More about the candidates...
District 1
STEVEN C. HARVEY of Dousman. Marquette University, J.D., 1993. University of Notre Dame, B.A., 1989. Wassel, Harvey & Schuk, LLP, Partner, Delavan. Member, State Bar of Wisconsin; Walworth County Bar Association; United States District Court, Eastern and Western Districts of Wisconsin. District 1 State Bar Representative, 2015-2017. Contributor to State Bar’s proposed revisions of Wisconsin Bar Association Bylaws and SCR 10. Contributing author to upcoming Wisconsin Bar Association’s Wisconsin Landlord/Tenant Manual.
Steven C. Harvey Campaign Statement
I am Steven Harvey and I am running for my second consecutive two-year term for the State Bar of Wisconsin Board of Governors, for District 1, comprised of Jefferson, Walworth and Kenosha Counties.
I am a 1989 graduate of the University of Notre Dame and a 1993 graduate of Marquette University Law School. I have been in continuous private legal practice in Walworth County since 1994.
I am a partner in the Delavan law firm of Wassel, Harvey & Schuk, LLP, which consists of four attorneys. My law firm and I represent people in family and probate law, real estate, civil litigation, municipal representation, landlord and tenant law, criminal defense, and collections. We are courtroom lawyers who represent everybody from penniless individuals to wealthy local businesses. I feel that my career experience has provided me a strong opportunity to understand the legal issues confronting most attorneys in District 1.
In my role as a State Bar Representative from 2015 to the present, I have contributed to a substantial proposed revision of the State Bar Bylaws and related revision to Chapter 10 of the Wisconsin Supreme Court Rules. The approval of those changes is ongoing, and will be my primary goal if elected to a second term.
The State Bar is also currently examining the changing practice of law, primarily related to advancing technological changes and attorney demographics. These changes present exciting new opportunities for Wisconsin attorneys, but also present complex challenges as well. I hope to continue working within the State Bar to implement policies and regulations that will assist lawyers in this rapidly changing environment.
Please consider voting for me in the upcoming State Bar election.
District 2
KORI L. ASHLEY of Milwaukee. University of Wisconsin J.D. 2012. Legal Action of Wisconsin, Inc., Milwaukee. Member Wisconsin Association of African American Lawyers, Milwaukee Bar Association, Eastern District of Wisconsin Bar Association, Mentor with Eastern District Bar Association’s Mentoring Program, Volunteer with Young Lawyers Division free legal clinic, Project Street Youth. Kori lives in Milwaukee with her husband. In her spare time, she enjoys playing tennis and spending time with her niece and nephew.
Kori L. Ashley Campaign Statement
I am excited about the opportunity to represent District 2, Milwaukee, as a member of the State Bar Board of Governors. I was born and raised in Milwaukee and have a cadre of mentors in District 2 and beyond who have developed me as an attorney and encouraged me to stay active and involved in my community and in the State Bar. I am eager to have the opportunity to represent my district by becoming a member of the Board of Governors.
After law school, I worked as a criminal defense attorney for three years. I currently work for Legal Action where I am administering the Juvenile Reentry Assistance (JRAP) grant program. Project JRAP provides free representation to youth up to age 24 to assist in mitigating the negative collateral consequences that stem from involvement in the criminal justice system.
I think it is critical that members of the bar, especially, young members, find a means to contribute, and support the State Bar and contribute their views and create diverse perspectives.
If chosen, I will work to continue the work of the State Bar in ensuring that it serves and supports all its members in the public, private, corporate and nonprofit sectors, and attorneys recently admitted to the bar. I will work with my colleagues in the Bar to ensure that the State Bar’s resources are efficiently and effectively disbursed throughout the state to continue to fund programs that have become critical for many of our members, such as the Ethics Hot Line. I also pledge to be a representative that listens, is a team player, is accessible, and open to all thoughts, suggestions and perspectives on the multitude of issues facing the State Bar.
I would be honored to represent District 2 on the State Board of Governors and humbly ask for your vote.
DANIEL J. BLINKA of Milwaukee. University of Wisconsin Law School, J.D. 2009. I am a litigation attorney at Godfrey & Kahn, S.C. I represent clients subject to government enforcement actions, principally actions brought by the SEC, the OCC and the PCAOB. My practice also focuses on general commercial litigation. I am running for my second term as a member of the State Bar of Wisconsin Board of Governors. I am also a member of the American Bar Association, the State Bar of Wisconsin, the Milwaukee Bar Association, the Seventh Circuit Bar Association, and the Eastern District of Wisconsin Bar Associations. I am the Past-President of Milwaukee Young Lawyers Association. I am also an active member of a Milwaukee Bar Association standing committee focused on finding ways to provide legal representation to those who are unable to afford it. I look forward to continuing to serve the State Bar as a member of the Board of Governors.
