You come to the State Bar of Wisconsin for knowledge and information. That’s what you tell us. You read this magazine, you attend PINNACLE® seminars, and read PINNACLE books and Books UnBound®, you read articles on WisBar®, in InsideTrack™, and in section newsletters. You request assistance from State Bar ethics counsel, the practice management advisor, and the lawyer assistance program. You research through Fastcase, receive notice of the latest decisions through CaseLaw Express™. And you serve your profession and the public through committee, section, and division work, through pro bono assistance, and through public education.
How you receive that knowledge and information has changed dramatically in the last decade, as has the amount of time available to you to read it. You want detailed knowledge and information, but you want it quicker. The Internet now is a primary delivery vehicle, although you still want certain things in paper.
For all these reasons, the two primary vehicles you use to access knowledge and information from the State Bar, the Wisconsin Lawyer™ magazine and the State Bar’s website, WisBar, have been redesigned, rebuilt, and relaunched this month.
You noticed the difference in this magazine as soon as you picked it up. New cover design, new features, and yet some consistency. You will continue to find the lengthier substantive articles that have been a mainstay of the magazine. But you will also find new, quicker ways of gleaning the main points of the articles, new avenues to acquiring additional information online, and new columns providing additional perspective.
The all new WisBar launched this month as well. By “all new,” I mean that the entire website was torn apart, rethought, redesigned, and rebuilt. It certainly looks different; cleaner and brighter. It also functions differently – it is more intuitive, easier to navigate, and easier to search.
The new WisBar has two distinct home pages – one for the public (with access to a member directory, so they can find you) and one for members (with an enhanced directory where you can personalize your own listing, adding your photo, bio, and a link to your website). If your support staff use WisBar to find information and conduct other business for you, register them through WisBar’s myStateBar so they have access to much of the members-only content.
“Improving services and products with members’ needs top-of-mind is an ongoing, collaborative effort by State Bar members and staff. The new WisBar website and redesigned Wisconsin Lawyer are the latest fruit of such collaboration.”
Both the new Wisconsin Lawyer and the new WisBar were made possible because of substantial involvement by members. Informed by member input, the Communications Committee, which serves as the editorial board for this magazine, worked countless hours with editorial staff on the redesign before you. State Bar staff also worked closely with members on improving the functionality of the new WisBar. And, before we launched the new site, Executive Committee members tested the site by performing common tasks. The goal for both efforts is to continue to innovate so that the State Bar’s knowledge and information is accessible to you – whether you are at your office, your home, or on the road. Because, after all, your practice is our purpose.
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