Attendance rebounds at State Bar gathering

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After several years of declining numbers, the State Bar of Wisconsin’s Annual Convention enjoyed a surge in 2010 attendance.

According to the bar, 854 people attended last year’s conference held in Milwaukee, the lowest total in four years.

But almost 200 more people visited this year’s convention, held May 5-7 at Monona Terrace in Madison. The attendance of 1,052 was the most since 2006.

Theories for the increase range from the presence of former United States Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor to a growing interest in technology.

Chicago attorney and LexisNexis consultant Wendy D. Calvert regularly attends the annual convention and said she listened to the keynote luncheon speech by O’Connor, which was well attended.

Calvert also met with more solo and small firm practitioners who asked questions about new technological advancements.

“I definitely had a lot more people asking me about what is new and different in technology, especially e-discovery,” Calvert said. “The practice is a lot more technology-based and there are more people interested in using software.”

Earlier this year, the bar’s executive committee explored some possible changes to the convention format in the future. At its February meeting the bar’s board of governors voted in support of holding next year’s convention at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells, June 8-11.

Traditionally, the convention has alternated between venues in Madison and Milwaukee.

Executive committee member Kelly C. Nickel said the motivation behind holding the convention at a new destination is to encourage more participation by lawyers outside of Milwaukee and Dane counties.

As President of the State Bar’s Non-Resident Lawyer’s Division, Calvert said some lawyers may view the bar as only catering to those who practice in the state’s largest cities.

“The goal is to dispel that notion,” said Nickel.

She said the resort setting could promote attorneys to bring their families, although she noted the convention date could be an obstacle for some who may still have children in school.

Other possible modifications discussed for the future include a series of multi-day Continuing Legal Education Conferences catering to several hundred attorneys in unrelated practice areas.

Jack Zemlicka can be reached at [email protected].