Board tackles issues from 17-year olds legal status to proposed amendments to Wisconsin Constitution, and more

Our State Bar reports on the March 9, 2007 meeting of its Board of Governors

On WisTAF

The board approved the WisTAF Assessment Task Force’s request to prepare and file a petition with the supreme court to amend SCR 13.045. The petition will seek to allow attorneys the option of certifying on their annual dues statement a donation of $50 or more to a law-related civil legal service entity, other than WisTAF, provided the entity has eligible programs for the purposes specified in SCR 13.03(2)(a)(1). The petition also will seek to include judges as payers of the WisTAF assessment.

The board opposed task force recommendations to: permit credit for nonresident members for similar home state assessments; allow members to provide pro bono services instead of paying the assessment; and modify the amount of the assessment owed based upon years of practice. The board did not vote on a provision to establish a separate fund to manage the assessment.

On the age for adult criminal proceedings

The board adopted a public policy position at the request of the Children and the Law Section supporting legislation to raise from 17 to 18 the age at which persons are subject to adult court.

Constitutional amendments

The board opposed, 36 - 2, three proposed amendments to the Wisconsin Constitution prohibiting the Wisconsin Supreme Court from assessing lawyers to pay for civil services to poor people, prohibiting the Wisconsin Supreme Court from requiring attorneys to join or pay dues to the State Bar or any bar association, and requiring the Wisconsin Supreme Court to open its case conferences to the public and publicly notice issues to be considered.

Administrative law judges

The board opposed a Social Security Administration administrative law judge (ALJ) petition seeking State Bar judicial membership status. ...

A public hearing is scheduled before the supreme court on April 12 at 9:30 a.m.

Among other actions

The board set the fiscal year (FY) 08, July 1, 2007 - June 30, 2008, Keller dues at $5.25 per member, under the standard set in SCR 10.03(5). Under Keller, the State Bar cannot use compulsory dues of objecting members for political or ideological activities that are not reasonably related to regulating the legal profession or improving the quality of legal services.