GREGG M. HERMAN of Milwaukee. Mr. Herman is a shareholder with the law firm of Loeb & Herman, S.C, which practices exclusively Family Law. He is a 1974 graduate of the University of Wisconsin and 1977 graduate of the University of Wisconsin law school. From 1977-1984, Mr. Herman was an Assistant District Attorney for Milwaukee County. He has practiced family law with his current firm since 1984. He is Board Certified in Family Law Trial Advocacy by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. He was chair of the American Bar Association Family Law Section and the State Bar Family Law Section. He is also a past president of the Milwaukee Bar Association. Gregg is currently on the Board of Governors of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and the Wisconsin Chapter of the AFCC. He is of counsel for family law issues to the Wisconsin Chapter of the Make-a-Wish Foundation. He is the author of Settlement Negotiation Techniques in Family Law: A Guide to Improved Tactics and Resolution, published by the ABA Family Law Section. His law firm authors Family Law in Wisconsin: A Forms and Procedures Handbook, published by the State Bar of Wisconsin and he is a columnist for Wisbar’s “InsideTrack.”
JENNIFER L. JOHNSON of Milwaukee. Indiana University-Robert H. McKinney School of Law, J.D., 2014. Legal Action of WI, Inc. Jennifer’s practice focuses on poverty law where she helps low-income clients remove legal barriers to employment. She presented a CLE training (Barriers to Employment- October 2016) in Madison educating attorneys about the importance of correcting inaccurate criminal background reports. Member: American Bar Association, State Bar of WI. Board Member: Wisconsin Association of African American Lawyers (“WAAL”).
Jennifer L. Johnson Campaign Statement
I am a newly licensed attorney actively practicing for a little over a year at Legal Action of Wisconsin, Inc. As a recently admitted member of the bar, who attended law school out-of-state, I am most interested in lending my experience and perspective to the Board of Governors to ensure that the State Bar continues to develop and foster the talent of young attorneys. There is immense value in seasoned attorneys imparting their wisdom upon newly admitted members of the bar so that we not only grow as attorneys, but are also equipped to mentor those that come after us. The cycle of mentorship, which already exists within the State Bar, that I would seek to encourage and further develop, is beneficial to the legal community and the greater community at large.
In my capacity as a WAAL board member, I handle many of the internal communications for the board. I work closely with the organization’s president to execute and accomplish the organization’s mission. This work has encouraged me to get more involved with, and make myself more visible within, the Milwaukee legal community. If elected, I will contribute to the Board of Governors with both my ideas and unique perspectives as a young, black attorney---what better way to help engage young, diverse attorneys than by having us seated at the table lending our voices?
For all these reasons, I ask for you to support my candidacy to represent District 2 on the Board of Governors.
LISA M. LAWLESS of Milwaukee (formerly, Lisa Arent). Indiana University, J.D. 1992, summa cum laude; University of Virginia, B.A. 1989. Husch Blackwell LLP (formerly, Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek), 2016-present; Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek, 2002-2016. Foley & Lardner, 1993-1998; Fenwick & West, 2000-2002; Troutman Sanders, 1998-2000; Law Clerk, Chief Justice Randall Shepard, Indiana Supreme Court, 1992-1993. Bar Activities: Fellow, Wisconsin Law Foundation, 2016-present; State Bar: Board of Governors, 2011-2015; 2004-2008; President’s Awards, 2015, 2007; Chair, Strategic Planning Committee, 2014-2015; Volunteer, Appellate Help Desk, 2016-present; Liaison, Intellectual Property section (2011-2015; 2004-2008); State Bar Law-Related Education Committee, 1996-97; Milwaukee Bar Association: Board of Directors, 2008-2011; Co-Chair, Bench Bar-Appeals Committee, 2015-present; Co-Chair, Intellectual Property Section, 2004-2007; Professionalism Committee, 1994-1996, vice-chair, 1996-1997, chair, 1997-1998; MYLA secretary, newsletter editor, 1996-1997. Community Activities: Wild Space Dance Company Board of Directors, 2007-present; 1995-1998; Tosa Kickers Board of Directors, 2015-present; Co-Chair, Facilities Advisory Committee, Wauwatosa School Board, 2017-present; Women’s Soccer Club; Nicolet High School Foundation Board of Directors, 2004-2008. Other: Author, “Top 9 Recent Wisconsin Supreme Court Decisions,” Wisconsin Lawyer magazine, Dec. 2016, Dec. 2015; Thomas E. Fairchild Inn of Court, 2004-present; Martindale-Hubbell AV-rated; Super Lawyer® 2010-2012.
Lisa M. Lawless Campaign Statement
After serving eight years on the Board of Governors since 2004 concluding most recently in 2015, I am running for the BOG to continue serving the State Bar and Milwaukee lawyers. For the last two years, I have enjoyed volunteer opportunities with the bar. For Wisconsin Lawyer magazine, I authored the annual review of Wisconsin Supreme Court decisions in 2015 and 2016 and I am a monthly volunteer for the Appellate Help Desk, an innovative and excellent pro bono initiative of the State Bar.
