WAUKESHA COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
Thursday, March 12, 2015
12:00 p.m.
In Attendance:
Dehring
Linda Coyle, Lori Fabian, Ryan Harrington, Eric Love, Sarah Ponath, Bob
Absent & Missed:
Jean LeTour, Ron Sonderhouse, Michelle Martin, Sharron Stolpa
Call to Order:
12:05pm.
The meeting was duly called to order by President Linda Coyle at
Minutes of the February 19, 2015, Board of Directors Meeting: A motion was made,
seconded to adopt and approve the Revised Minutes of the February 19, 2015. The revised
minutes will reflect a correction to membership of the Cabinet Committee.
Treasurer’s and Membership Report:
The Treasurer’s and Membership Report were
reviewed. WCBA Membership is at a record high. The Treasurer’s report does not reflect an
additional $75.00 check received after the Support Staff luncheon.
Old Business and Committee Reports:
a.
State Board of Governors’ Report.
Sarah Ponath updated the Board on t
Board of Governors news. The next meeting is scheduled for April 24, 2015. State Bar elections
are in April. Significant races are for President-Elect of the State Bar of Wisconsin, and District
6 (Waukesha County) election of BOG representative for a two year term. On the ballot for
District 6 are Ron Sonderhouse and Dan Fay.
b.
Review of Events.
i.
Staff Support Luncheon. The Board received mostly positive
feedback on the entertainment and food service, with a few negative comments about time
management for the event. The sponsorship of Associated Bank was greatly appreciated to
offset the cost of the entertainment.
ii.
Judicial Debates.
The debates are on March 24, 2015, in the
Waukesha County Courthouse cafeteria. Linda Coyle has submitted a press release to all area
newspapers and will follow up with the candidates regarding the format of the event. Candidates
will be limited to 2 minute introductions and 1 minute response time to each question. Sarah
Ponath will forward another e-mail reminder to WCBA membership.
iii.
Annual Meeting: Awards. The Annual Meeting is May 14, 2015.
Award nominations are due by April 7, 2015 and the reservation deadline for the Meeting is May
1, 2015. There was discussion about potential candidates for the three annual WCBA awards,
with the potential sharing of the Lifetime Achievement award between two eligible candidates.
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c.
Lifetime Achievement Award – State Bar of Wisconsin. Nomination
documents have been submitted to the State Bar for Judge Davis’ nomination.
d.
Judicial Valuation Poll.
An excellent job by Lori Fabian in completing and
distributing the online judicial valuation poll. Results will be compiled after March 23rd and
forwarded in the form of press releases to the majority of Waukesha County newspapers. At the
time of the meeting, 107 members had submitted opinions.
e.
Nominations for Board of Directors.
A few nominations have been
received for consideration to fill the two open seats on the WCBA Board of Directors. A final
call will be made to solicit additional nominations for consideration at the April board meeting.
New Business:
a.
2015-2016 Budget. The proposed 2015-2016 budget is on the agenda for the
April 8, 2015, meeting. A draft of the proposed budget should be forwarded to all board
members by March 20, 2015 via e-mail for feedback.
c.
WisLAP.
Tabled. Sarah Ponath will follow up with WisLap about providing
information about the Lawyer Assistance Program at upcoming WCBA events.
d.
Civil Litigation Section.
It was announced that Amy Freiman will be taking
over for Stephanie Erickson as the chair of the Civil Litigation Section.
e.
Cabinet Committee. Mary Flanner is no longer interested in becoming a
member of the Cabinet Committee. The WCBA membership will be asked again for volunteers,
along with a volunteer event photographer.
f.
Scriptus. The Spring newsletter was distributed the first week of March. The
Board is seeking a new member to take over the responsibilities of the Scriptus and other WCBA
communications. It was discussed whether the position of President-Elect or Secretary-Treasurer
should be delegated with these responsibilities.
g.
State Bar Conference. Nominations were forwarded to the State Bar for Young
Leaders to attend the conference on a grant. Sarah Ponath will follow up with State Bar
representatives to confirm the status.
Adjournment:
A motion was made by Bob Dehring, seconded by Lori Fabian to adjourn.
The meeting was adjourned at 12:40PM.
Next Meeting:
The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 8, 2015, at 12:00
p.m. in Room AC G55. PLEASE NOTE CHANGE IN DATE.
Respectfully submitted,
Sarah Ponath, President-Elect
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