Back to State Bar 2016 Election Officer Candidates.
Candidate for Secretary
Ann I. Brandau
Brandau & Waltz Law Offices LLP, La Crosse
Email: annbrandau@brandau-waltz.com
Platform Statement
The State Bar of Wisconsin must continue to focus on providing services to its members that enhance their areas of practice, publicize the positive aspects of our legal system, and uphold the standards of the profession.
We will never see the headline, “Most Wisconsin Cases Resolved in a Just and Competent Manner,” even though that is the truth. Unfortunately, a small minority of our members receive the most critical publicity and any dishonor becomes an indictment of our entire profession. Our organization should remain committed to improving the public image of the bar through outreach efforts. As a long-standing High School Mock Trial judge, I see the impact of awakening young minds to the necessity for the rules of procedure and evidence. It is an honor to assist these young people to understand “the rule of law” and how is applies to all of us. As co-chair in developing Our Courts Wisconsin, the State Bar’s outreach wherein judges and attorneys present law-related programs to civic organizations, I see another fine example of the positive contributions members make to society outside the traditional courtroom setting.
We must ensure that our profession remains an honorable profession. Honesty, integrity, and dedication are the capstones of our work and we need to make every effort to instill these virtues to each succeeding generation of young lawyers.
Biography
Ann I. Brandau, a partner in the La Crosse firm of Brandau & Waltz Law Offices, LLP, primarily focuses her practice in family law. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse with a degree in music and received her juris doctorate from Hamline University School of Law in 1986.
She is a past president of the La Crosse County Bar Association, a Fellow of the Wisconsin Law Foundation, and a member of the state bar’s Public Education Committee where she serves as co-chair of the Our Courts Subcommittee.
Ann served on the District Five Committee of the Office of Lawyer Regulation (1994-2002). She chaired the State Bar’s Public Image Committee (2005-2007). She served on the board of the Private Industry Council in La Crosse, Wisconsin (1991-1997) and the Legal Action of Wisconsin board (1999-2007). Since 2003, she serves as a member of the City of Onalaska Community Development Authority.
Ann is married to a U.S Army Reserve officer for the past 22 years. She received a certificate of appreciation from the Secretary of the Army and the Chief of Staff of the Army for her support of her husband during his command tours and mobilizations.
