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If you are a solo or small firm practitioner in Wisconsin, you might assume that the Truth in Lending Act (TILA), found at 15 U.S.C. § 1601 et seq., is a headache reserved exclusively for banks, mortgage lenders, and auto finance companies.

That assumption would be faulty. In reality, TILA can apply to local businesses, home contractors, and service providers.

When you pair TILA with Wisconsin’s counterpart – the Wisconsin Consumer Act (WCA), Wis. Stat. chapters 421-427 –…
Continue Reading How to Keep Your Business Clients from Becoming Accidental Creditors

In July, I rode my bicycle across the state of Iowa as part of RAGBRAI. RAGBRAI posts that it America’s oldest and longest multi-day recreational bike ride. There were a lot of things that were impressive. The comradery, the logistics, the efforts by individual cyclists, but one thing stood out to me: The Air Force Cycling Team. The US Air Force Cycling Team call themselves “The Guardian Angels Of The Road.” They exemplify their core values of…
Continue Reading RAGBRAI Biking Lesson: Team Work

By Erik Reinthaler, WJI Intern

On a Thursday morning in July, people trickled into Racine Municipal Court for a docket made up mostly of traffic and ordinance violations. Some seemed to know where to go and what to do. Others needed to be reminded to check in on a computer near the courtroom entrance. As more people arrived, even other court-goers began pointing newcomers toward the sign-in.

Once court started, cases moved quickly. Defendants came forward, entered their pleas

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Continue Reading Court by Court: Observing Wisconsin’s Municipal Justice System

​”Evers’ judges” is our effort to present information about Gov. Tony Evers’ appointees to the bench. The information is taken from the appointees’ own judgeship applications.

Italics indicate direct quotes from the application.​ Typos, including punctuation errors, come from the original application even though we have not inserted “(sic)” after each one. WJI has left them as is. Asterisks indicate paragraphs deleted due to length of the answer.

Name: Tanner Brook Kilander

Appointed to: Milwaukee County Circuit Court

Appointment

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Continue Reading Evers’ Judges: Tanner Brook Kilander

You can learn a lot about the federal government in school and everyday life, but in my experience, nothing beats being a part of it. I spent the first four months of 2026 in Washington, D.C., working and studying as an intern and student on Capitol Hill. They were the busiest four months of my life, but I have never learned more. Here’s what I still think about now that it’s been a little while.
When people think about…
Continue Reading How Congress Actually Works – An Intern’s Perspective

Wisconsin, like most states, has a growing shortage of skilled civil trial lawyers, especially in rural areas throughout the state. Jeffrey Muszynski discusses the steps Wisconsin is taking to address this issue and urges members of the bar to do more to keep alive the tradition of highly skilled advocates in the state.

For many younger attorneys in Wisconsin, trial work can feel increasingly out of reach. This is especially true outside of criminal cases, as civil trials become

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Continue Reading To Build Trial Lawyers, Give Young Attorneys Their Day in Court

If it’s good writing, so what if they used AI? That’s the question at the heart of a recent essay by writer Abi Awomosu, “Writing Was Never a Test of Who Could Think” (How Not To Use AI, June 14, 2026).
Awomosu argues that AI functions less like a tool and more like a medium, something that reshapes how people think and work simply by existing. Seen through that lens, the question of whether AI was used in the…
Continue Reading If It’s Good Writing, So What if They Used AI?

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​”Evers’ judges” is our effort to present information about Gov. Tony Evers’ appointees to the bench. The information is taken from the appointees’ own judgeship applications.

Italics indicate direct quotes from the application.​ Typos, including punctuation errors, come from the original application even though we have not inserted “(sic)” after each one. WJI has left them as is.

 Name: Nathan Petrashek

Appointed to: Court of Appeals District 1

Appointment date: Feb. 27, 2026, to term ending July 31, 2027

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Continue Reading Evers’ Judges: Nathan Petrashek

By Attorney Lisa Pierobon Mays

One of the most frustrating experiences an injured worker can face is having their workers’ compensation claim accepted – only to have benefits unnecessarily delayed for months.