From my time on the BOG and leadership activities including as chair of the Strategic Planning Committee, I have seen the great services, initiatives, and opportunities offered by the bar and gained a broad understanding of the operations and functions of the bar. As a mandatory bar for which members pay substantial fees, I am especially attuned to the finances of the bar, both revenues and expenditures, and the bar’s particular obligation to act as fiscal stewards for our members.
Equally important to providing excellent member services and programs that serve lawyers and the justice system is communication with bar members to keep them informed of these activities and of current and impending challenges to the bar and the profession. In our Milwaukee legal community in particular, it is vitally important to keep strong lines of connection between our members and the bar. The current times are challenging professionally and personally to all and as a member of the BOG we are trusted representatives of our members.
Areas of particular importance and focus to me if elected to the Board of Governors will be:
- Fiscal responsibility and attention to spending and bar dues: Carefully review expenditures and revenues, with an eye to cutting expenditures before taking the step of raising dues.
- Member communication, both outgoing and incoming: Share information about bar activities and initiatives and policy decisions and listen to members to identify and hear their concerns, challenges, and needs, to ensure the bar is serving them.
- Leadership and diversity of the bar and bar leadership: There is a wealth of untapped talent, experience, and energy amongst Milwaukee lawyers. That pool should be tapped and nurtured to increase bar involvement and cultivate new leaders including more diverse leaders.
- Service to the justice system and our community: The bar should continue its excellent programs and also identify unserved needs and opportunities to partner with our communities and local and specialty bar associations.
I am a litigator with Husch Blackwell (formerly Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek) in Milwaukee with an emphasis in appellate practice and commercial litigation. A resident of Wauwatosa, I am married with two teenage daughters. I am active in the community, serving on the boards of Wild Space Dance Company and Tosa Kickers Soccer Club and, most recently, joining the Facilities Advisory Committee of the Wauwatosa School Board. In my spare time, I play soccer with the Women’s Soccer Club and I am an increasingly avid fan of English Premier League soccer.
ODALO J. OHIKU of Milwaukee. Law Office of Odalo J. Ohiku, Milwaukee. Marquette University Law School, J.D., 2002. Professional Memberships: African-American Chamber of Commerce, American Bar Association, Association for Conflict Resolution, Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, Divorce Cooperation Institute, FINRA, Milwaukee Bar Association, Milwaukee Urban League, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, The National Trial Lawyers, Wisconsin Association of African-American Lawyers, Wisconsin Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Wisconsin Association of Mediators, Wisconsin Pro Bono Honor Society, Wisconsin State Bar Association. I am married with two children. In my spare time I enjoy cooking, eating, listening to live music, and smoking a fine cigar on occasion. I remain active with the Daniel Murphy Scholarship Fund and Evans Scholars Foundation. I take delight in mentoring young minds curious about the legal profession. I happily participate in the State Bar’s Diversity Clerkship Program as well as host Second Chance Expungement Clinic and Backpack-to-School (free backpacks to school children).
STACIE H. ROSENZWEIG of Milwaukee. Marquette University, J.D. 2009. She is currently an attorney with Halling & Cayo S.C., and focuses her practice on representing lawyers and other credentialed professionals in licensing and disciplinary matters, as well as employment law and civil litigation. She is a member of the State Bar of Wisconsin and the Milwaukee Bar Association, and a frequent speaker around the state regarding trust account rule compliance and other ethics and professional responsibility topics.
Stacie H. Rosenzweig Campaign Statement
As a lawyer representing lawyers in disciplinary matters, I take a special interest in the Supreme Court Rules governing the conduct of attorneys.
Recently, I have had the opportunity to travel throughout Wisconsin to speak to local bar associations about the 2016 changes to the Supreme Court Rules pertaining to trust accounting. Some of these changes afford lawyers more flexibility and efficiency regarding electronic transactions. However, a change such as the presumption that a lawyer has mishandled trust funds in the event of recordkeeping failures is unwarranted. The feedback I have received suggests that many Wisconsin lawyers were blindsided by this rule change. As a member of the Board of Governors, I will endeavor to ensure that the spirit of rule changes that ensure protection of clients and their funds is maintained, while working to inject practical considerations to minimize undue burdens on practitioners who are out serving the public and need consistent and understandable rules of conduct.
The State Bar is both a member-focused and public-facing organization. We lawyers depend on the Bar to help balance the interests of its members with those of clients, the courts and the public. The Board of Governors is invited to participate in rulemaking. If I serve as a member, I will advocate for rules that appropriately improve the integrity of the profession and make practice more efficient, but oppose changes that are unfair to lawyers.
