Member of the Monopoly

Written by Daniel on May 20, 2008 – 9:59 pm -

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Yesterday I became an official member of the State Bar of Wisconsin (if I wanted to be a lawyer in Wisconsin, I had no choice in the matter). There was a very nice ceremony at the Wisconsin Supreme Court, with Justices Crooks, Prosser, Roggensack, and Ziegler on the bench. All of the justices were very kind to the admittees, and Justice Crooks, as senior and presiding justice, was quite friendly throughout the ceremony, while still observing the appropriate traditions.

Thomas J. Basting, Sr., the president of the state bar, offered some remarks welcoming us to that august organization. He recounted a recent trip to D.C., where he lobbied on behalf of the Bar for increased funding for the Legal Services Corp. from Congress. Of course, this means that mandatory bar dues went to pay for his lobbying for mandatory tax dollars to aid left-wing legal causes (mixed in, obviously, with good and worthy civil legal services for people who simply can’t afford a lawyer otherwise).

After the swearing in at the Capitol, the Bar hosted a reception for us at Monona Terrace, where we signed “the book” of attorneys. They also gave us information about the Bar, including a flyer for the Young Lawyers Division. It said, If you’re under age 36, you are automatically enrolled in the Young Lawyers Division. Here’s what we do for you.

That was it - No choice, no application, no initiative, not even a box to check - just meet this age bracket, and you’re automatically in.

Ah, gotta love it when a monopoly revels in its power. I recall a banner that once hung in the AMU that Brian constantly railed against: “US Bank: The Only Bank on Campus.”

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3 Comments to “Member of the Monopoly”

  1. Terrence Berres Says:
    May 21st, 2008 at 1:15 pm

    Dear 1056658,

    Welcome to our State Bar.

    1016473

  2. Jennifer Edmondson Says:
    May 22nd, 2008 at 9:20 am

    You missed the big picture; membership in the entire State Bar is mandatory if you want to practice law in Wisconsin - that’s where you have no freedom of choice. The membership to the Young Lawyers Division comes with your mandatory membership to the Bar.

    Years ago three attorneys filed a lawsuit challenging the mandatory bar. One of them has just been elected President-Elect to the bar. Another of those three is the past president.

    New member, will you do something to try to change the mandatory bar?

  3. Super Id Says:
    May 23rd, 2008 at 2:52 pm

    Would you even want to do something about the mandatory bar? After all it is one of the reasons that Wisconsin doesn’t require a bar exam for in state graduates.

    I’m thinking that alone is worth about 10 years of bar dues.

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