Back to State Bar 2016 Election Officer Candidates.

Government Lawyers Division
Candidate for President-elect

Mary L. Schanning

Milwaukee
Email: mschan@milwaukee.gov

Biography

Mary L. Schanning is an Assistant City Attorney for the City of Milwaukee specializing in real estate development. She previously served as the City Attorney for West Bend, Wisconsin, where she handled all aspects of municipal law including eminent domain, land use and development, zoning, public construction, employment law, open meetings and public records. Mary received a B.A. from the University of Miami and her J.D. from the College of William & Mary. She serves as the Treasurer of her condominium association and as the Secretary / Treasurer of the Association of Municipal Attorneys of Milwaukee. Mary served two terms as a Director on the Government Lawyers Division Board and is in her second term as its Treasurer. Mary is also a member of the GLD’s CLE Committee.

Position Statement:

I am running for president-elect of the Government Lawyers Division because I believe the GLD is an important resource for government lawyers and that the GLD and State Bar can do a better job serving our members. Granted, the State Bar is somewhat limited in what it can accomplish with regard to improving wages and benefits offered by government employers, but it can do a better job of supporting our members through financial grants for training and seminars, with resources related to career options for government lawyers and with a broader range of CLE seminars focused to the training needs of government lawyers. I believe the State Bar can do a better job improving the public perception of government lawyers. In recent years, the reputation of government employment has diminished, unnecessarily so. Government lawyers should be as respected as private sector attorneys and I think the State Bar can do a better job promoting and increasing that respect. I would like to see public sector legal work return to a time when government legal work was viewed as a viable career path, not just a low-paid stepping stone to a better job in the private sector. I am proud of my work as a government lawyer and believe that all government lawyers should feel that same pride.