WILLIAM F. SULTON of Milwaukee. University of Wisconsin Law School, J.D., 2008. Peterson, Johnson & Murray, S.C., Milwaukee. Member, Milwaukee Bar Association, Eastern District of Wisconsin Bar Association. Treasurer: Wisconsin Association of African-American Lawyers 2015-present.
AMY E. WOCHOS of Milwaukee. EDUCATION: University of Wisconsin- Madison, B.A. (1991) with honors, J.D. (1996) cum laude. PRACTICE: Legal Counsel – Courts, Milwaukee County Clerk of Circuit Court Office, currently in Administration (2014-present), previously in the Probate Division (2011-2014), and the Milwaukee Justice Center (2007-2011); Piper & Schmidt, 1996-2007. PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES: State Bar of Wisconsin: Board of Governors, 2007-2012, 2014-present (Chairperson of Board, 2016-present), Executive Committee, 2007-2008, 2016-present; Client Protection Fund Committee, 2008-present (Chair, 2012-2014); Representative to the Judicial Council (2013-2016); Young Lawyers Division (YLD), president, 2006-2007, YLD board member, 1998-2008; Convention Committee, 2007-2008. American Bar Association: House of Delegates, 2003-04, YLD Member Service team, 2002-03, YLD Public Service team, 2003-04, YLD Professional Development team, 2004-05, YLD Meetings Coordinator, 2005-06. Milwaukee Bar Association: Committee on Legal Access (formerly LSIC), 2007-present (Chair, 2014-16) Marquette Volunteer Legal Clinic, Advisory Board member (2015-present). UW-Milwaukee: Lecturer, Political Science Department (Law and Society, Constitutional Law), 2003-2012.
NICHOLAS C. ZALES of Milwaukee. Marquette University, J.D., 1989. Owner of the Zales Law Office. Admitted to practice in Wisconsin in 1989, the U.S.D.C. (E.D. Wis.) in 1989 and the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in December 1998. Professional Memberships and Publications: Board of Governors, Dist. II (Milwaukee County): 1995-97, 2002-05, 2007-11, 2012-14 & 2015-17. Chairperson: State Bar Finance Committee (2009-10). Communications Committee (2011-17), Dunn Author’s Award Subcommittee Chair: 2014-15; State Bar President’s Award for excellence in service. (2010). Strategic Planning Committee: (2009-10). BOG Policy Committee (2012-13), BOG Governance Committee (2013-14). BOG Chair Nominating Committee (2009). Professionalism Committee (2005-06); Election Policies Committee (1996-97); Judicial Independence Committee (1993-94). Board of Governors Liaison to the: Indian Law Section Board (2012-2013); Communications Committee (2003-04, 2012-13 & 2016-17); IRR and Agricultural/Agribusiness Law Sections (2008-09). Appellate Practice Section (2002-04; 2013-14; 2016-17) and the Insurance for Members Committee. (2003-04). Section Memberships: Appellate Practice Section (2002-17); Family Law Section (2011-15). Author: Fourteen book reviews for the Wisconsin Lawyer magazine (1996-2016); Sixteen feature In Chambers interview articles on Wisconsin Court of Appeals judges and Supreme Court Justices for “De Novo,” the newsletter of the Appellate Practice Section.; Wisconsin Judicial Council - President-elect James Brennan’s designee (2010-11); WisTAF Board of Directors (2010-16); Wisconsin Access to Justice Commission (2016-19).
Nicholas C. Zales Campaign Statement
The State Bar of Wisconsin is the voice of Wisconsin’s legal community. It offers you career-building opportunities, advocates for our profession, and promotes the rule of law. It offers many tools and resources to help you succeed in your practice. I have been honored to serve you as a member of the Board of Governors. I seek to continue my service to make the State Bar work for you. I ask for your vote so that I may assist you in growing your practice and finding the practice of law fulfilling without being overwhelming.
The State Bar’s primary focus should be to assist its members, particularly our young lawyers, and bring us together by promoting professionalism. To that end, I have served on the Board of Governors and presently serve on the Communications Committee, the editorial board of the Wisconsin Lawyer. As a past chair of the finance committee, I presented a balanced budget that met the bar’s needs and provided you with useful services such as CaseLaw Express, Practice 411 and other member benefits to improve your practice of law. While the services we now provide are very good, there is always room for improvement. We need to keep our CLE programming, books, and services like Books Unbound, the Ultimate Pass and our conferences of the highest quality at an affordable cost. Our website should be a useful tool in your practice.
The law has changed quite a bit since I graduated from Marquette Law School in 1989. The bar needs to focus on meeting the new challenges lawyers face and continue to keep this an organization that is useful to you and one we can be proud of. My services on the Board of Governors, Judicial Council and WisTAF Board of directors, in addition to the many committees and sections I have served on, have provided me with a unique perspective to help us meet our goals of keeping the bar strong and providing relevant and useful products to you.
Young lawyers are our future, help me help them and all members of our bar achieve their professional and personal dreams and goals by providing you with the tools the bar is in a unique position to offer. We have an excellent bar. I would be honored to serve you once again and make our bar the best it can be. My focus always has been and always will be on serving you. This is your bar. Please help me make it better for you.
District 3
PEGGY A. LAUTENSCHLAGER of Fond du Lac. University of Wisconsin, J.D., 1980. Lautenschlager Law Office, previously Bauer & Bach, Lawton & Cates, Williams, King & Lautenschlager, and Mueller & Lautenschlager. Member: State Bar of Wisconsin, Fond du Lac County Bar Association, Society of Attorneys General Emeritus. Former Winnebago County District Attorney, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Attorney General, Representative to Wisconsin Assembly. Former Adjunct Instructor: UW Law School, Ripon College, UW-Oshkosh. Chairperson, Wisconsin Ethics Commission. Former member: Attorney General’s Advisory Committee of U.S. Attorneys, ASTOP Board of Directors, Legal Services of Northeast Wisconsin, Big Brothers and Sisters, Fond du Lac and Oshkosh. Current member: Blandine House Board of Directors, Girl Scouts Manitou Council Board of Directors, EMERGE-Wisconsin Board of Advisors, NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin Board of Directors, Fond du Lac United for Diversity Board of Directors, Fond du Lac County Democratic Party Executive Committee.
Peggy A. Lautenschlager Campaign Statement
With the transition to a new Executive Director and a rapidly changing membership demographic, the State Bar of Wisconsin faces a number of challenges that must be addressed in the coming years. The State Bar must be relevant to all of its members—whether from big firms or small, in public or private practice, specializing in a specific type of law or a more general practice, or serving a local or national clientele. The State Bar must serve every lawyer, from those who have just finished law school to the older lawyer winding down a practice.
Doing so requires a Board of Governors that represents, or at least recognizes, this diversity, and strives to find common ground while serving the needs of all. The strength of the State Bar Board of Governors comes from the collective and diverse experiences of its members and those members’ ability to address issues and reach resolution to challenges by finding that common ground, while respecting the individual differences within the profession.
My legal career has included work in both the public and private sectors, in state and federal court, in solo, small and large legal practices, as an associate and a supervisor, and with many types of cases and clients. I have also worked in and with legislative bodies at all levels of government.
These experiences, in my 37 years as a member of the Wisconsin Bar, give me somewhat unique insight to serve effectively as a member of the Board of Governors. First and foremost, I will continue to be a spokesperson for the concerns of attorneys in small and mid-sized communities, in small and mid-sized firms, with an emphasis on providing practical, useful, and common sense services to these members. I will continue to encourage access—from access to the State Bar by its members to access to legal representation and the courts by average citizens. I will continue to work to foster an understanding of lawyers, the law, and legal institutions by the public at large. My professional experience affords me the opportunity to make the State Bar more useful and accessible to its members, and make our system of justice better for those we serve. During this time of transition within the State Bar, I look forward to being your advocate.
For these reasons, I ask for your support and your vote, and hope to continue as your representative to the Board of Governors.
District 5
CRAIG R. STEGER of La Crosse. Ave Maria School of Law, J.D. 2005. Partner at Hale, Skemp, Hanson, Skemp & Sleik, La Crosse. Member of State Bar of Wisconsin, State Bar of Minnesota, State Bar of Iowa. Finance Council Member: Sacred Heart School. Grand Knight: Knights of Columbus. Organic Farmer and Homesteader.
District 6
DANIEL P. FAY of Pewaukee. Marquette University Law School in 1977. Oakton Avenue Law Offices S.C. I have practiced law in Waukesha County since 1977. I have served on the Fee Arbitration Panel for over twenty-five (25) years. I have been co-chairman of the State Bar’s Lawyer’s Assistance Committee. I am also a past board member of the Wisconsin Criminal Defense Lawyer’s Association, as well as numerous community groups.
Daniel P. Fay Campaign Statement
I am running for the Board of Governors because Waukesha County and my fellow lawyers in Waukesha County have been very good to me and my family. I strongly believe that a lawyer has an obligation to be a good steward to his community of lawyers. I am running for the Board of Governors to show my willingness to fulfill my obligations to my colleagues and my community.
All lawyers are faced with challenges in their practice and as a result of their practice. The State Bar is dedicated to the challenges that all lawyers face. My only promise is to look at those challenges and “do the best that I can with the resources of the State Bar”.
District 7
BRADLEY A. YANKE of Stevens Point. Marquette University Law School, J.D. cum laude, 2011. University of Wisconsin-Madison, B.S., 2008. Litigation attorney at Anderson, O’Brien, Bertz, Skrenes & Golla, LLP, Stevens Point. Member of State Bar of Wisconsin, Portage County Bar Association, Wisconsin Association for Justice, Attorneys Information Exchange Group. Mentor for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Wisconsin.
