Attorneys took the oath in a ceremony May 2, 2016.

Visit the State Bar’s Facebook page for more photos of this event, or click here.

May 3, 2016 – There’s Brittney Jay Jefferies, pursuing civil litigation and landlord/tenant law in Milwaukee, and Richard Bogdan, newly employed in Schererville Indiana in civil defense. Bogdan, with a master’s degree in sports administration from Valparaiso University School of Law, hopes to pursue sports law.

There’s also Amanda Follett, now licensed in Delaware as well as Wisconsin, with her lawyer-boyfriend, Jonathan Sacks. They met during their undergrad years at Lawrence University of Appleton, and attended Rutgers Law School in Newark, New Jersey, one year apart. The Wisconsin bar exam was Sacks’ third – he’s also licensed in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

And new Wisconsin lawyer Alexander Seifert celebrated the day with his two movants: his sister, attorney Katherine Seifert of Menasha, and his mother, Winnebago County Circuit Court Judge Karen Seifert.

The 21 attorneys sworn in as Wisconsin lawyers on May 2, 2016, come from across Wisconsin and from outside the state, including Michigan, Minnesota, and Colorado.

The 56 Percent

Jacquelynn Rothstein, director of the Board of Bar Examiners, said 56 percent of the 82 people who took the exam in February passed the test.

Kaitlin Webster of Madison signs the roll, the last step before she becomes a Wisconsin lawyer.

While it is a day worthy of celebration for the new Wisconsin lawyers, it is also a day for advice.

It is important that lawyers understand their impact on people’s lives, Justice Annette Ziegler said during the admissions ceremony. “Set lofty goals – not necessarily monetary.”

These goals should be true to the Attorney’s Oath. And they should be “embedded in your soul,” she said.

Stay honest and work hard, she advised, and be honorable. “Life in the law done right will be filled with enormous opportunity,” Justice Ziegler said. “Dare to make the world a better place because you’re in it.”

State Bar President Ralph Cagle urged the new Wisconsin lawyers to keep in mind issue of unequal access to justice – something that will continue to be a problem in the future.

And, he said, as lawyers, you may find that opportunity takes you down a road you didn’t expect. “Keep learning,” he said, and “always keep your eye open to unexpected opportunity.”

Visit the State Bar’s Facebook page for more photos of this event, or click here.

Welcome to These New Wisconsin Lawyers: