State Bar of Wisconsin​

We are a professional association for Wisconsin lawyers. The State Bar provides educational, career development, and other services to more than 25,000 members. We also provide public services, including attorney referrals, public education, and reduced-fee legal assistance for low-income state residents. Our mission is to improve the administration of justice and the delivery of legal services and to promote the professional interests of Wisconsin lawyers.

Website: https://www.wisbar.org/
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State Bar of Wisconsin​ Blogs

Agricultural Law & Rural Practice | Solo Small Firm & General Practice Section
Bottom Up | A WisLawNOW Podcast
Business Law Blog | Business Law Section
Children & the Law Section Blog | Children & the Law Section
Construction Blog | Construction & Public Contract Law Section
Criminal Law Section Blog | Criminal Law Section
Dispute Resolution Section Blog | Dispute Resolution Section
Elder Law & Special Needs Section Blog | Elder Law and Special Needs Section
Environmental Law Section Blog | Environmental Law Section
Family Law Blog | Family Law Section
Health Law Blog | Health Law Section
International Practice Blog | International Practice Section
Labor & Employment Law Blog | Labor & Employment Law Section
Litigation Blog | Litigation Section
Nonresident Lawyers Blog | Nonresident Lawyers Division
Public Interest Blog | Public Interest Law Section
Real Property Probate & Trust Law Blog | Real Property, Probate, and Trust Law Section
Sua Sponte | Appellate Practice Section
Taxation Law Blog | Taxation Law Section
WisBar Court Review
WisBar News

Blog Authors

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Lynne Davis And Devin Martin
Cheryl Furstace Daniels And Larry J. Martin
Dean R. Dietrich And Larry J. Martin
Margaret Wrenn Hickey And Larry J. Martin
Jeff M. Brown And Shannon Green
David W. Runke And Timothy M. Barber
Chief Justice Annette K. Ziegler

Latest from State Bar of Wisconsin​

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  • Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. A few minutes of planning now can make voting quick and stress-free, whether you’ve voted in every election or this is your first midterm. One free website can help you confirm your registration, see your ballot and know where to go.

    Oct. 29, 2026 — Election Day is almost here. Wisconsin voters head to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 3, for the 2026 midterm election. Midterms decide many of the offices closest

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Continue Reading Exercise Your Voting Rights: Be Ready to Vote on Nov. 3

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  • October 29, 2026When parentage has not been established in a CHIPS case, courts face important legal limitations on setting conditions for return. Deanna Weiss examines those limitations and explains why waiting until parentage is determined is the best practice.
    Under Wis. Stat. chapter 48, a child can be found by the court to be in need of protection and services (CHIPS) based upon abuse, neglect, or other reasons.[1] Once the CHIPS finding is made and a child is

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Continue Reading Why Parentage Matters When Setting Conditions for Return in CHIPS Cases

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Almost every negotiated agreement governing the sale of a business — whether a stock purchase or asset purchase agreement (purchase agreement) — contains certain provisions attempting to preclude liability for extracontractual representations. Generally, the buyer represents that it relied only on the representations written into the contract, and disclaims reliance on anything included in documents in the data room, stated during seller’s management presentations to the buyer, or otherwise said during negotiations. The purpose is straightforward. If the acquired

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Continue Reading The ‘Double-liar’ Doctrine: Understanding the Limits of Non-reliance Clauses

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Oct. 27, 2026 — A Milwaukee County sheriff’s deputy whose distracted driving resulted in a fatal accident has qualified immunity, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit decided in Estate of Ceaser Stinson v. Joel Streicher, No. 22-3043 (Oct. 14, 2026). It’s the first case to decide whether inattentive driving could violate substantive due process under County of Sacramento v. Lewis, 523 U.S. 833 (1998). “Officer Streicher’s distractedness — regardless of the source — was negligent,…
Continue Reading Seventh Circuit: Deputy Involved in Fatal Crash Gets Qualified Immunity

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Oct. 14, 2026 — A case against a 10-year-old charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of his mother has raised constitutional issues of national importance.A primary question is whether the attributes of youth, as described by the U.S. Supreme Court, apply in determining whether the defendant should be tried as an adult.A nationally known public interest lawyer, Bryan Stevenson, is representing the defendant in State v. Mann-Tate. Oral arguments were Sept. 8.Seven justices will decide whether the…
Continue Reading Reverse Waiver: Supreme Court Reviews Jurisdiction for 10-Year-Old in Murder Case

Oh, those pesky liens!

They seem to touch everything you have. Liens on tractors. Liens on skid steers. Liens on livestock. Liens on tools. Sometimes even liens on the refrigerator and other household goods.

