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Features

This article addresses donation-based crowdfunding campaigns, which may provide financial resources for individuals who might otherwise be unable to afford legal services. The ethics rules do not disallow lawyers to crowdfund, but lawyers must proceed cautiously.

By Aviva Meridian Kaiser

The ERA: Where Are We Now?

Although Wisconsin ratified the Equal Rights Amendment in 1972, the ERA has never been officially ratified, and many younger Americans might not even know of its existence. The author explores the ERA's history and looks at other efforts to achieve fuller gender equality under the law.

By Storm Larson

20/20 Hindsight: 20 Legal Tech Trends

The author lists his top 20 developments in technology and innovation that, especially in legal practice, in our courts, and in our justice system generally, will see us into the future.

By Robert J. Ambrogi

Opinions, Voices & Ideas

President's Message
Helping Small Businesses Survive
Kathy Brost spotlights a program that gives corporate and business law attorneys a way to deliver pro bono legal assistance to qualifying small businesses in Wisconsin.

Your State Bar
Vel Phillips: Statue Is a Fitting Honor
Larry Martin encourages you to join the State Bar and the Wisconsin Law Foundation to support the siting of a statue of Vel Phillips on the State Capitol grounds.

101
Estate Planning: 5 Pitfalls to Avoid
Diem Nguyen says it's never too early to engage in estate planning. But it can be too late if some or all of the five types of details discussed here fall through the cracks.

Ethics
Using Client Testimonials on Websites
Dean Dietrich says lawyers must comply with professional ethics rules when deciding which information, such as client testimonials, to put on their websites.

Ethics Opinion
EF-21-01: Threatening Criminal Prosecution or Professional Discipline
The Professional Ethics Committee discusses a lawyer's responsibilities if considering threatening criminal prosecution or professional discipline.

Reflections
On Being a New Lawyer: What I Learned in Year One
Paulina Fernandez says learning how to be an attorney is a process – and that includes making mistakes. She shares additional lessons learned in her first year of practice.

Solutions
Overcoming Language Barriers in Representation
Marisol González Castillo gives tips for ensuring clear, adequate communication with clients who are not fluent in English or any other languages spoken by their attorney.

Final Thought
Gender Equity: Is this Progress?
Women now represent 35 percent of the State Bar's membership. But Susan Steingass says this growth doesn't ensure gender equity or productive inclusion in the legal profession.