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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Mayur Gala, Unsplash
As a first-year law student, I’ve learned that the legal profession is built around a desire to help people. Regardless of who is helped or in what capacity, a central tenet of our legal system is advocacy, which is particularly impactful when supporting those who need it the most.

Through the pro bono programs and public interest offerings at Marquette Law, I have been able to experience this value firsthand.
Public Interest Opportunities at Marquette Law
Coming into law…
Continue Reading A 1L’s Perspective on Pro Bono Work and Public Interest Law

Business attorneys should proactively reassess their clients’ contracts in response to recent tariffs and the possibility of future tariff increases. These changes can significantly impact clients’ supply chains, pricing structures, and contractual obligations across various industries, and clients must be prepared for the effects this can have on their agreements.

By reviewing and revising contracts now, attorneys can help clients mitigate risks, maintain compliance, and ensure financial stability.

While one could argue that tariff increases have at least some…
Continue Reading Amid New Tariffs, Review Client Contracts

In Wisconsin, litigants may only appeal a final circuit court judgment or order to the Wisconsin ​Court of Appeals per Wis. Stat. section 808.03(1) as a matter of right – appeals from nonfinal orders are permissive. Litigants must strictly follow deadlines for appellate jurisdiction: they have a maximum of 90 days to file an appeal, per Wis. Stat. section 808.04(1).

In a divorce, legal separation, or other family law matter initiated by summons and petition, determining when an order…
Continue Reading Waiting for All Issues to Resolve? You May Miss the Appeal Window

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April 24, 2025 – After an employer had police investigate possible theft by employees, the employees’ subsequent discharge violated the Wisconsin Fair Employment Act’s (WFEA) prohibitions against termination discrimination because of an arrest record, a 5-2 supreme court majority decided April 10 in

Oconomowoc Area School District v. Cota, 2025 WI 11.

Three justices didn’t like that result. Justice Janet C. Protasiewicz’s concurrence said this “strange result” required legislative revision of the WFEA.

Chief Justice Annette Kingsland Ziegler’s

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Continue Reading Suspicious District Faulted for WFEA Firing Violation

This spring, labor and employment attorneys and law students have been busy teaching employee rights and obligations to students in Madison.

Naomi Swain headshot
Naomi R. Swain, U.W. 2021, is an associate attorney at
Hawks Quindel’s, Madison office. Her practice covers worker’s compensation, disability benefits, and family law.

Under attorney supervision, U.W. Law School students in the Labor and Employment Student Association (LESA) spoke with high school students about basic employee rights. Similarly, labor and employment attorneys present to Certified…
Continue Reading Attorneys and Law Students Present on Employment Rights

Justice Hagedorn speaks at a podiumThe 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

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Continue Reading State Bar Board Selects Next Executive Director, Approves FY 2026 Budget, Takes Other Action

The Delaware legislature has been moving quickly to ensure that Delaware remains the preeminent home of choice for many corporations by amending the Delaware General Corporation Law (DGCL). The comprehensive changes, known as SB 21, became law on March 25, 2025, when the Delaware House of Representatives passed the bill, and Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer signed it into law. A copy of SB 21 as finally adopted is available on the Delaware Legislature website. Delaware’s legislature and governor…
Continue Reading Delaware Enacts Significant Changes to its General Corporation Law

On his first day in office, Jan. 20, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order that was a shot across the bow to American wind energy production.

The executive order includes the following directives:

  • withdrawal from disposition all areas within the Offshore Continental Shelf (OCS) for wind energy leasing;
  • a halt in consideration of any area in the OCS for new or renewed wind energy leasing;
  • a temporary halt and immediate review of federal wind leasing and permitting practices;

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Continue Reading Wisconsin’s Wind Energy Future Uncertain After Executive Order

headshot of Jill Creston Rothstein

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

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Continue Reading Jill Creston Rothstein Selected as Next Executive Director for the State Bar of Wisconsin

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April 9, 2025 – The Wisconsin Supreme Court became the ultimate referee Tuesday in deciding 5-2 in Halter v. Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA), 2025 WI 10 that the WIAA acted reasonably in suspending high school wrestler Hayden Halter for unsportsmanlike conduct.

However, four justices didn’t think the case fit the supreme court’s docket. Justice Janet C. Protasiewicz, joined by Justice Jill J. Karofsky, concurred with the majority but concluded that the WIAA, a private, contractual organization, was not

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Continue Reading Wisconsin Supreme Court Denies Wrestler's Suspension Challenge

Wisconsin ranks 38th in the nation on laws related to restoring rights and opportunities after arrest or conviction.1 According to the Wisconsin Policy Forum, Wisconsin is the only state in the nation where judges are required to order expungement at sentencing instead of at the completion of someone’s sentence. Wisconsin also limits expungement to people under the age of 25, making it one of the only states that limits expungement to young offenders.2

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Christina E. Balistreri,

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Continue Reading Expungement and Pardons in Wisconsin: A Brief Overview

Justice Ann Walsh BradleyJustice 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

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Continue Reading State Bar Thanks Chief Justice Ziegler, Welcomes New Chiefs, A.W. Bradley and Karofsky

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April 3, 2025 – The 19-year appeal odyssey of Jacob Alan Powers may have ended last week when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit decided in
Powers v. Noble, No. 24-2134 (March 25, 2025) that Powers was competent at his 2006 trial. The result of the federal habeas corpus review stretched out because of changes in the arguments Powers made. But the final arguments ended where they began, arguing that he was not competent to

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Continue Reading Seventh Circuit: Competency Shown Over Mental Health Limitations

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April 2, 2025 – An appellate fast break by the Wisconsin Attorney General last weekend failed to net an emergency injunction, and Elon Musk gave away $2 million from his America PAC at his Sunday evening rally. Attorney General Josh Kaul sought the preliminary injunction because his office believed the planned giveaway violated statutory prohibitions in Wis. Stat. section 12.11(1m) on giving anything of value to encourage voting, in this instance, yesterday’s Supreme Court election. Musk has shown support

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Continue Reading Election-Related Injunction Fails at Wisconsin Supreme Court

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  March 26, 2025 – Three ballots lacking two initials from election officials, which if rejected would have changed the winner, remained effective under current election statutes, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals District IV decided in Gonfiantini v. Rock County Board of Canvassers (Board), No. 2024AP1233 (March 6, 2025), recommended for publication. Not only did state statutes, as amended through the past 60 years, show that the error alone doesn’t justify rejecting the ballots, the court held the candidate’s

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Continue Reading Court of Appeals: Statutes Didn’t Allow Rejection for Ballot Error

Wis. Stat. chapter 704 and Wis. Admin. Code chapter ATCP 134 govern landlord tenant law in Wisconsin. However, municipalities throughout Wisconsin have enacted their own ordinances that create variations in the Wisconsin statutes and administrative code.

It is important to understand local ordinances when practicing landlord tenant law in Wisconsin. These variances may provide additional protections to tenants or require specific procedures for landlords or tenants in relation to disputes regarding the rented premises.
An Example: Repairs
Repairs at

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Continue Reading Variations in the Legal Rights of Residential Landlords and Tenants