Notice of State Bar Bylaw Amendments

Note: The Board of Governors amended its election-related bylaws and rules governing meetings of the Board of Governors at its Jan. 25 meeting, and amended the rules governing the Professional Ethics Committee at its April 14 meeting.

Note: A petition for review of any change in the bylaws will be entertained by the court if signed by 25 or more active State Bar members and filed with the clerk of the court within 60 days after publication of notice of change. Hearings upon such a petition will be pursuant to notice in such manner as the court directs.

I, George C. Brown, the Executive Director of the State Bar of Wisconsin, do hereby certify that the following bylaw amendment resolution was duly voted by the Board of Governors on Jan. 25, 2000.

Business on a Consent Agenda

State Bar Bylaw Article III is amended to read as follows:

Article III Board of Governors

Section 9. Meetings of Board of Governors.

(b) Notice of the time and place of regular and special meetings of the Board shall be given to each member by the Executive Director by mail or telephone at least five days before the meeting. At any regular meeting of the Board any business may be transacted which is within the power of the Board, whether or not specified in the call or notice of the meeting. At any special meeting of the Board, any business may be transacted which is within the power of the Board if specified in the call or notice of the meeting. Members of the Board may participate and vote by telephone at any special meeting, but not at a regular meeting. Members appearing by telephone at a special meeting shall be deemed present for the purpose of determining a quorum. Action by the Board may be taken by a majority of members present at a meeting at which a quorum is present, except action upon legislative proposals, proposed supreme court rule changes and proposed executive agency rule changes shall require approval by a 60% majority of members present at a meeting at which a quorum is present. At any regular or special meeting, any business placed on a consent agenda that is part of the notice or call will be acted upon without debate. Business listed on the consent agenda may be removed by any one governor within a 72-hour notice to the Secretary of the State Bar.

I, George C. Brown, the Executive Director of the State Bar of Wisconsin, do hereby certify that the following bylaw amendment resolutions were duly voted by the Board of Governors on January 25, 2000.

Nomination and Election Dates for Officers, Governors

State Bar Bylaw Articles II and III are amended as follows:

Article II

Officers Section 1. Nominations.

The President-Elect, the Secretary and the Treasurer of the State Bar shall be elected from a list of candidates nominated in the manner herein prescribed. A committee of five members to nominate candidates for said offices to be voted on at the next annual election shall be appointed by the President of the Association with the approval of the Board of Governors at the first regularly scheduled Board meeting following the annual convention. Such report shall name two or more candidates nominated by the committee for the Office of President-Elect, two or more candidates nominated for the Office of Secretary and two or more candidates nominated for the Office of Treasurer. Before making its report, the committee shall solicit from the membership the names of members interested in seeking nomination to any office scheduled for election. The committee shall make its report no later than the first business day in November December 15 in each year. Other persons may be nominated for any of said offices by petition signed in the case of each candidate by not less than one hundred active members of the Association, and filed in the Office of the Executive Director on or before the first business day of December February of the year preceding of the election, provided that before the filing of such petition a statement shall be endorsed thereon by the nominee to the effect that the member consents to nomination for the office designated in the petition.

Article III Board of Governors

Section 3. Nomination Petitions.

Nominations for the Office of Governor shall be by petition signed in respect of each nominee by not less than ten persons entitled to vote for such candidate. Blank forms for that purpose shall be supplied by the Executive Director of the Association on request. Nomination petitions for candidates to be voted on at the annual election in any year shall be filed in the office of the Executive Director not later than the first business day of January March of such year, provided that before the filing of such petition a statement shall be endorsed thereon by the nominee to the effect that the nominee consents to nomination for the office designated in the petition. No nominating petition for governor shall be filed on behalf of any member practicing in the same county in which another member is a governor whose term does not expire at the next annual meeting.

Section 4. Voting List. On the third Friday of January March in each year the voting list shall close for the election in that year. Every active member of the Association in good standing on that date shall be entitled to vote in the State Bar District in which the member's principal office for the practice of law is located, for officers of the State Bar and for the governor or governors for such district to be elected that year.

Section 5. Mailing of Ballots. On or before the first second Friday of February April in each year the Executive Director shall prepare and mail required ballots to each active member of the State Bar entitled to vote at the annual election. One form of ballot sent to persons entitled to vote in each State Bar District shall contain the names of the nominees for the several offices of the State Bar to be filled at the annual election, and a separate form of ballot shall contain the names of the nominees for the Office of Governor from such district. If any such person entitled to vote in such election fails to receive his or her ballots, or if it appears that any such ballot has been lost or destroyed, a new ballot shall be furnished to the person by the Executive Director. The third fourth Friday of February April in each year shall be the last day for voting in such election and no ballots received after that date shall be counted.

I, George C. Brown, the Executive Director of the State Bar of Wisconsin, do hereby certify that the following bylaw amendment resolution was duly voted by the Board of Governors on April 14, 2000.

Confidentiality of Ethics Opinions Requestor or Subject

State Bar Bylaw Article IV is amended as follows:

Article IV Standing Committees

Section 3. Committee on Professional Ethics.

This committee shall formulate and recommend standards and methods for the effective enforcement of high standards of ethics and conduct in the practice of law; shall consider the "Rules of Professional Conduct for Attorneys" as adopted by the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the observance thereof, and shall make recommendations for appropriate amendments thereto. The committee shall have authority to express opinions regarding proper professional conduct, upon written request of any member or officer of the State Bar. However, the committee shall not issue opinions as to the propriety of past or present conduct of specific member attorneys unless requested to do so by a grievance committee of the State Bar or by the Board of Governors of the State Bar. In those latter instances of requests relating to a specific member, they shall be treated as confidential and shall not be open to public inspection. In such cases, the opinion of the committee shall not disclose the names of any parties, but such opinion shall be open for inspection in the same manner as other opinions of the committee. Unless waived by the requestor or subject, the identities of all requestors of past and current opinions or advice shall be confidential and information relating thereto shall also remain confidential. Members of the committee or designees who provide ethics advice to member attorneys shall be subject to this requirement of confidentiality.

Wisconsin Lawyer