Bradley A. Yanke Campaign Statement
Having been raised in Wood County, it was a privilege to return to Central Wisconsin to practice. Since 2013, my litigation practice at Anderson, O’Brien, Bertz, Skrenes & Golla, LLP has provided me the opportunity to appear before many of the district’s judges and interact with many of the district’s practitioners. I have come to appreciate the opportunities and recognize the challenges that come with practicing in this area.
While my current practice is civil, I also want to be a voice for those who have committed themselves to public service in the District Attorney’s and Public Defender’s offices. I spent two years practicing criminal defense in the Fox Valley and count several former prosecutors as co-workers. I promise to be cognizant of how policy and decisions may affect all sides of the bar.
Outside of my practice, I enjoy running, snowboarding, assisting local mock trial teams, and cheering on the Badgers in all facets with my fiancé. It would be a privilege and honor to represent District 7.
District 9
TRUSCENIALYN (Tru-SEE-nah-lynn) BROOKS of Madison. Truscenialyn is a 2011 graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School. She is currently an associate at Perkins Coie LLP, and works as a member of the firm’s Intellectual Property Litigation group. Truscenialyn's practice encompasses a variety of industries including pharmaceuticals, LED light, and bicycle technology. Well versed in complex litigation matters, Truscenialyn has experience in all stages of litigation. In addition to her patent litigation practice, Truscenialyn has also represented corporations in breach of contract disputes. Furthermore, she has devoted significant time to pro bono cases involving the constitutional rights of prison inmates, the enforcement of foreign judgments in U.S. Courts, and in 2016 was successful in an effort to vacate a criminal conviction for a client who was wrongly convicted and imprisoned for nearly 20 years. Truscenialyn is a member of the American Bar Association, the National Bar Association, and a Board of Governor for the State Bar of Wisconsin. She also serves as a board member for the Madison non-profit organization, Community Justice Incorporated. Truscenialyn is a Fellows of both the Wisconsin Law Foundation and the American Bar Foundation, and was recognized as a Beacon of Light by the Milwaukee Community Journal.
Truscenialyn Brooks Campaign Statement
I am very excited about the prospect of continuing to serve as a member of the Board of Governors for the next two years, and hope you will consider supporting my candidacy.
I consider it an honor to have acted as your representative at the State Bar of Wisconsin. In 2011, as a recent law school graduate, I was looking for ways to be involved within the State Bar. In 2013, I was fortunate enough to be selected as one of about two dozen young lawyers to attend the State Bar’s inaugural Leadership Development Summit. The Summit was designed to encourage and nurture the next generation of State Bar leaders. From it I took away a desire to serve the Wisconsin State Bar. In 2015, I successfully ran for my first term as a Governor.
During my time as a Governor, I have had the pleasure of serving on the Governance Committee and the Business Committee. I have also been appointed as the Board of Governors’ liaison for the Legal Assistance Committee. As a member of those boards, I have helped to draft amendments to the State Bar Rules and Bylaws and helped to develop new ways to bring revenue to the Board.
Over the next two years on the Board I hope to focus on three areas. First, the relevance and value of the State Bar. That includes ensuring that attorneys from all areas of Wisconsin, and in different stages in their career, find value in the Bar and the services we provide to our members. This also includes finding innovative ways to generate revenue so that we can ensure a thriving bar regardless of the size of its membership.
Second, ensuring diversity within the practice of law in Wisconsin, and leadership roles within the State Bar. By focusing on diversity, we help build trust with the communities that we serve the most. We become the benefactors of the wealth of knowledge and information that derives from giving everyone a seat at the table. And we send the important message that the State Bar values all of its members.
And finally, supporting initiatives that help those underserved in our State. As attorneys, we must not forget that as “respected guardians of the dignity and integrity of the rule of law,” the most important fight we have is the fight against injustice. Those victories are sometimes achieved only through pro bono and helping those with the fewest resources. We must continue to support and encourage attorneys to take on those battles for the greater good of our practice and State.
If you will support my candidacy for the Board of Governors, I pledge to use my voice and every tool at my disposal to serve the membership of District 9, and to advance the aims of the State Bar as a whole.
Thank you in advance for your time and support.
JEFF A. GOLDMAN of Madison. University of Wisconsin Law School, JD, 2002. Shareholder and chair of the Estate and Trust Practice Group at DeWitt Ross & Stevens S.C. Licensed to practice in Wisconsin, New York, and Washington State (inactive). Fellow of the Wisconsin Law Foundation (inducted 2016). Adjunct Faculty at University of Wisconsin Law School (2010-present). State Bar of Wisconsin Board of Governors (2015-present); Liaison to the Real Property, Probate and Trust (RPPT) Section of the Wisconsin State Bar (2015-present); Member of Board of Governors Business Plan Committee (2015-present). Board Member: Breast Cancer Recovery. Past president: Madison Estate Council.
