March 2004
State Bar kicks off TV pilot project "Wisconsin Lawyers Make a
Difference"
The State Bar is launching a three-month pilot television project,
Wisconsin Lawyers Make a Difference, as part of its Branding the
Profession initiative. The 30-second television spots, highlighting
lawyers who demonstrate exemplary commitment to community or pro bono
service, will air in April, May, and June.
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Attorney Troy Mayne's volunteer service to Habitat for Humanity will
be first TV spotlight in April.
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The vignettes, which focus on the key qualities the public values
most about lawyers - community involvement and expert advice - will air
on WISC-TV3 and UPN-14 to a potential viewing audience of 645,000 during
the three-month period.
"It was no easy task to select the lawyers for three pilot TV
spotlights," says Madison-area attorney Kevin Palmersheim, Public Image
Committee chair. "We received many nominations, and each and every
nominee is a tribute to our profession.
"A recent State Bar member survey confirmed our belief that Wisconsin
lawyers are active in their communities in many ways," says
Palmersheim.
"According to the survey, Wisconsin lawyers donate more than 750,000
hours of community and pro bono service annually. If this pilot is
successful, we hope to showcase more examples of lawyers who contribute
to a positive public perception of our profession in other parts of the
state."
The Public Image Committee will spotlight the following lawyers
during its pilot project.
Troy Mayne, Madison, will be featured in April.
Mayne provides pro bono legal services to Habitat for Humanity of Dane
County and has helped more than 65 families close in on the American
Dream. The April spotlight focuses on a house on Madison's east
side being built for a Hmong family. (See Madison lawyer's pro bono service with Habitat for
Humanity.)
Lance Grady, Waukesha, and Dean
Richards, Delafield, will be featured in May (see May
TV pilot spotlights emergency rescue search and dive team lawyers).
In response to several drownings in 1996, Richards and Grady formed the
Search and Rescue Dive Team. Grady is a lieutenant and emergency medical
technician for the Town of Delafield Fire Department and the Search and
Rescue Dive Team director. Richards is the chief of the Town of
Delafield Fire Department and a Search and Rescue Dive Team member.
Together they have responded to more than 2,000 calls for help since
1998, providing fire protection and emergency medical services to nearly
8,000 residents living in a 22-square- mile area.
Beth Roney Drennan, Baraboo, will be featured in
June. Drennan opened the Teresa House Legal Assistance Center in 1993 to
help those in need of assistance in family law, child support, and
domestic abuse matters. Teresa House, a pro se clinic, built on
Drennan's determination to provide poor families access to justice, is a
registered charitable organization that operates out of a house mostly
by phone and mail. Drennan runs the center with the aid of a volunteer
paralegal and an assistant.
WISC-TV3 and UPN-14 serve Adams, Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Dodge,
Fond du Lac, Grant, Green, Green Lake, Iowa, Jefferson, Juneau,
Lafayette, Marquette, Monroe, Richland, Rock, Sauk, Vernon, Walworth,
Washington, Waukesha, and Waushara counties.
The State Bar introduced the Branding the Profession initiative in
the spring of 2002 in response to member concerns about the public
understanding of the legal profession and the declining public image of
lawyers.
Inside the Bar
