Oct. 5, 2011 – The Solo, Small Firm, and General Practice Section has selected Adell attorney Roberta Ann Heckes as the 2011 winner of the John Lederer Service Award. The award will be presented at the annual Wisconsin Solo and Small Firm Conference (WSSFC) at the Kalahari Resort in the Wisconsin Dells Oct. 27-29.
Named in memory of Oregon, Wis., attorney John Lederer, this award is presented annually to an individual, group or organization exemplifying the leadership, spirit and dedication of John Lederer, who saw it as his mission to help solo and small firm lawyers master the skills and technology needed to build their practices.
Heckes,a 1999 Marquette University Law School graduate, is a solo practitioner who works all over Eastern Wisconsin. Her practice includes trial and appellate cases, and she handles many state public defender cases as well. Heckes has served as a member of the State Bar’s Appellate Practice Section Board and as one of the few solo attorneys on its Bench & Bar Committee.
She also has served as an officer of the Sheboygan County Bar Association, chaired the State High School Mock Trial Competition for Region 8, Sheboygan, for a number of years and served on the District 4 Committee of the Office of Lawyer Regulation.
A frequent contributor to various State Bar e-lists, Heckes helps other members as they seek to improve their practice, and willingly mentors new lawyers in criminal law work, especially those living outside the Milwaukee and Madison areas.
As one letter supporting her nomination noted, “Roberta talks with younger attorneys about their courtroom experience in order that they might better their courtroom representation. Equally important, she talks with them about how the practice of law can fit into their lives, so that they might achieve a healthy balance between work and life.”
Nominees for the Lederer Award must have shown leadership in furthering the mission of the WSSFC, which is to educate and support solo and small firm attorneys as they practice the law, manage their businesses, and enjoy their lives.
Individuals, groups, or organizations nominated are judged on their sustained, selfless service to projects, efforts, or organizations of benefit to solo and small firm practitioners across Wisconsin. Nominees’ efforts should contribute to the advancement of solo and small firm practitioners in the areas of technology, legal education, practice management, ethics, or quality of life.
For more information or to register for the WSSFC