Jeff A. Goldman Campaign Statement
I look forward to the opportunity to serve on the Board of Governors for a second term. Over the last two years, I have represented District 9 on the Board of Governors. I have actively participated in Board meetings and responded to concerns of members within our District. In my career I have practiced in three distinctly different settings: a small firm with 9 attorneys, a mid-size firm, and a firm with 150+ attorneys. In addition, prior to returning to Wisconsin in 2006, I practiced in two other states – New York and Washington State – each of which have bar associations that differ in a variety of ways from Wisconsin. This has enabled me to provide insight to the Board of Governors and State Bar leadership. I am asking for your vote to continue to represent the interests of District 9 and the State Bar membership as a whole. Thank you.
SAM WAYNE of Madison. Sam is a solo practitioner in Madison litigating consumer, fraud, contract, and tort claims. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 2009, the University of Wisconsin La Follette School of Public Affairs with an MPA in 2005, and Cornell University with a BS in 2003. He served on the Young Lawyers Division Board from 2012 - 2014, growing the Law School Committee’s mission to educate students about this great profession. He was named to InBusiness Magazine’s 40 Under 40 in 2012, was awarded the YLD Professional Achievement Award in 2011, was a UW Law School Dean's Fellow in 2010, earned the Sonnet Schmidt Edmonds Award for excellence in energy law in 2009, and an ABA Janet D. Steiger Fellowship in 2007. He presented at the 2015 YLD Leadership Conference and was published in the Wisconsin Lawyer in 2016 and the DCBA Newsletter in 2010. He’s chipped in with Wills for Heroes in 2009, 2011, and 2015, and with Big Brothers Big Sisters from 2011 - 2013. He’s finishing up yoga teacher training, plays goalie on his soccer team, and loves his fiancée, their dog Miller, live music, national parks, traveling the world, and meeting its incredible people.
Sam Wayne Campaign Statement
"The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers." Shakespeare's villain recognized in Henry VI Pt. 2 that attorneys are the first and last line of defense from tyranny.
I'm running for Board of Governors this year because it's imperative for the health of our democracy that lawyers work to ensure good governance in every branch and at every level of policymaking. Perhaps more liberal than Shakespearean, I also believe that lawyers, and the State Bar of Wisconsin, have an obligation to support our fellow Wisconsinites to reach and lobby their legislators to effect policies that benefit the working and middle classes. My candidacy, though, is not about left vs. right politics. It is about lawyers recognizing and utilizing their role in protecting democracy so that we can once again enjoy the privilege of sane, measured, deliberate, and productive left vs. right politics.
The State Bar's Strategic Priorities (approved last year) include (i) increasing access to justice for all, (ii) advancing public trust and advocating for a high functioning justice system, (iii) ensuring commitment to diversity and inclusion, (iv) advocating for the public interest, and (v) optimizing bar members' and the public's potential. These are all incredibly worthy goals that recognize the position lawyers hold as civic leaders.
While these goals are admirable, they were set forth in a seemingly more stable political era just last year, and don't fully meet the governance challenges our state and nation so obviously face today. White supremacists, anti-intellectuals, corporate cronies, and those who hate our first, fourth, fifth, sixth, fourteenth, fifteenth, nineteenth, and twenty-fourth amendment freedoms are in charge. The State Bar must rally lawyers to defend what is right, rather than donning blinders so that we may remain "neutral" in service to across-the-aisle harmony. The State Bar and all of its members must aggressively champion transparency, civil rights, science, and democracy.
I recognize I may sound like a firebrand, a hippie, a shoot-yourself-in-the-foot idealist. I am passionate about these issues. Alongside this passion I carry a counterweight of pragmatism and geniality. My plan is not to shout down those governors who don't see their role as I do, or even those who fervently disagree. Instead, I will engage them in debate about good governance and our role, and seek to move the State Bar towards an even more active role as a protector of democracy.
Take action, as a lawyer and as a citizen. Together we can make a positive change.
KATIE YORK of Madison. Katie is the Local Attorney Manager in the Madison Appellate office for the Wisconsin State Public Defender (SPD). Katie started with the SPD nine years ago as an Assistant State Public Defender in the Green Bay trial office. In 2010 she transferred to the SPD’s Madison Appellate office and in 2015 she was promoted to Local Attorney Manager. In this position, Katie has a number of responsibilities. She represents clients on appeal in a variety of criminal and commitment cases. Katie also supervises attorneys and support staff, participates in various committees, is a resource for the SPD’s private bar attorneys, and has regularly conducted trainings for the SPD. Katie was born and raised on a dairy farm in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. She lives in Madison with her husband and young son. Katie is an avid runner and biker, participating in many races throughout the state, including the Madison Marathon and Ironman. For five years Katie also volunteered with the Madison-area Urban Ministry’s Mentoring Connections program.
