I am the grateful recipient of State Bar of Wisconsin Government Lawyers Division scholarship to cover registration costs for the State Bar Annual Meeting & Conference held June 14-16, 2023, in Milwaukee.
To receive the scholarship, I didn’t have to make much effort. I noticed an email from the State Bar a few weeks before the event advising interested persons to apply. From there, it was an easy process of sending a short email of interest, followed by review and approval by State Bar staff.
The conference was held at the stately Pfister Hotel in downtown Milwaukee. As my employer was generous enough to approve my using a state car, I navigated getting to downtown in that big city during rush hour and, even more challenging, finding a parking spot in that busy part of the world. Fortunately, I was up to the challenge, having grown up in a large metropolitan area to the immediate south of Wisconsin (aka Chicagoland).
Formal Offerings
I remember as a law student and younger lawyer that the State Bar annual meetings included impressive continuing legal education (CLE) presentations.
The 2023 version exceeded my expectations.
Daniel Graff, U.W. 1994, is a staff attorney for Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s Office of General Counsel. His practice includes public records, personnel law, various state patrol matters, and regulation of licensed motor vehicle dealers and buyers.
CLE kicked off with a capacity crowd hearing a panel discussion on Cancel Culture. The moderator was in my mind really thoughtful, and good at both bringing out a variety of viewpoints and challenging the speakers when needed. I think this subject will continue to be debated and few minds were changed, but I appreciated hearing various viewpoints strongly and eloquently expressed.
The CLE continued on with smaller breakout sessions. This led to some hard choices. For example, I had to skip a CLE by now-State Bar President Dean Dietrich that qualified for EPR because I was successfully lobbied by former State Bar colleagues to sit in on environmental law role playing presentation.
Some breakouts were easy choices for me because they relate directly to my practice. An example is the one on Marsy’s Law, aka April 2020 amendments to Article I Section 9m. of the Wisconsin Constitution, and how the enhanced right of privacy for victims of crimes affects obligations law enforcement agencies (like the Wisconsin State Patrol) and public records requests.
And some breakouts were pleasant surprises, like the session on Russian economic sanctions, which gave me a better understanding of how international trade is regulated and sanctions actually enforced after they are created. It was also great meeting afterward with a presenter who was also a harbor board trustee and has a great personal story.
All the breakout CLEs I attended were great, and I offer thanks and respect to all the attorneys who spent much time collecting, presenting, explaining, and discussing their areas of expertise.
Informal Benefits
Another great part of the Annual Conference for me happened between formal presentations. Thanks to all the vendors who came and were more than willing to explain their products and services as well as share branded swag. My favorite souvenir was a combination LED flashlight and Allen wrench.
More enjoyable was meeting old acquaintances. I much prefer in-person meetings, negotiations and legal proceedings to the ones we’ve been holding by Zoom, Teams, Blue Jeans, and other remote platforms, so it was great to see folks in person and without technical difficulties. I got to get input in matters like position statements for employment law mediation and caught up with former law clerks. Glad the COVID-19 isolation and social distancing measures are mostly behind us.
A particular highlight to me was the luncheon on Thursday June 15, sponsored by the State Bar Senior Lawyer’s Division. I guess I became an honorary member, because I was able to shoehorn into a table with senior lawyers (which I am, chronologically) and law students and attorneys at the beginning of their careers. It was a great way to exchange viewpoints, tell a few old stories, and give and receive advice.
Take Aways
The 2023 State Bar conference had a couple of themes that resonated with me. One was the initiative by our new president, Dean Dietrich, for civility. I think that in-person meetings is one way of doing that.
A second theme was the need to reach out to the rising generation of lawyers. My view is that the State Bar is mostly enjoyed by and participated in by more experienced attorneys. Getting newer lawyers more involved is a challenge that I’m not sure how to overcome. Maybe offering more chances to jump in, to both formal State Bar activities like the Annual Conference and more informal section activities, can be encouraged by more scholarships like mine or membership fee waivers. Remember, paying for registration or membership is a tough volunteer ask for newer members with law school loans to be paid off. I am less sure that robust websites or social media presences will do that – in my view, better to leave that to professionals and influencers.
A last take away is an appreciation of the State Bar. A shoutout to all the staff who worked so hard to put on the annual conference, as well as all the association’s activities. Their hard work shows.
And finally, my personal thanks to the Government Lawyers Division for their scholarship of payment of my Annual Conference registration fees. It was good for 10.5 CLE hours, and a visit to a great city. I hope others get this chance too!
Find out more about the 2024 State Bar Annual Meeting & Conference (AMC) – June 20-21, 2024, in Green Bay, at amc.wisbar.org.
This article was originally published on the State Bar of Wisconsin’s Government Lawyers Blog. Visit the State Bar divisions webpage or the Government Lawyers Division webpage to learn more about the benefits of division membership.
