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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Explore the evolution and impact of legal blogging with Kevin O’Keefe, CEO of LexBlog Inc., as he shares insights on how lawyers can leverage blogs for reputation, niche authority, and adapting to AI advancements. The LexBlog Library “indexes and archives legal commentary published across the web, providing the structure and metadata required to power the AI-driven web.”

O’Keefe, who started his legal career as a trial lawyer in La Crosse, discusses his path into the legal tech world, the…
Continue Reading Bottom Up Episode 30: Legal Blogging with LexBlog CEO Kevin O’Keefe

Providers, patients and regulators alike are assessing and questioning the appropriate use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in the health care space. One such technology is ambient listening tools, which passively capture physician-patient clinical conversations in real time and generate draft clinical notes by transcribing and summarizing these encounters using trained AI algorithms. So, can providers record their patient appointments? The short answer: generally, yes. And are they doing so? Likely. If not, with major electronic health record (EHR)

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Continue Reading Patient Privacy in the Age of AI Scribes: Notice, Consent, and Compliance

March 4, 2026 – The State Bar of Wisconsin’s 53-member
Board of Governors (Board) discussed the proposed fiscal year 2027 budget (July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027) and set the
Keller dues reduction amount at its Feb. 27 virtual meeting. The budget arrived at the Board after Finance Committee approval and unanimous approval of the Executive Committee. Interim Director for Administration and Finance, Jackie Jacobson, presented the proposed budget, outlining the process that built it. The first round

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Continue Reading State Bar Board Discusses Budget, Approves Keller Reduction

Stock Image of Dispensed Pills
Feb. 25, 2026 – An appeal challenging the constitutionality of involuntary medication to restore a defendant’s competency to stand trial gave the Wisconsin Supreme Court the opportunity to set standards of review for the
Sell factors in
State v. J.D.B., 2026 WI 5. Justice Brian K. Hagedorn, writing for the 6-1 majority, said “we independently conclude – and agree with the circuit court – that the [s]tate has an important interest in prosecuting Jared for his serious crime

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Continue Reading Wisconsin Supreme Court Sets Involuntary Medication Standards of Review

Effectively representing domestic abuse/intimate partner violence (IPV)[1] victim-survivors requires exemplary soft skills, such as active listening, clear communication, patience, and compassion. Intimate partner violence is a pattern of controlling behavior that includes threats, psychological manipulation, verbal degradation, financial coercion, sexual abuse, physical abuse, educational deprivation, spiritual abuse, stalking, and other tactics to control a partner. IPV can occur between individuals who are dating, separated, divorced, or married.[2] Wisconsin’s legal definition of domestic abuse is much narrower, which

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Continue Reading 5 Tips for Representing Survivors of Domestic Abuse

stock photoFeb. 24, 2026 – Google’s scan of four files that its employee confirmed contained child sexual abuse material (CSAM) operated outside of the Fourth Amendment as a private search, the Wisconsin Supreme Court unanimously decided today in State v. Rauch Sharak, 2026 WI 4.

“Google scanned and viewed Rauch Sharak’s files on its own. It had a business reason to do so. Law enforcement became involved only after Google submitted a CyberTip,” summarized Justice Janet C. Protasiewicz, who

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Continue Reading Wisconsin Supreme Court: Google was a Private Actor in File Search

You’ve got a brilliant business idea, but choosing the wrong legal structure could cost you thousands in taxes, expose your personal assets to creditors, or create unnecessary complications as you grow. The business structure you select isn’t just paperwork – it’s a foundational decision that affects your liability protection, tax obligations, fundraising capabilities, and long-term flexibility. In this article, I walk through the most common business structures, compare their pros and cons, and help you determine which one aligns

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Continue Reading Choosing the Right Business Structure

In this season of resolutions, I pledge to continue in 2026 to promote myself as a problem solver for family law cases.

