May 22, 2012 – More than 160 Marquette Law School graduates were admitted to the profession yesterday. The new lawyers were welcomed by all seven Wisconsin Supreme Court justices, Marquette Law School Dean Joseph Kearney, former State Bar President Michelle Behnke, and Board of Bar Examiners Director Jacquelynn B. Rothstein.

Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson presided over the six ceremonies. Justices Ann Walsh Bradley, N. Patrick Crooks, David T. Prosser Jr., Annette Ziegler, and Michael J. Gableman administered the oath in the Supreme Court Hearing Room.

Following each swearing-in ceremony, Justice Patience Drake Roggensack spoke to the new lawyers, quoting Eleanor Roosevelt: The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. “You are the future of the legal community in Wisconsin,” said Roggensack. “Some very famous Americans have built their careers around dreams.” Referring to Dr. Martin Luther King’s famous I Have A Dream speech in 1963, she said, “We have made progress in racial equality since 1963 but more needs to be done. There are others that suffer from hardships that are not dependent on their race, sometimes due to a physical or an emotional handicap.

“Will you dedicate your careers to helping those who have difficulty helping themselves?,” she asked. “Whatever your dream, the attitude with which you approach it is very important. Attitude is a little thing, but it can make such a big difference in how your efforts and ideas are received by others. I urge you to adopt an optimistic attitude as your first task that will face you in your legal career. You will be surprised at what you can accomplish if you think you can do it.

“If you don’t win your first case … don’t be discouraged. Pick yourself up and try again,” she said. “Optimism is important in approaching legal challenges, but truth is also a very important ingredient of any dream that will succeed.”

Quoting Winston Churchill: The truth is incontrovertible, malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end; there it is, Roggensack summed up, “As lawyers, don’t give your word lightly, but once you have given your word don’t ever abandon it. As a lawyer, the greatest single quality you have is your word … even when truth is not what others want to hear. Don’t shade the truth and in the process become an appeaser for those who do not value the truth.”

Former State Bar President Michelle Behnke – reminded the new attorneys of the tremendous amount of change facing the profession today. Behnke urged the new members to connect with the State Bar of Wisconsin and join with its 23,000 members to let their voice be heard and to help the Bar speak with one voice. “The Bar offers many services to lawyers, and while the State Bar can help you, you must also help the State Bar,” she said. “It is never too soon to become active in a section or ask for an appointment to a committee. It is never too early to participate in the State Bar’s public service programs.”

The State Bar of Wisconsin welcomes the following new members:

Sklkime Abduli, Milwaukee

Nathaniel Emery Adamson, Redgranite

Amy Leigh Allwardt, Menasha

Grant Benjamin Anderson, Madison

Andrea Austin, Sheboygan

Danielle Bailey, Milwaukee

Zachary Bailey, Milwaukee

Taylor E. Barnes, Milwaukee

Susan V. Barranco, Milwaukee

Robert J. Batey, Milwaukee

Jaclyn Bielefeld, Milwaukee

Noelle Ann Bobbe, Milwaukee

Nicholas J. Boerke, Milwaukee

Matthew K. Bowen, Hartland

Kathryne A. Breitlow, Milwaukee

Frederick Taylor Brengel, Milwaukee

Elizabeth J. Brodek, Milwaukee

Elizabeth Katherine Bronson, Milwaukee

Lewis Formella Brooks, Madison

Scott William Brunner, Greendale

Timothy Joseph Bucher, Hartland

Elizabeth M. Buehler, Hartland

Jackson S. Cates, Milwaukee

Nicholas Steven Cerwin, Milwaukee

Andrew J. Christman, Milwaukee

Scott J. Ciraulo, Milwaukee

Emily Ann Constantine, Milwaukee

Ashanti Cook, Milwaukee

Samantha Diane Cooper, Milwaukee

Teresa Marie Covington, Milwaukee

Brandon Eugene Cox, Madison

Diana Angelica Crawford, Pecos, Texas

Peter J. Curran, Milwaukee

Timothy DeBord, Milwaukee

Elisabeth R. DeRango, Milwaukee

Meghan A. Donnelly, Beloit

Leah Ann Drexler-Dreis, Milwaukee

Carolina Marie Dutriz, Milwaukee

Christopher P. Ehrfurth, Milwaukee

Emily R. Enslow, Milwaukee

Grant A. Erickson, Greenfield

Stephane P. Fabus, Milwaukee

Porsche Tia Farr, Milwaukee

Jonathan J. Feldbruegge, Milwaukee

Jaymes Kenneth Fenton, Milwaukee

Jonathan Lee Ficke, Waukesha

Chelsea Elise Gatterman, Waukesha

Joseph Gorndt, Milwaukee

Timothy J. Granitz, Brookfield

Brian S. Grayson, Milwaukee

Ted Greeley, Milwaukee

Kristin M. Hagen, Milwaukee

Matthew Milford Hall, Milwaukee

Elise M. Harris, Milwaukee

Jeremy D. Heacox, New Berlin

Chad Hendricks, Greenfield

Amy Hetzner, Milwaukee

Ellison Frances Hitt, Milwaukee

Gary Dean Hoffman, Wauwatosa

Gabriel William Houghton, Milwaukee

Karl Huber, Upson

Kathryn Jackan, Marshfield

Hannah Rose Jahn, Milwaukee

Christopher Charles Janson, Milwaukee

Kyle Patrick Jefferson, Peru, Ill.

