in terms of the many close, sustained support networks she has formed.