President's Perspective

Innovations in Service

By David A. Saichek

You hold in your hands one of Wisconsin's most-praised practice tools, the Wisconsin Lawyer Directory that brings together State Bar membership rosters, court information, and many other key professional contacts. The membership roster section is moving to the Internet - after a trial run in 1996, it is slated to go online in 1997. The online version can be updated throughout the year, and it will allow you to cut and paste the latest contact information into your own word processing documents.

But this is only the tip of the iceberg: behind-the-scenes volunteers and staff are working on a host of other innovations. The last calendar year has seen an unprecedented number of ambitious projects realized, from high-tech practice tools to no-holds-barred studies of major justice system issues. Here's an overview of some of the new ways the State Bar is serving the legal profession and the public.

From CD-ROM to document assembly. As former chair of the committee that negotiated the Bar partnership with Law Office Information Systems (LOIS), I have been gratified by the explosive success of the resulting CD-ROM.

More than 1,400 law offices signed up for subscriptions during its first year, and members have told us they are pleased with the price and performance of the CD-ROM. In fact when the Bar conducted its first Law Firm Technology Survey in March 1996, praise of the CD-ROM was the most frequent comment. (For those of you who are not yet familiar with this practice tool, new LOIS CD-ROMs are issued quarterly, and the weekly updates by modem make it possible for subscribers to get opinions within days of their release by the courts.)

This was the first CD-ROM to integrate primary and secondary law resources. There now are a total of 32 State Bar CLE books available on the CD-ROM, cross-referenced so you can instantly view cited primary law documents that are on the same disc. These are priced so that you can mix and match printed and CD-ROM versions of the books, as well as various primary law resources, to fit your needs. And once you have the CD-ROM, you can get immediate access to additional digital books with a phone call to the Bar. Newly available on this CD-ROM are several CLE book libraries, which offer 7 to 10 CLE books at far less than they would cost separately. This small silver disc makes legal research faster, easier and more affordable - which translates into better service to our clients.

The Bar also has embarked upon the challenging project of publishing document assembly software. This type of forms automation is a giant step beyond the popular computerized forms that the State Bar has offered with many CLE books. The ultimate goal is to offer systems that make it easy to draft and customize legal documents in virtually all practice areas.

At home on the Internet. WisBar, the State Bar's Internet site, was launched in January 1996, fast gaining nationwide recognition for its excellence. The Martindale-Hubbell Internet site ranked WisBar number one on its list of the "Top 10 State Bar and Bar Association Web Sites." The legal.online newsletter called WisBar "a superb example of how a bar association can contribute to making the Internet an essential resource for lawyers and laypeople alike." But the most important recognition has come in the growing number of members who turn to WisBar for everything from the latest court decisions to the "help wanted" ads.

The site keeps growing and improving. In late 1996, WisBar began to handle online ordering of CLE books, and online registration for State Bar seminars and conventions. A search feature has been added so you can more quickly find what you need on WisBar. Starting in February 1997, Wisconsin Lawyer articles go online, where you can read them a week or more before you get your magazine. Also in development for WisBar is an index to Bar publications, so you can quickly see if the Bar has published articles, books or seminar materials on topics of interest to you.

Further in the future are CLE seminars offered over the Internet. Like the State Bar teleseminars that have served more than 2,000 lawyers, seminars via the Internet would make it possible for you to update your skills without leaving the office. Technically, this is within our reach. (CLE credit for online seminars would, of course, require the approval of the Wisconsin Supreme Court and its Board of Bar Examiners.) This is just one of the ways that WisBar can bring us closer together - convenient for everyone, but especially important for our members in rural areas and out of state.

WisBar's success didn't happen overnight: it is the perfect example of how much State Bar projects depend upon the hard work of dedicated volunteers. The Bar first went online as an electronic bulletin board service, also called WisBar. For a time it ran from a PC in the basement of attorney Jim Jaeger, with his teen-age son as the systems operator. That system's popularity far exceeded expectations, setting the stage for expansion and the move to the Internet.

In this move, as in so many other areas, the State Bar of Wisconsin was in the national vanguard. That meant an enormous amount of work was required to plan and put this into action. As the scope of the projects grew, a new Electronic Bar Services Committee, chaired by Mark Pennow, took on oversight of WisBar and other digital publishing, while the job of weaving technology issues throughout Bar programs went to a new Technology in Practice Committee, chaired by Bob Hagness.

These kinds of advances require that we rethink many Bar operations. A major step in that process was the association's first technology summit, called "State Bar 2000," in December 1996. The two-day event brought together Bar leaders and staff to map out strategies for meeting member needs for technology products and services.

Taking public outreach to the airwaves. Despite all of the attention to computers, we have not forgotten the more familiar technologies. Last year the State Bar launched its first television show, "Law Talk," to help consumers understand both the legal system and their rights and obligations under the law. "Law Talk" is hosted by Bill Dyke, former Madison mayor and a veteran State Bar volunteer, and produced by Maria Lazar and Nathan Fishbach. Fourteen "Law Talk" shows were taped in 1996; each show featured a different topic discussed by expert guests. Guests on the show have included Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson, Justice Janine Geske and Justice Jon Wilcox. "Law Talk" began airing on the Milwaukee public access cable channel in 1996; watch for it in other areas during 1997 on both cable and broadcast TV.

You will also hear from the State Bar on the radio, in the form of public service announcements produced by the Professionalism Committee. As with long-running public service projects like the High School Mock Trials and Lawyer Hotline, the radio and TV broadcasts empower consumers. "Law Talk" and the radio spots let us reach thousands of people statewide.

Commissions take on the big issues. Some of the State Bar's innovations have little or no ties to technology. For instance the past year has seen the first fruits of a new State Bar "head start" arrangement launched by Past President John Skilton: two-year commissions formed by State Bar presidents-elect.

A major high point for the Bar was the April 1996 release of reports by the commissions Skilton founded-the Commission on Legal Education, chaired by former Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Heffernan, and the Commission on the Delivery of Legal Services, which Skilton chaired. The legal services report in particular has gained nationwide recognition. Five pilot projects proposed by that commission are well under way, including development of the state's first Legal Information Center in the Brown County Courthouse.

In April 1997, the commissions I formed will issue reports on the independence of the judiciary, and on the impact of violence on the justice system.

It is no secret that violence increasingly poisons American life. This sad fact is reflected in statistics showing that, while the U.S. population grew 41 percent between 1960 and 1992, violent crimes grew by more than 550 percent. As I write this, the 28-member Commission on Violence and the Justice System, co-chaired by former U.S. Attorney Joan Kessler and Dane County Circuit Court Judge Gerald Nichol, is preparing its report on how the judicial branch can respond to the rising tide of criminal, juvenile and domestic violence cases.

Another far-reaching study has been conducted by the Commission on the Judiciary as a Co-Equal Branch of Government. Supreme Court Justice Jon Wilcox and I co-chair this 33-member commission, which has examined the legal framework of the separation of powers and sought ways to achieve the right balance of independence and cooperation among branches of government. These issues are especially critical now, in this era of government budget cuts coupled with escalating demands upon the justice system.

We can all be proud of these four commissions, and of the many lawyers, judges and concerned citizens who have attended hearings or sent in comments on these difficult issues.

The projects I've touched upon above, and many others that I could not cover here, exemplify the true spirit of the organized bar and of civic leadership. Please join me in thanking the many member and community volunteers who make this happen. Please consider becoming a part of this public and professional service movement. Whether it is by speaking out on issues of importance to you, by voting in Bar elections, or by volunteering when you can, your help will be welcomed in the years ahead.

Wisconsin Lawyer