From left, current State Bar President Ryan Billings, incoming President Dan Gartzke, and Immediate Past President Dean Dietrich at Board of Governors meeting in Madison​.

​​June 18, 2025 – While the State Bar of Wisconsin’s Board of Governors (Board) bid farewell to several members, and to retiring Executive Director Larry Martin, the Board also selected individuals for leadership positions in the new fiscal year, which begins July 1.

Kicking off the
2025 Annual Meeting and Conference at the Monona…
Continue Reading State Bar Board Bids Farewell to Fiscal Year 2025 and Prepares for the New Year

May 1, 2025 – On Law Day (established by President Eisenhower to celebrate the rule of law and observed annually on May 1) I think about the colonial rebels who risked their lives to create a better society. I admire their brave fight for independence. I equally admire the government they created when the war was won.

Ryan M. Billings, Harvard 2004, is a litigator at Kohner, Mann & Kailas S.C., Milwaukee, and chairs the firm’s business…
Continue Reading Checks and Balances: Embracing Our Patriotic Skepticism

The State Bar’s Board of Governors invited Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Brian Hagedorn to give opening remarks at the Board’s meeting on April 11, 2025. He discussed the high cost of entering the legal profession coupled with the problem of legal deserts, and ideas to consider. He also discussed the politicization of the bar and other institutions, and threats to the constitutional order. Photos: Shannon Green.​

April 14, 2025 – Jill Creston Rothstein will become the State Bar of…
Continue Reading State Bar Board Selects Next Executive Director, Approves FY 2026 Budget, Takes Other Action

April 11, 2025 – The State Bar of Wisconsin’s 53-member Board of Governors today selected Jill Creston Rothstein as the State Bar’s next Executive Director. Rothstein, currently general counsel for the South Carolina Bar, will succeed Larry J. Martin, who is retiring effective Sept. 2, 2025.

“Jill is brilliant, curious and thoughtful, pairing a strong analytical mind with a deep passion for lawyers and the good works that bar associations do,” said State Bar President Ryan Billings, chair of…
Continue Reading Jill Creston Rothstein Selected as Next Executive Director for the State Bar of Wisconsin

Justice Ann Walsh Bradley

April 3, 2025 – The Wisconsin Supreme Court today elected Justice Ann Walsh Bradley to serve as chief justice, effective May 1, 2025. On June 30, 2025, she will step down as chief before retiring on July 31, 2025. Justice Jill Karofsky, also elected, will fill the remaining two-year term as chief justice.

Justice A.W. Bradley​ and Justice Karofsky succeed Chief Justice Annette Kingsland Ziegler, who has served as chief justice for the last four…
Continue Reading State Bar Thanks Chief Justice Ziegler, Welcomes New Chiefs, A.W. Bradley and Karofsky

Ben Payne, chair-elect of the State Bar BICR section, presented a proposal to expand attorneys’ online access to court records to the State Bar Board of Governors.

Dec. 10, 2024 – The State Bar of Wisconsin’s 53-member Board of Governors (Board) recently discussed – but took no action on – a proposal from the State Bar Bankruptcy, Insolvency and Creditors Rights (BICR) Section to expand attorneys’ online access to court records.

BICR’s proposal, submitted for discussion at the Board’s…
Continue Reading State Bar Board Discusses Proposal to Expand Attorney Access to Online Court Records, Takes Other Actions

At the Board of Governors December meeting, State Bar President Ryan Billings speaks on a proposed increase to the fee that lawyers pay towards the public legal interest services fund (PILSF).

Dec. 9, 2024 – The State Bar of Wisconsin will soon present – to the Wisconsin Supreme Court – the results of a survey that asked if State Bar members would support or oppose increases to the fee that lawyers pay towards the public legal interest services fund…
Continue Reading Petition to Increase $50 PILFS Fee: State Bar Will Present Survey Findings to Court

Nov. 27, 2024 – ​As we approach Thanksgiving and the holiday season, we reflect on our commitment to upholding justice and the rule of law. Each of you – lawyers, judges, and justices – play a critical role in maintaining fairness and trust in our legal system. Together, you help ensure that our shared legal values remain steadfast in Wisconsin.

In this season of gratitude, we extend our deepest thanks to each of you for your dedication, integrity, and…
Continue Reading A Message of Appreciation to Wisconsin’s Legal Community

Oct. 28, 2024 – Dan D. Gartzke is elected president-elect of the State Bar of Wisconsin.

In a special election that closed at noon on Friday, Oct. 24, 2024, Gartzke defeated David Lasker of Mauston by 1,417 votes to 1,006.

Gartzke (U.W. 1986) practices family law with Boardman & Clark LLP in Madison.

Gartzke immediately becomes president-elect, filling a vacancy in the position, followed by a one-year term as president starting on July 1, 2025, and a one-year term…
Continue Reading State Bar President-elect Post Goes to Dan Gartzke