Courtney Clark shared lessons for attorneys on resiliency during the closing plenary at the 2023 State Bar of Wisconsin Annual Meeting & Conference. Just 43 years old, Clark has beaten cancer three times, survived a brain aneurysm, and was adopted as a teenager. Click here for more on her presentation.

When I reflect on attending my first State Bar of Wisconsin Annual Meeting & Conference in June 2023, I appreciate the great perspectives on being a lawyer it provided. The practical and substantive law was informative and well-presented.

But the meeting shined at raising self-awareness about how our professional and personal lives will intersect. To do the best work we can as lawyers – whether working for clients, employers, nonprofits, the criminal justice system, or for the courts themselves (as I do) – we have to “be on fire, not burned out” as the final plenary speaker phrased it.

Lawyers may joke about thriving on stress, but even if we eat it for breakfast, we have to manage stress so it does not overwhelm us at home and work.

Ways to Gain Resilience

Courtney Clark, our final plenary speaker, was a phenomenal person to send us back to the office with inspiration to respond to challenges. Her resilience in the face of great personal difficulties brought tears to my eyes as well as belly laughs as she walked us through how to think about the changes to our path we will inevitably face, regardless of how well we plan. (See a photo from the plenary on the State Bar’s Facebook album for the conference.)

Our ability to respond to change is crucial to our resilience. It is also key to our work as lawyers. While our strategy when we begin a new case may be careful and confident, our response when the law changes or when the facts yield new information will determine whether we tear our hair out or find ways to work with the new situation.

During Courtney’s speech, I looked around at the lovely Pfister ballroom and marveled at the sincerity, the dedication, and the legal prowess around me.

When I arrived at the Annual Meeting & Conference two nights before, I was inspired by the “passing of the gavel,” during which the past presidents of the State Bar got in a line, extended far off stage, and passed the gavel from president to president until it reached our (then) newly sworn-in president Dean Dietrich. (See the photos on Facebook).

At first, it seemed just a fun tradition, but the almost-solemn pageantry showed the serious commitment the past presidents have had to this organization and the support they offer to ensure its current success.

On the Essence of Being a Lawyer

Some time between the gavel passing and Courtney’s message of resilience, it hit me that this event was not only about those ever-important CLEs, vendor resources, and networking, but also about the essence of being a lawyer today. There was more information, people, ideas, and vendor giveaways than any one of us could take in, but collectively, we can and will fit it all in. The past presidents signaled that we are all in this together, and that was not limited to supporting the current president, but supporting the State Bar as an institution and a body of individual members.

The unity that inspired me did not mean that all Wisconsin lawyers share the same views on everything, or perhaps even on anything. Thursday morning’s plenary on cancel culture was fascinating for the subject matter, but also for the ways that people can exchange sincere and considered words, but those spoken words do not guarantee that we hear each other.

Practical Takeaways

The individual sessions were informative in the traditional ways. I appreciated the different perspectives that the State Bar provided.

There were two sessions that I was eager to attend because of their relevance to my job, as a law clerk for the Court of Appeals. “Appellate Advocacy” offered firsthand advice from appellate judges, both state and federal. I very much concur with the advice given to strategize on the strongest issues to appeal and not to throw the kitchen sink at the appellate courts.

Some time between the gavel passing and Courtney’s message of resilience, it hit me that this event was not only about those ever-important CLEs, vendor resources, and networking, but also about the essence of being a lawyer today.

The panel also stressed how important it is to understand the standard of review of the appeal. From my position, I can only add that citing to the record – clearly, with record and page numbers – is not only required by statute but allows the attorney’s advocacy to shine off the page.

The intricacies of appellate advocacy underscored the importance of the second session I had on my must-see list: “Making the Record.” This session featured attorneys and circuit court and appeals court judges, who each offered practical examples of how to make a solid record. As a person who spends more time than I want to admit reading transcripts of trials, I appreciate when the attorneys and judges clarify the nonverbal communication on the witness stand. The advice to “spoonfeed the facts to the record” was powerful and true. The parties benefit when the judges (and clerks) reviewing that record are not given ambiguity over which exhibits were admitted, what happened in videos played for the jury, or the fate of motions in limine and objections.

See You in June in Green Bay

This was my first time attending the State Bar Annual Meeting & Conference, and I appreciate that my judge and my office gave me the time and encouragement to attend.

I knew I would learn new information, catch up with friends and former colleagues, and get many, many free pens. But I was happily surprised at how inspired I was by my fellow lawyers and the leadership of the State Bar. I look forward to going to the 2024 AMC this June!

This article was originally published on the Government Lawyers Blog of the State Bar of Wisconsin Government Lawyers Division. Visit the State Bar Divisions page and the Government Lawyers Division webpage to learn more about division membership.