April 7, 2021 – Jarrett Adams, who was wrongfully convicted as a teenager and served 10 years in prison, was released with the help of the Wisconsin Innocence Project. Now he’s a lawyer.

Adams says the criminal justice system needs foundational change. He will speak on “Redeeming Justice: Addressing Racial Injustice and Repairing the Criminal Justice System” at the State Bar of Wisconsin Annual Meeting & Conference (AMC), taking place virtually June 9-11, 2021.

Co-founder of Life After Justice, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing wrongful convictions and building an ecosystem of support and empowerment for exonerees as they rebuild their lives, Adams also serves as “of counsel” to Birdsall Obear & Associates LLC in Milwaukee.

Wrongful Conviction

At age 17, Adams was wrongfully convicted of a crime and sentenced to 28 years in a maximum security prison. The injustice he endured spurred him to earn a law degree from Loyola University Chicago School of Law and become a lifelong advocate for the underserved and, often, uncounted. Adams now practices in criminal defense and civil rights in Wisconsin, Illinois, and New York.

In his plenary presentation at AMC 2021, Adams will draw on his life – and the cases of his clients – to show the racist tactics used to convict young men of color. You’ll gain a better understanding of the unique challenges facing exonerees once they’re released and how the lack of equal representation in U.S. courts is a failure not only of empathy but of society’s collective ability to uncover the truth.

Don’t miss these other featured speakers:

Michele DeStefano: Opportunities for Differentiation in a Digital World

Recognized by the ABA as a “legal rebel,” Michele DeStefano is the founder of LawWithoutWalls, a multi-disciplinary, international think-tank of more than 2,000 lawyers, business professionals, entrepreneurs, and law and business students who collaborate to hone new skillsets and create innovations at the intersection of law, business, and technology.

DeStefano is a professor of law at the University of Miami, an associate professor at IE Law School, and guest faculty at Harvard Law School. Her research and writing revolves around the growing intersections between law, business, and legal innovation. Her work has been published in leading law journals and featured in a range of media, including Time Magazine, the Financial Times (UK), Forbes Women, ABA Journal, National Law Journal, American Lawyer, Harvard Law Today, The National Jurist, Legal Futures (UK), Inside Counsel Magazine, Harvard Law’s The Practice, and Bloomberg News.

Her opening plenary presentation at AMC 2021 examines how lawyers are being called on to change not only what they do but how they do it, in light of rapidly evolving technologies and the digitization of processes. She’ll share findings from hundreds of interviews with attorneys from around the world and leave you with best practices for collaborating to drive digital transformation at your workplace.

Ellie Krug: Changed Genders, Changed Perspectives

With over 100 civil trials to her credit, Thursday's featured guest speaker Ellie Krug discusses her experience transitioning from male to female, as well as working as a male and a female attorney.

Krug was the first Iowa lawyer to transition genders, and is one of the few attorneys nationally to try jury cases in separate genders. She later relocated to the Twin Cities, where she served as the founding executive director of Human Inspiration Works, LLC, a legal nonprofit honored by the American Bar Association award for innovatively increasing legal access. She wrote Getting to Ellen: A Memoir about Love, Honesty and Gender Change, and she uses her experience to examine gender biases and the impact of labeling people.

CLE Sessions and Special Events

Get the top-notch content AMC is known for, from the comfort of your home and office. Everything you can expect from the in-person event will be available to you online.

At AMC, you can earn CLE, EPR, LAU, and LPM credits; hear from inspirational featured speakers; network with colleagues; choose from two dozen breakout sessions on hot topics, recent trends, and practice management tips; and participate in fun special events.

Take advantage of this opportunity for the biggest educational and motivational event of the year. You can:

• earn CLE, EPR, LAU, and LPM credits as you choose from 24 educational sessions;

• choose from sessions covering substantive practice, as well as breakouts focused on themes of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and on lawyer health and well-being;

• attend the full conference from wherever you’re connected to the internet, on a computer, tablet, or mobile device;

• get additional CLE/EPR credits via post-event replays, free for AMC attendees;

• celebrate the swearing-in of incoming State Bar President Cheryl Daniels on Wednesday, June 9, at 5 p.m.;

• connect with presenters, exhibitors, and State Bar leadership over chat or on screen; and

• network with your colleagues from around the state and country.

New This Year: Legal Administrators Offer Preconference Programming

The Wisconsin Association of Legal Administrators (WALA) will hold its Annual Continuing Education Conference on Wednesday afternoon, June 9, in conjunction with AMC.

The WALA sessions are open to all AMC registrants at no additional cost, and lawyers can earn 1.0 CLE/EPR credit. WALA attendees also are invited to attend the rest of the AMC education sessions and breakouts.

Reserve Your Spot

Register by April 28, 2021, to save $50 on your regular registration rate. Plus, first-time member-attendees save an additional $100.

Register by:

• going online to WisBar's Marketplace; or

• calling State Bar Customer Service at (800) 728-7788.

Visit amc.wisbar.org to view the schedule, seminar descriptions, registration details, and more.