Katie York Campaign Statement
I would be honored to have the opportunity to represent the attorneys of District 9 – Dane County – on the State Bar’s Board of Governors. I have truly enjoyed working for the SPD for the last nine years. I have had the opportunity to learn from and work with very dedicated and talented attorneys. In my current role, I have the satisfaction of working with individual clients, while litigating a wide array of issues in circuit courts around the state, the court of appeals, and the Wisconsin Supreme Court. As a member of the Board of Governors, I will be able to draw on my experiences from practicing as a government attorney in all three judicial levels in Wisconsin.
I have also had the opportunity to work with private attorneys taking SPD appointments by presenting at various trainings and answering questions directed to the Madison Appellate office. This has given me a different perspective on the challenges associated with solo practitioners and other private attorneys that I can utilize as a member of the Board of Governors.
I believe it is important to have open communication and collaboration. I am always open to hearing different perspectives. I truly believe the ability to respectfully express differing opinions will facilitate an open dialogue and will allow for full consideration and analysis of the issues before the Board of Governors.
I ask that you consider my candidacy to be your representative on the Board of Governors. Thank you.
District 11
HOWARD J. BICHLER of Cumberland. Howard received a BA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a JD from Marquette University Law School. Howard has devoted his professional career in the representation of Native American Indian Tribes and Tribal members. He previously was employed as a Staff Attorney with Wisconsin Judicare and as a Tribal Attorney with the Stockbridge Munsee Mohican Community and the Forest County Potawatomi Community. Howard has extensive experience with State Bar governance having been a member of the Board of Governors for two terms representing District 11. In addition, he served as Chairman of the Board of Governors. He was also appointed to serve on that Board's Finance and Executive Committees. Howard currently serves on the Wisconsin Access to Justice Commission as a State Bar appointee to that Commission. In addition, he was recently appointed to the Board of the Wisconsin Law Foundation. He has also been a long time member of the Board of Directors of Wisconsin Judicare, Inc. representing Barron, Rusk and Sawyer counties.
District 13
ADAM GEROL of Port Washington. University of Iowa, B.A. 1985; Drake Law School, J.D. 1988. Private practice of law, 1988-1992; Ozaukee County District Attorney’s Office, ADA 1992 – 2008, District Attorney 2009 – present. Former member of the Policy and Planning Advisory Committee of the Wisconsin Court System (PPAC) and past president of the Wisconsin District Attorney’s Association. Member of the Wisconsin Bar Association since 1988.
Adam Gerol Campaign Statement
When I agreed to finish a colleague’s term on the Board of Governors, my goals were simple: Get things done, then pass along the baton to another attorney. With that in mind, this is what I intend to do if elected as governor:
First, the focus of the Bar Association must be narrowly trained on the practice of law in Wisconsin. The litmus test of any proposal must be how it will advance the interests of our rank and file membership. Second, the Bar Association should be very conservative about the number of topics we lobby for or against. Third, if our criminal justice system is truly a measure of our society – and it should be – then this system must be composed of intelligent, ethical people who make such service their careers. This requires reasonable staffing, and a compensation plan that actually retains experience. Fourth, we must raise the level of compensation for private practitioners who accept public defender cases so that those defendants receive the very best representation possible.
We can accomplish all these goals over the next two years, but only if we are willing to work collaboratively. I have a track record of doing just this. I was the District Attorney representative to PPAC for many years, and also served as president of the Wisconsin District Attorneys Association. I’ve been appointed to Legislative Councils and frequently testified in Madison on issues relating to the criminal justice system. In all of these settings I’ve enjoyed working with members of the criminal defense bar, the Public Defender and all interested parties. I respect their work, their perspectives and have personally witnessed that when we work together we can accomplish a great deal.
District 15
KELLY L. MOULD of Racine. Kelly is Vice President, Wealth Fiduciary Advisor for Johnson Bank. She is a Certified Wealth Strategist and Certified Divorce Financial Analyst. Kelly graduated from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 2011. She is a Member of the State Bar of Wisconsin, has served on their Board of Governors representing Racine County and also serves on the Board for the Racine County Bar Association. In 2016 Kelly won the Cynthia L. Murphy Community Volunteer Award and the United Way Employee Campaign Coordinator of the Year for her efforts to raise funds for at Johnson Financial Group. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications and a Master’s Degree in Electronic Media from Marquette University. From 2012 to 2014 she was an associate with Hostak, Henzl & Bichler S.C. focusing on family law, guardianship and estate planning. In 2012 Kelly was appointed to serve as Guardian Ad Litem in Racine handling family custody and placement, guardianship and juvenile court matters. She has over 20 years of experience managing people and products in the telecommunications industry prior to becoming an attorney, with her last role being Vice President of Customer Care for Time Warner Cable.
