Diversity Equity & Inclusion

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Simply defined, human trafficking is the exploitation of human beings for someone else’s gain, according to Erika Petty, executive director at Milwaukee-based Lotus Legal Clinic, a nonprofit that provides free legal services exclusively to victims of human trafficking.

As you’ll discover in Episode 16 of the Bottom Up podcast, produced by the State Bar of Wisconsin, while human trafficking can be simply defined, the complexity of the issue spans the nation and the globe, and hits home right here…
Continue Reading Bottom Up Episode 16: Helping Victims of Human Trafficking, a Hidden Crime, with Erika Petty

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In 1963, Frank Gimbel was just three years out of law school when he became an assistant U.S. attorney, serving five years before switching to defense counsel. Gimbel’s career as a trial lawyer, spanning six decades, has been chronicled extensively, with many awards to his name.

But the early days were no walk in the park. Gimbel worked as a tax return preparer, a clothes salesman, and held other side jobs to keep food on the table. These experiences…
Continue Reading Bottom Up Episode 15: Hustle, Humility, and 63 years in Law Practice with Litigator Frank Gimbel

Dec. 7, 2023 – More than 40 lawyers gathered at the Italian Community Center in Milwaukee for the State Bar of Wisconsin’s 2023 Diversity Counsel Program on Monday, Dec. 4.

The State Bar of Wisconsin’s Diversity and Inclusion Oversight Committee organized the program, emceed by Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Kori Ashley.

Launched by the State Bar in 2004, the Diversity Counsel Program was modeled after the original American Bar Association Minority Counsel Demonstration Program.

Originally designed to increase

…
Continue Reading Diversity Counsel Program: ‘There’s a Space for You Here’

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As younger lawyers enter the profession, how do they collaborate and communicate effectively with older generations, who may collaborate differently? What are the current trends, challenges, and opportunities for solo and small firms in the practice management and technology space?  These are some of the questions that co-host Emil Ovbiagele and Joe Forward (guest host) explore with guests Erin Ogden and Brent Hoeft. This is the second episode in a two-parter focused on solo and small firms, recorded from…
Continue Reading Episode 14 (Part 2): Solo & Small Firms – Generational Differences and Technology and Practice Management

Companies are facing competing pressures in the area of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts. On the one hand, many companies identify the economic and institutional benefits of having a diverse workforce that reflects the different views, experiences, and ideas of their constituents. On the other hand, companies worry about being attacked for engaging in discriminatory practices.

In his recent article in this blog, Clyde Tinnen reviewed the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc.
Continue Reading The DEI Conundrum for Companies

It’s easy to take for granted that the documents and accounts we use every day reflect our true conception of ourselves – knowing that we’ll see the right name or gender identity listed on things like our driver’s license, birth certificates, Social Security information, and passports – and all of the many, many other things that flow from one or more of those documents: voter registration, insurance information, bank accounts, credit cards, and more.

For a growing number of…
Continue Reading No More ‘Deadnames:’ Petitioning for Name and Gender Marker ID Changes in Wisconsin

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In this episode, recorded at the 2023 Wisconsin Solo & Small Firm Conference (WSSFC), co-host Emil Obviagele and guest host Joe Forward speak with Jessica Kramer, a small firm owner based in Madison, and Aiden Tharp, a solo practitioner in Hudson.

Kramer was a co-chair of the conference’s substantive law track, and Tharp was a co-chair of the work-life balance/ethics track. The conference theme? Working across different generations of clients, lawyers, and judges. The guests discuss this theme and…
Continue Reading Episode 14 (Part 1): Solo & Small Firm Practice in Wisconsin

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In Episode 13 of the Bottom Up Podcast, produced by the State Bar of Wisconsin, co-hosts Emil Ovbiagele and Kristen Hardy talk with Karina O’Brien, an attorney at Kostner, Koslo & Brovold LLC in Arcadia, Wisconsin. The topic? Rural practice in Wisconsin. The challenges. The opportunities. The shortage of attorneys in rural Wisconsin.
A 2014 U.W. Law School graduate, Karina grew up in Arcadia, located 45 miles south of Eau Claire. She didn’t think she would return to her…
Continue Reading Episode 13: Rural Law Practice with Karina O’Brien