Jessica Madar Jensen, Verona

Alyssa Ann Johnson, Fredonia

Kelly Jean Johnson, Milwaukee

Cassandra Lynne Jones, Milwaukee

Dieter Juedes, Mequon

Casey Kaiser, Milwaukee

Stephanie Kebler, Milwaukee

Jacob E. Kempowski, Shorewood

Steven A. Koncar, Milwaukee

Olga Kordonskaya, Milwaukee

Margaret Anne Kunisch, Milwaukee

James N. Law, Milwaukee

Benjamin I. Leibovitz, Chicago

Theresa A. Lenz, Madison

Samuel Liverseed, Milwaukee

Rebeca M. Lopez, Milwaukee

Rachel Thea Lux, Milwaukee

Rebecca R. Manz, Wauwatosa

Katharine M. Marlin, Pewaukee

Ashley Marie Marshall, Milwaukee

Nicholas K. Martinez, Waukesha

Sarah C. Matt, Milwaukee

Lauren Samantha Matthiesen, Milwaukee

Kyle R. Mayo, Mukwonago

Aaron P. McCann, Milwaukee

Sarah E. McCracken, West Allis

Daniel Patrick McLennon, Milwaukee

Erica Nicole Menze, Portland, Ore.

Jackie Messler, New Berlin

Emily Louise Mitchell, Milwaukee

Jennifer J. Montalvo, Milwaukee

Hannah Laura Neshek, Elkhorn

Caroline Bartlett Niemann, Hartland

Garrett William Nix, Osseo

Caitlin Kendall Noonan, Milwaukee

Valeri Joleen Nowik, Chicago

Sarah Ann Padove, Milwaukee

Mitchell Phillips, Milwaukee

Kristin Renee Pierre, Milwaukee

Dana K. Pierson, Milwaukee

Eric R. Platt, Milwaukee

Maressa J. Porter, West Allis

Anthony Steven Prekop, Milwaukee

Bryce R. Pressentin, Madison

Peter J. Prigge, Sheboygan

Francisco Miguel Quiroz, Menasha

Amanda R. Rabe, Milwaukee

Adam M. Reed, Milwaukee

John Patrick Reid, Milwaukee

Meghan M. Refinski, Milwaukee

Michael L. Riopel, Milwaukee

Michael K. Roberts, Milwaukee

Matthew A. Robinson, Crivitz

Emily Elanor Ruud, La Crosse

Paula M. Ryan, Milwaukee

Andre N. Salhab Jr., Kissimmee, Fla.

Irina S. Sazhaeva, Madison

Eric Michael Schaefer, Milwaukee

Steffanie Ann Schaff, Milwaukee

Lisa Marie Schlieben, Milwaukee

Michael Gordon Schmidlap, Milwaukee

Justin Michael Schuessler, Port Washington

Joseph J. Schuster, Denmark

John P. Shanahan, Milwaukee

Heidi Ship, Shorewood

Kurt Simatic, Waterloo

Jodi Catherine Slaght, South Beloit, Ill.

Ari J. Sliffman, North Potomac, Md.

Adam W. Smith, Waukesha

Garrett A. Soberalski, Milwaukee

Matthew K. Spangenberg, Milwaukee

Cassandra M. Steele, Greenfield

Sabrina Rose Stephenson, Milwaukee

Matthew Stock, Green Bay

Mitchell J. Stock, Milwaukee

David Roger Streese, West Bend

Ryan A. Strehlow, Milwaukee

Andrea Lyn Thompson, Milwaukee

Madeleine DuVal Thompson Davies, Waukesha

Joseph P. Trevino, Milwaukee

Joshua M. Turim, Milwaukee

Michael Van Someren, Milwaukee

Robert Wagener, Milwaukee

Brian H. Wayman, Milwaukee

James M. Weck, Milwaukee

Kevin J. Weiss, Milwaukee

Chelsea Lee Williamson, Milwaukee

Heather D. Willick, South Milwaukee

David T. Wimmer, Milwaukee

Tiffany M. Winter, Kewaskum

James Christopher Witecha, Waukesha

Shawn N. Woller, Milwaukee

Dustin Wang-o Wong, Milwaukee

Sarah M. Wong, Milwaukee

Nicholas Joseph Zepnick, Milwaukee

Gina C. Ziegelbauer, Milwaukee

Lauren Jane Zwirlein, Milwaukee

 

Deb Heneghan is the Publications Reporter for the State Bar of Wisconsin.