Recently, Attorney Lisa Pierobon Mays of Mays Law Office successfully represented M.M., a health care employee, whose case demonstrates why injured workers often need experienced legal representation even after their claim has been conceded.
A Conceded Claim Shouldn’t Become a Battle
M.M. injured his left knee while…
Continue Reading Accepted But Still Unpaid: How Attorney Pierobon Mays Held an Insurance Carrier Accountable

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Hiring your first out-of-state employee can introduce a complex web of local and state employment laws that may differ dramatically from those you already follow. From paid leave requirements and pay transparency laws to non-compete restrictions and city-specific ordinances, multi-state employment compliance can quickly become a challenge for unprepared employers.
Hiring an Out-of-State Employee Requires Extra Caution
Stop. Look. Listen.

I remember seeing these safety signs at railroad crossings when I was growing up. Stopping, looking and listening was…
Continue Reading Hiring Your First Out-Of-State Employee? Watch for These Compliance Risks

Running a solo or small law office means managing every aspect of the practice. Roles as attorney, receptionist, intake coordinator, billing department, IT support, marketer, and file clerk can all become part of the workday.

One theme becomes clear quickly: efficiency is not optional. It is survival.

Even modest operational changes can have a significant impact. Improving productivity does not always require additional software or expanded staffing. Thoughtful systems and consistent practices that reduce friction and preserve focus on…
Continue Reading Efficiency is Not Optional: Productivity Tips for Solo and Small Firm Attorneys

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The Wisconsin Supreme Court has revoked the licenses of three attorneys this year, and in each case Justice Annette Ziegler wrote identical short concurrences highlighting that when the high court revokes a license, it may not have the effect the public thinks.

“I write separately to point out that in Wisconsin the ‘revocation’ of an attorney’s law license is not truly revocation because the attorney may petition for reinstatement after a period of five years,” said Ziegler in each

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Continue Reading Has Supreme Court Signaled an Upcoming Change to Attorney Discipline?

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Emily Kelchen took a moment to ponder the long-term impact of her own legal work during the 100th anniversary of the Scopes “Monkey” Trial in Dayton, Tennessee.
Photos: Emily Kelchen.

I’m a sucker for historic courthouses. So, when I realized I lived within easy driving distance of Dayton, Tennessee, ​
​location of the Scopes “Monkey” Trial – and that 2025 was the 100th anniversary of the trial – I couldn’t wait to plan a visit.

The local community had

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Continue Reading Not Monkey Business: The Scopes Trial Still Has Lessons to Teach

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Dec. 2, 2025 – The State Bar of Wisconsin, along with more than a dozen other state bar associations nationwide, is experiencing a new and highly targeted phishing attack aimed at our members. We want to ensure you are aware of this threat so you can protect your personal information and help prevent further exposure.
What’s Happening
Multiple bar associations, including ours, have reported a surge in phishing emails sent to members. These emails appear to come from organizational

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Continue Reading Scam Alert: New Phishing Campaign Targeting State Bar of Wisconsin Members

New State Bar Executive Director Jill Rothstein gives her report at her first Board of Governors meeting.

Sept. 24, 2025 – The 53-member State Bar of Wisconsin Board of Governors (Board) held its first meeting of the fiscal year (FY 2026), meeting in Wausau, and welcomed 11 new governors and two building bridges liaisons.

It was also the first Board meeting for new President Dan Gartzke and new Executive Director Jill Rothstein.

The meeting came after the annual Joint

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Continue Reading New Fiscal Year, New State Bar Board of Governors

In case you missed it, the latest edition of the Bluebook has introduced a new rule on citing AI-generated content. While I agree that a rule addressing GenAI was needed, unfortunately, Rule 18.3’s approach misses the mark.

University of Idaho law professor Jessica Gunder has published a thorough critique of the new rule titled “Yikes! The Bluebook’s Generative AI Rule is Flawed” that lays out exactly why Rule 18.3 is problematic. Her analysis raises serious concerns that legal educators,…
Continue Reading The Bluebook’s New AI Citation Rule Misses the Mark