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Milwaukee-based attorney Christa Wittenberg, a 2012 graduate of the University of Michigan Law School, never thought she would ever work for a law firm. But plans change.
Now after 9 years with O’Neil, Cannon, Hollman, Dejong & Laing S.C., Wittenberg was recently elected to serve on the firm’s 3-person Board of Directors. In the firm’s 50-year history, she is the first woman to serve in that role. In addition to her commercial litigation practice, Wittenberg will help the firm…
Continue Reading Episode 12: Navigating New Opportunities with Confidence: Christa Wittenberg

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Fresh off a one-year term as president of the State Bar of Wisconsin, family and elder law attorney Margaret Hickey, of Milwaukee, discusses the importance of leadership, including service to a State Bar membership of more than 25,000 attorneys. Co-hosts Emil Ovbiagele and Kristen Hardy engage Hickey – the fourth consecutive woman to serve as president – in discussions about the role of State Bar leaders, including the State Bar’s Board of Governors, and how leaders tackle issues important…
Continue Reading Episode 11: Leading the Legal Profession with Margaret Hickey

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When Makda Fessahaye was age 28, and only five years out of law school, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers appointed her as the top administrator of the Division of Adult Institutions at the Wisconsin Department of Corrections. That was in 2019. “You go for it because when else do you get a gubernatorial appointment,” Fessahaye said. She went on to become the chief human resources officer for the city of Milwaukee, and now serves as associate vice chancellor and chief…
Continue Reading Episode 10: Building Relationships and Community with Makda Fessahaye

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In Episode 9 of the Bottom Up Podcast, produced by the State Bar of Wisconsin, co-hosts Kristen Hardy and Emil Ovbiagele speak with Milwaukee-based attorney Nate Cade, who wakes up at exactly 4:06 a.m. every morning to start his routine. A heavy-hitting litigator who often works on high-profile cases, Cade spent the first 17 years of his career at a large law firm, honing his craft as a trial lawyer and making his own opportunities. One day, about a…
Continue Reading Episode 9: Nate Cade on Extreme Ownership, from Big Law to Solo Practice

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Are you a public defender or prosecutor? A judge? A Wisconsin resident? Thinking about criminal law as a career? The State Bar of Wisconsin’s Advocacy Team is advocating for you. In Episode 8 of Bottom Up, a WisLawNOW podcast produced by the State Bar of Wisconsin, guest host Joe Forward speaks with three members of the State Bar’s Advocacy Team – Cale Battles, Lynne Davis, and Devin Martin – about the advocacy work they are doing to increase funding…
Continue Reading Episode 8: Advocating for the Criminal Justice System

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Milwaukee attorney Larry Whitley went straight from law school to an in-house counsel position, working on billion dollar deals in real estate right out the gate. In the latest episode of the Bottom Up Podcast, produced by the State Bar of Wisconsin, co-hosts Kristen Hardy and Emil Ovbiagele chat with Whitley about his journey. “There’s no wrong path, just your path,” Whitley says. The Rufus King High School and Marquette University Law School graduate – a former Milwaukee Bucks…
Continue Reading Episode 7: The Road Less Traveled with In-House Counsel, Larry Whitley

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In this episode, a near-death experience sparks discussion about self-reflection, making changes, lawyer wellbeing, and finding your purpose. Co-hosts Emil Ovbiagele and Kristen Hardy speak with Joe Forward, communications director at the State Bar of Wisconsin. Joe discusses a recent near-death experience, which he wrote about in Wisconsin Lawyer magazine, and the self-reflection that followed. Many lawyers reached out to Joe after his article appeared, an indication that many identified with the observation that everyone has flaws, but we…
Continue Reading Episode 6: Life, Death, Change & Purpose

Five men. One teenager. Four women. Three dads. Two moms. A significant number of cats. Two dogs. Two toddlers. Three adult children. One five-year-old. Army veteran. Farm owners. City dwellers. Part-time. Ohio. Wisconsin. Michigan. Minnesota. Rural. Northwoods. White. African-Jamaican. Bougie. Snarky. Introvert. Ambivert. Extrovert. Disruptors. Software Engineering. Banking. Retail. Social media. Law School.

Are you wondering what these all have in common? We all work at Ogden Glazer + Schaefer. “Diverse teams are more productive and perform better. The…
Continue Reading Our Diversity Makes Us Stronger. Our Inclusion Makes us Better.