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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Director of State Courts Audrey Skwierawski gave opening remarks at the Board of Governors meeting in La Crosse, noting the Wisconsin Court System’s major initiatives.

June 11, 2026 – The imminent end of the State Bar of Wisconsin’s fiscal year signals time to prepare for the new year and its challenges.

The 53-member Board of Governors (Board), kicking off the Annual Meeting & Conference in La Crosse, prepared through new appointments and elections for Fiscal Year 2027 (July 1,…
Continue Reading New Fiscal Year, New Leaders: State Bar Board Looks to Fiscal Year 2027

In April 2026, Governor Evers signed into law two significant bills addressing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

The Wisconsin Legislature, alongside the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), has worked on PFAS-legislation for the past decade, and on the newly enacted 2025 Wis. Act 200 and 2025 Wis. Act 201 since March 2025. Acts 200 and 201 create exemptions under the state Spills Law, establish new PFAS grant programs and funding allocations, and expand the ​DNR’s​ responsibilities related to…
Continue Reading Wisconsin Addresses PFAS Contamination and Creates Exemptions

June 5, 2026 – A City of Milwaukee election official wanted to show it’s easy to fraudulently obtain absentee military ballots.

In succeeding, she committed election fraud, the District I Wisconsin Court of Appeals affirmed in State v. Zapata, No. 2025AP425-CR (May 12, 2026).

“We conclude that Wis. Stat. § 12.13(3)(i) prohibits making false statements for the purpose of actually or constructively obtaining an absentee ballot, and [Kimberly D.] Zapata constructively obtained the ballots she requested,” wrote…
Continue Reading Wisconsin Court of Appeals: Intent Didn’t Prevent Election Fraud

a large group of people smiling at the cameraNonresident Wisconsin lawyers in Minnesota gathered for an outing in Minneapolis on May 12. The NRLD seeks leaders to help organize events for chapters around the U.S.

With almost 30 percent of its members residing and practicing outside the State of Wisconsin, the State Bar created the Nonresident Lawyers Division (NRLD) as a mechanism to keep its members connected and involved, and their ties to Wisconsin active and based on real professional links.

The NRLD ensures the State Bar’s…
Continue Reading NRLD Seeks Chapter Leaders

The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification 2.0 (CMMC 2.0) is a Department of Defense (DoD) initiated standard meant to assess defense contractor compliance with existing information safeguarding requirements for federal contract information (FCI), as defined in section 4.1901 of the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), and controlled unclassified information (CUI), as outlined in Title 32 CFR 2002.4(h). The Rule requires all entities who store information classified as FCI or CUI to comply with cybersecurity standards set in CMMC 2.0. The Issue…
Continue Reading Beyond Cybersecurity: The Business and Legal Risks of CMMC 2.0

I want to begin by sharing my experience navigating the law school hiring cycle. During 1L, I was fortunate to be accepted into the State Bar of Wisconsin’s Diversity Clerkship Program. I applied and interviewed in January 2024, was accepted into the program in February, interviewed with employers shortly afterward, and ultimately secured a placement in March. In 2024, that was incredibly fast. I withdrew applications from several employers who would not even begin reviewing applications until late March.
Continue Reading The Accelerated Law School Hiring Cycle Hurts Our Profession

When a workplace injury occurs, the legal response often begins with worker’s compensation. But for both employers and employees, that is rarely the end of the story. As medical restrictions continue or evolve, the same set of facts can implicate worker’s compensation law, the ADA and Wisconsin Fair Employment Act (WFEA), and federal and state leave statutes at the same time. Understanding this overlap matters because the legal risks and the practical expectations look very different depending on which…
Continue Reading Navigating Workplace Injury Obligations for Employers and Employees in Wisconsin

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Earlier this month, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers signed two executive orders: Executive Order #287, creating an advisory board to review applications for commutations, and Executive Order #288, creating a specific process for commutation requests from people who were sentenced to life imprisonment while they were juveniles.

The Wisconsin Constitution grants the governor the power to issue commutations and pardons, but unlike the pardon power, which Gov. Evers has exercised since creating a Pardon Advisory Board in 2019,…
Continue Reading Commutations in Wisconsin: A Rare Opportunity for Relief

Many lawyers are not aware of website accessibility. Oftentimes a lawyer’s exposure to the issue of website accessibility is communications from a client receiving a letter stating that their website is not accessible or dealing with a potential lawsuit.

Unfortunately, due to the frequency of dealing with these letters and the often quick settlements, these letters have attracted a reputation as being filed by lawyers interested in nuisance settlements. However, that is frequently not the case, and a particular…
Continue Reading Why Website Accessibility Should Be on Every Lawyer’s Radar

To safeguard the Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, Miranda prevents prosecutors from introducing statements made by suspects under custodial interrogation unless law enforcement informs the suspect of certain now-familiar rights. [1] Specifically, a person under custodial interrogation “must be warned that he has a right to remain silent, that any statement he does make may be used as evidence against him, and that he has a right to the presence of an attorney, either retained or appointed.” [2] The…
Continue Reading Wisconsin Supreme Court: 12-Year-Old Boy was in Custody During School Police Questioning

May 11, 2026Divorce by Affidavit: What Wisconsin Family Lawyers Need to KnowDivorce by affidavit offers a more flexible path for uncontested divorce cases in Wisconsin, particularly for clients facing scheduling, mobility, distance, child care, or emotional barriers to appearing in court. Tiara Oates outlines the requirements, benefits, and possible drawbacks of using this new process.By
Tiara Oates

As of Oct. 31, 2025, divorce by affidavit (2025 Wisconsin Act 40) can be used to finalize uncontested divorce

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Continue Reading Divorce by Affidavit: What Wisconsin Family Lawyers Need to Know

April 28, 2026 – The asbestos dust that a steamfitter breathed, causing mesothelioma, resulted in safe-place statute liability for Pabst Brewing Co., a 5-2 majority of the Wisconsin Supreme Court decided recently in

Estate of Carol Lorbiecki v. Pabst Brewing Co., 2026 WI 12.

“As the owner of the brewery, Pabst owed a non-delegable duty under the safe-place statute to frequenters on the premises, a category that includes employees of independent contractors like Lorbiecki,” Justice Rebecca Frank…
Continue Reading Wisconsin Supreme Court: Asbestos Created Safe-Place Statute Liability

S corporations (S corps) serve a purpose that is very attractive to clients, especially in Wisconsin where there are so many closely held family businesses. But what many clients fail to realize is just how delicate S corps can be. The rules and requirements for S corps are incredibly rigid, and they are extremely easy to run afoul of them. Oftentimes, I find that the client is so focused on the benefits that they do not internalize the restrictions…
Continue Reading That S Corp Election May Not Be Valid: A Common Oversight in LLC Operating Agreements