Back to State Bar 2016 Election Officer Candidates.

Nonresident Lawyers Division
Candidate for President-elect

David M. Werwie

David Werwie & Associates, St. Paul, Minn.
Email: david.werwie.iowc@statefarm.com

Comments

I appreciate the opportunity to run for president-elect of the Nonresident Lawyers Division (NRLD) Board. I currently serve as a board member.

What does the NRLD Board do for you? That’s a question that repeatedly comes up to the NRLD Board from nonresidents. After securing the exemption for Wisconsin CLE compliance when you’re compliant with the requirements of your primary practice state, we delved into other ways to be effective. Activities undertaken are largely the result of surveying our nonresident members to see how best to represent you in the State Bar. Some of those activities included increased presence at the Annual Conference, increased active representation in the Board of Governors, CLE presentations in your home states, and other hosted social events in your local chapters. In fact, over the past two years, we increased local chapter events, some including nationally-renowned speakers and State Attorneys General.

As we move forward, there are increasing pressures on the practice of law and, as our economies become more global, can any one of us accurately predict what the practice of law will look like in 10 years? 20 years? At this time, beyond influencing the profession, state bar associations can wield some influence politically. It is important to me that nonresident lawyers stay connected to Wisconsin and that our voices are heard in political conversations that affect not only lawyering within Wisconsin, but the practice of law on a larger scale. I don’t know who said it first, but as the saying goes: If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.

In the end, I believe your membership in the State Bar should yield you demonstrable value. As president-elect, I will support the substantial efforts of the NRLD in promoting greater connections and business opportunities for nonresidents and in shaping the direction of the profession through the State Bar.

Biography

BS: University of Wisconsin-Madison (1998).
JD: University of Wisconsin Law School (2002).
Admitted to Practice in WI (’02), MN (’02), and FL (’03).
Current Practice: In-house litigation counsel, St. Paul, Minnesota
Member, Professionalism Committee of State Bar of Wisconsin (2008-11).
Board Member, Nonresident Lawyers Division of State Bar of Wisconsin (since 2009)
Five-time “Rising Star” by SuperLawyers peer review in Minnesota Law & Politics.
Wisconsin sports team homer