Candidate for Judicial Council
Sarah Zylstra
Boardman & Clark LLP, Madison.
Email
Platform Statement
I thank the State Bar for the opportunity to run for a third term on the Judicial Council. I have been a trial lawyer for more than 25 years and believe the Judicial Council’s work is important to the administration of justice. For those who are not as familiar with the Judicial Council, it is a 21-member body whose responsibilities are to study and make recommendations relating to court pleading, practice and procedure, and the administration and operation of the courts. The Judicial Council is comprised of judges, district attorneys, legislators and legislative staff, law school personnel, citizens and three members of the State Bar.
I believe my background as a commercial and insurance defense litigator who has litigated and tried numerous cases throughout the state and federal courts, has made me well suited for this role. I provide the perspective of a practicing litigator on issues that the Council considers. I serve on the Evidence and Civil Procedure Committee of the Judicial Council. One example of our work is the recent Uniform Unsworn Declarations Act that was passed into law in March of 2024. That law eliminates the need for a notary on many court documents, which saves time and money for practitioners and litigants.
On a personal note, as one of nine children, I know how to work with others and to present contrary views in a respectful manner. I am eager to use my talents to promote collegiality, while at the same time tackling the important issues that face our legal community and our citizens. I would be honored to have your vote to serve on the Judicial Council.
Biography
Sarah is a partner of Boardman & Clark LLP, a nearly 60-attorney firm, is a member of the firm’s executive committee, and has been a trial lawyer for over 25 years, performing commercial litigation and insurance defense.
Education
- University of Wisconsin Law School, magna cum laude, Order of the Coif, University of Wisconsin Law Review
- University of Wisconsin – Madison, MA in Public Affairs & Public Administration
- Mount Holyoke College, cum laude, B.A. Political Science
Judicial Clerkships
- Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable Patience D. Roggensack, Wisconsin Court of Appeals, District IV
Prior and Current Bar Involvement
- Judicial Council
- Wisconsin State Bar’s representative for Federal Rules of Practice, Procedure, and Evidence
- James E. Doyle Chapter of the American Inns of Court, Master of the Bench
- Past member, State Bar of Wisconsin Litigation Section, Board of Directors
- Past President of the Western District of Wisconsin Bar Association
- Past President of Western District Bar Association Pro Bono Fund, Inc.
- Past President of the Dane County Bar Association
- Member of Dane County Bar Association Program Committee
Prior and Current Leadership, Community Activities and Professional Membership
- Litigation Counsel of America, Fellow
- The American Bar Foundation, Fellow
- Wisconsin Law Foundation, Fellow
- President, Mount Holyoke Club of Madison
- Past Secretary, Leadership Greater Madison Alumni Association
- Past Treasurer and Secretary of YWCA Board of Directors
Honors and Distinctions
- Martindale-Hubbell, AV Preeminent rating
- Selected as one of the Women in the Law by the Wisconsin Law Journal, 2013
- The Business Forum Athena Award Nominee, 2010
- Best Lawyers in America, Commercial Litigation, Employment Law, Litigation and Women in the Law
- Wisconsin Super Lawyers, Top 25 Madison
Presentations, Publications, & Contributions
- Author, “Uniform Unsworn Declarations Act Becomes Law,” Inside Track, April 3, 2024
- Author, “COVID-19 Impacts on CLE Reporting,” Wisconsin State Bar Litigation Section Blog, October 10, 2020
- Author, “Cattau and Pleading Standards: Comments from the Wisconsin Supreme Court,” State Bar Litigation Section Blog, November 12, 2019
- Author, “Appellate Filers Beware: Electronic Changes to the Record On Appeal” State Bar Litigation Section Blog, November 29, 2018, Reprinted, Inside Track, December 5, 2018
- Speaker, “Recent Changes to the Rules of Evidence and Civil Procedure,” State Bar Annual Meeting, June 22, 2018
- Author, “The Rules They Are A-Changin,’” State Bar Litigation Section Blog, February 20, 2018
- Author, “Objections to Form, Foundation, and Instructions Not to Answer: Do You Know the Deposition Rules?” State Bar Litigation Section Blog, May 15, 2017, Reprinted in Inside Track, June 7, 2017
- Speaker, “The Attorney Client-Privilege in the Real World: Not as Broad as You Think,” Dane County Bar Association, May 26, 2015
- Author, “Are Big Changes to the Federal Civil Rules on the Horizon?,” Western District Bar Association Newsletter, October 2013
- Speaker, “The Civil Side of the Federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act: An Emerging Tort in Business & Employment Litigation,” Civil Trial Counsel of Wisconsin, April 18, 2008
- Author & Speaker, “New Federal Rules and Preservation of Electronically Stored Information,” April 2007
Hobbies
- Sheepshead, volleyball, cooking, fishing