Both the public and the profession will benefit from a renewed effort by lawyers to do so. The profession will benefit by helping more people (and getting more business) and the public will benefit by having their affairs handled professionally rather than taking the risk of doing it themselves.
Cause or Correlation?
Over the course of my

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Continue Reading Family Lawyer as Problem Solver

What began as a routine walk along the Lake Michigan shoreline in Shorewood last summer has evolved into a dispute related to the foundational
Wisconsin public trust doctrine. Based on the ensuing fallout, many observers believe this dispute between two Shorewood residents could lead to the Wisconsin Supreme Court revisiting a 100-year-old decision on the limits of public access rights that are enshrined in the Wisconsin Constitution.

Paul Florsheim, a longtime resident of Shorewood and a University of

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Continue Reading A Narrow Strip of Sand, a Rocky Constitutional Question

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) was signed into law on July 4, 2025, by President Trump. OBBBA represents a significant recalibration of the federal tax framework with direct and lasting consequences for estate planning.

At its core, OBBBA extends or makes permanent many of the tax cuts originally enacted under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA), but stopping there misses the point. OBBBA not only locks in the TCJA’s framework – it adds additional

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Continue Reading The Impact of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act on Estate Planning

Although a significant percentage of Wisconsin’s population
lives outside of the main metro areas, access to clinical research studies has been primarily limited to trials initiated by the two academic medical health centers located in
Milwaukee and
Madison. However, the availability and adoption of digital health technologies (DHTs) – such as software and digital applications, electronic sensors, and computing platforms – is increasing. As a result, clinical research studies can incorporate one or more components of telehealth

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Continue Reading Technology is Expanding the Wisconsin Clinical Research Map

The beginning of a new year often signifies an opportunity to reflect upon the past, to set goals for the future, and to begin with a fresh start. Each January, many of us, inspired by the start of the new year, resolve to become better versions of ourselves, try something new, or achieve myriad personal aspirations. But new year’s resolutions need not be limited to personal growth. While many of us are hoping to hit the gym more frequently

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Continue Reading Get Your Employee Handbook into Shape

Chadwick W. Elgersma
Feb. 4, 2026 – Lifetime enforcer Chadwick M. Elgersma received appointment as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, according to a press release issued by the U.S. Department of Justice on Monday. Chief U.S. District Court Judge James D. Peterson signed the order on Jan. 22. “I am honored to serve as United States Attorney,” Elgersma said. “I thank the Court, President Trump, and Attorney General Bondi for the trust they placed in me, and I pledge

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Continue Reading Elgersma Appointed Western District U.S. Attorney

In Wisconsin, children with incarcerated parents often face compounded challenges that extend far beyond the courtroom. The emotional toll of separation, coupled with the instability it can create in housing, education, and caregiving, frequently manifests in behavioral and mental health concerns. These children are the disproportionate majority in CHIPS and JIPS proceedings, and their trauma, often unspoken, can echo across generations. As practitioners, we must recognize that parental incarceration is not merely a background detail – it is a

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Continue Reading The Generational Impact of Incarcerated Parents on Children

For many lawyers in private practice, “pro bono” is not something that is often talked about, but efforts to provide legal services to those who cannot afford is vital to the Wisconsin community.

If you practice in Wisconsin, there is a plethora of opportunities that will enable you to provide these essential services while also developing skills and gaining experience that will assist you in your private practice.

These opportunities include accepting Wisconsin State Public Defender (SPD) appointments at

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Continue Reading Pro Bono Work Sharpens Your Practice

Trudging up Bascom Hill is a hallmark of the UW Law student experience. All who summit Bascom with a UW Law diploma know the breathtaking climb well. This familiar climb unites generations of UW Law students: every fall, a new class of 1Ls arrives at the base of Bascom, then embarks on the same three-year climb toward graduation. Although Bascom’s first ascent – 1L year – is known to be a challenging journey for every 1L class, this year’s

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Continue Reading Bascom Hill Just Got Steeper: 2L Summer Recruiting Now Starts 1L Fall