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By: Wisconsin Lawyers Mutual Insurance

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Brian Anderson
Matt Beier
Thomas Watson

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It’s summer, and almost everyone is looking ahead to what we hope will be something that resembles what we remember as “normal,” such as getting back into the office and eventually gathering in person to see each other again. The pandemic isn’t over, of course. Meanwhile, what is the aftermath of the past year and what have the effects been on your practice, your clients, and your own personal health and well-being? It’s okay to feel stress and anxiety, especially after what we have all been coping with over the past year. But heed the advice of mental health experts:…
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The cloud-based program has also now expanded to provide operational accounting for law firms. TrustBooks was created in 2015.  It is a cloud-based program that not only makes trust accounting easier for lawyers, and is geared toward legal accounting, it has also now expanded to provide operational accounting for law firms.  This is the only trust accounting software we have seen that is geared specifically to legal trust accounting. The website for the program can be found at https://trustbooks.com/. Tom Boyle We spoke with co-founder Tom Boyle to learn more. How did TrustBooks come about?  You obviously saw a…
Lawyers tend to be mobile, often working in several different capacities after they graduate from law school. It is not uncommon for a lawyer to start out working in private practice, then work in-house for a company, move into the fields of academia or government, only to finish their career back in private practice. The fact that there are so many different ways to utilize a law degree is one of the reasons that people decide to go to law school in the first place. Although changing careers can add excitement to one’s work life and bring about new challenges,…
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By Jay Reeves Here’s a modest proposal: every law school should start teaching a course in lifting and moving heavy objects. The class could be taught by adjunct faculty from U-Haul, Mayflower and All My Sons. Hand trucks and work gloves would replace laptops and textbooks. Students who shine would make Lug Review. Our profession collectively – and our Law Lives individually – would be better off as a result. Unfortunately, although I attended the finest law school in South Carolina (disclosure: also, the only one at the time), it offered no such course. Fortunately, I didn’t need it, having…
After more than a year of working from home with limited face-to-face contact, WILMIC’s office will reopen on Thursday, July 1. We would like to thank our staff and policyholders for helping us continue full business operations without interruption during the pandemic. While working mainly from home, our employees had access to almost all business functions, and will now return to the office to continue to serve our policyholders. They can be reached by either phone or e-mail from our staff directory. As has always been the case, if you need assistance, you can also call our main numbers,…
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WILMIC has introduced another service for policyholders this year.  It’s the one-hour, “Free-CLE Fridays With WILMIC” series that kicks off on April 16 at 12:00 Noon.  Free to policyholders, you can get your credits without leaving your home or office!  The programs are being offered virtually.  Just look for the program emails – one click will take you to the registration page. The first program on April 16 is titled, “The Technology Age – Cybersecurity Essentials for Law Firms.”  During the pandemic the past year, technology hackers have been more active than ever before, capitalizing on the pandemic chaos to…
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Over $10 Million in Dividends Has Been Paid Out Since 1999 For the 23rd consecutive year, WILMIC will be sending out dividend checks to policyholders. The Board of Directors declared the dividend at its recent spring meeting after reviewing the company’s 2020 financial results.  Cash dividends equal to five percent of annual premiums will be sent to law firms currently insured by Wisconsin Lawyers Mutual. Katja Kunzke, WILMIC President and Chief Executive Officer, says, “Cash dividends are a mutual company’s way of distributing earnings back to its owners.” “A dividend is what the mutual concept in insurance is all about,”…
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There has been plenty of change, upheaval and progress since the formation of WILMIC in 1986 when Wisconsin lawyers were being priced out of obtaining malpractice insurance.  In the 1990’s, technology innovations were starting to change the legal profession and WILMIC began paying back its bonds to policyholders.  In the 2000’s, an explosion in access to information had a profound effect on client expectations and WILMIC saw tremendous growth.  In the last ten years, we have seen incredible technological change, online business and finally, the coronavirus pandemic. Through all of that upheaval, WILMIC continues to show the stability and dependability…
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Looking for speakers who can deliver real-life examples of practical, use-it-now information?  Wisconsin Lawyers Mutual is presenting the same one-hour CLE programs to local bar associations and others during the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re just coming to you through Zoom videos, rather than in-person. With gatherings limited or halted altogether, WILMIC is still providing CLE programming to local bar associations.  Thanks to Zoom video technology, risk management programs are available free from WILMIC. Whether your local bar would like information on a specific topic, or just a general overview in all practice areas, our speakers will cover it for you. Continuing…
The on-going coronavirus pandemic has created many different challenges for lawyers during the past nine months.  From client communication to court proceedings to economic pressures on clients, there are no shortages of challenging issues for lawyers.  WILMIC Senior Claims Attorney Brian Anderson describes some of the risks that lawyers face and how to deal with them. The post Claims Digest first appeared on Wisconsin Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company.…
Under a petition filed with the Wisconsin Supreme Court by the Wisconsin Access to Justice Commission, law students would be allowed to get practical, hands-on experience under supervision earlier than they do now. The Commission has proposed Petition 20-04, to amend Supreme Court Rule (SCR) Chapter 50, which governs the… The post Law Students Would Get Earlier Court Experience under Proposed Rule Change first appeared on Wisconsin Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company.…
The past year has been a time of disruption and maybe even a little bit of chaos. Practicing law can bring stress and anxiety in “normal” times, but during the pandemic, even more so. Challenges brought by the needs and demands of clients, changing rules for court proceedings, and personal pressures have all combined to keep us constantly working on ways to stay balanced in a topsy-turvy world. Mary Spranger, Manager of the State Bar of Wisconsin’s Lawyers Assistance Program, says her office has had recent conversations with attorneys who essentially worked themselves into having panic attacks because they made…
The same cybersecurity risks that are threats at the office exist when working from home. During the coronavirus pandemic, the threats have jumped in frequency.  Experts say phishing scams have increased over the past nine months. The post Do You Trust Your Computer System, Especially During a Pandemic? Is Your Network Secure? WILMIC Can Direct You To Cybersecurity Protection first appeared on Wisconsin Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company.…
In this day and age, voicing an opinion is as easy as opening a social media site or an internet platform and typing away.  Lawyers can be frequent targets of criticism.  You have a target on your back if a case goes sideways.  An unhappy former client may want to… The post Been Targeted With a Negative Online Review? Use Caution If You Plan On Responding first appeared on Wisconsin Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company.…
Citing the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on lawyers’ ability to complete mandatory continuing legal education (CLE) credits in order to remain eligible to practice law in Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Supreme Court has extended its order allowing attorneys to obtain up to 30 continuing legal education (CLE) credits “on-demand” through Jan. 31, 2022. The post Wis. Supreme Court Order Allowing Attorneys To Get 30 CLE Credits On-Demand Is Extended first appeared on Wisconsin Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company.…