You try adjusting payments. You write letters. You make phone calls. You negotiate. But the liens just won’t go away.

You would even consider bankruptcy, but everyone knows the old saying: “Liens pass through bankruptcy unchanged.”[1]

So what’s a farmer, tradesperson, or rural family…
Continue Reading ‘Miracle Lien Avoidance:’ A Powerful Bankruptcy Tool for Farmers and Rural Debtors

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  • October 13, 2026Wisconsin’s dog injury statute applies to more than bites. Katelyn Sandfort explains the state’s strict liability statute, comparative negligence, insurance issues, and potential defenses.
    Dogs are man’s (and woman’s) best friend. But sometimes without warning, interactions with a dog can result in serious injuries. Wisconsin’s dog injury statute provides as follows: 174.02 Owner’s liability for damage caused by dog … (1) Liability for injury. (a) Without notice. Subject to s. 895.045 and except as provided in s. 895.57(4)

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Continue Reading Dog Injury Claims in Wisconsin: Liability, Insurance, and Defenses

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Oct. 1, 2026 — One returned home to Wisconsin after law school in the South. Another arrived after nearly two decades of military service and a 10-year journey toward admission. Another traded a corporate law career in Houston for teaching law students in Madison. On Sept. 22, 2026, their paths converged as they joined Wisconsin’s legal profession, most after passing the bar exam. In a ceremony before the Wisconsin Supreme Court, 35 attorneys took the Attorney’s Oath and signed…
Continue Reading Homecomings, Career Changes, and New Beginnings: Meet Wisconsin's New Lawyers

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A claim for theft by contractor is a powerful weapon in construction litigation. Under Wis. Stat. section 779.02(5), all funds paid by an owner to a prime contractor or subcontractor for improvements to real property are held in trust for the payment of labor, services, materials, plans, and specifications used to improve the property. Except in the case of a legitimate dispute, the misuse of those funds by a contractor or subcontractor may constitute theft by contractor. A violation of…
Continue Reading Reducing Risk of Theft by Contractor: Five Things to Consider

Recently, the debate has once again arisen about what “final judgment” means under Wis. Stat. section 767.451(1). Is the “final judgment” the original judgment in the action or is it the most recent order determining legal custody or physical placement? Does the two-year truce restart with every new order, or is there a one-time truce after the matter is first resolved? The Debate Over ‘Final Judgment’ The conclusion matters, as pointed out by both Chelsie A. Thuecks in her

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Continue Reading When Does the Two-Year Cooling-Off Period Apply?

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  • September 24, 2026Wisconsin has reestablished a formal process for seeking commutation after a roughly three-decade hiatus. Nate Oesch outlines what to know about eligibility, applications, and the state’s new Commutation Advisory Board.
    After a roughly three-decade hiatus, Wisconsin has reestablished a formal process for individuals serving prison sentences to apply for commutation — i.e., a reduction or modification of their sentence by the governor. In April 2026, Gov. Tony Evers signed two executive orders creating the Commutation Advisory Board

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Continue Reading Wisconsin Revives Its Commutation Process: What Practitioners Should know

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A group of proponents for the proposed rule petition to create non-lawyer legal advocates spoke at the Sept. 18 Board of Governors meeting.

Sept. 22, 2026 — The 53-member State Bar of Wisconsin Board of Governors (Board) learned the details of a rule petition (26-04) that would allow non-lawyer legal advocates, under lawyer supervision, to represent clients in specific case types.

The Wisconsin Access to Justice Commission filed Petition 26-04 with the Supreme Court in early September.
Continue Reading State Bar Board Discusses Non-Lawyer Legal Advocate Rule Petition, Other Matters

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

This article was originally posted July 10, 2026, in the Marquette University Law School Faculty Blog. It is reprinted here with permission.

With few exceptions, the development and administration of water law (and environmental law more generally) have been the responsibility of either the federal government or the states. In matters related to the control of water pollution, for example, a “cooperative federalism” approach predominates. A federal statute, the Clean Water Act, provides the substance. Yet it is

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Continue Reading The Growing Role of Local Governments in Governing Water Resources

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Aug. 17, 2026 – An unborn child has a right of informed consent by statute, and with it, a right to pursue legal action against a doctor, the Wisconsin Supreme Court held in Brekke v. Midwest Medical Insurance Co., 2026 WI 29.

“Charlie May Brekke was a patient under [Wis. Stat. section 448.30] before her birth. Dr. Batley had a duty to obtain informed consent from Samantha regarding herself and Charlie,” wrote Chief Justice Jill J. Karofsky…
Continue Reading Supreme Court: Statute Requires Informed Consent to Unborn Child