• 12/8 – Wisconsin Association for Justice Elects New Leaders
• 11/24 – The Great Writ of Habeas Corpus
• 10/3 - U.S. Chamber Help Create Current Financial Crisis
• 9/22 - Insurance Company Bailout Costing Us All

AAJ study.  ”Tricks of the Trade: How Insurance Companies Deny, Delay, Confuse and Refuse."
Insurers are increasingly using tough tactics against cash-strapped consumers to boost profits, according to a new report by AAJ that investigates claims data, policies, and news accounts.  The report details tactics that target policyholders, insurance companies that are engaging in these practices, and what consumers can do to prevent abuses and fight back. Click here to read the report.

Earlier this year WAJ unveiled our new website, www.WisJustice.org. Featured prominently on the site is the Members section, which includes the Verdicts and Settlements database and information on our listservs.

WAJ is also using this area of the website to highlight the important work of our members – both in the community and through our profession.

A new section we are unveiling today, Members Making a Difference, features stories of WAJ members and their community involvement. This unique section will help WAJ discuss the important effort of trial attorneys in cities and towns throughout our state.

We are also encouraging those of you who have not yet shared your stories to do so by sending your information to Ruth Simpson, rsimpson@wisjustice.org.

New WAJ Officers Elected
The Wisconsin Association for Justice is proud to announce our new slate of officers, elected by a vote of the membership on Friday, December 5, 2008 at the Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee. For those of you who were able to join us, we appreciate your participation and hope that you are encouraged to become even more active in WAJ’s many projects, efforts and activities.

The newly elected officers include:

• President: Brookfield attorney, Mark L. Thomsen
• President-Elect: Salem attorney, Paul Gagliardi
• Vice President: Milwaukee attorney, J. Michael End
• Secretary: Green Bay attorney, Edward Vopal
• Treasurer: Milwaukee attorney, Jeffrey A. Pitman.

Spring Seminar
Mark your calendars for Friday, March 20, 2009. Once again we will be at the Radisson Hotel and Conference Center in Green Bay. We will be sending out registration information in January. Click here for more info.

Notice of CLE for WAJ Seminars
If you attended a WAJ Seminar in 2007 or 2008, visit our website to confirm approved credit before you report your CLE. WAJ applies for CLE credit in Wisconsin and Minnesota for each of its quarterly seminars and with the Paralegal Association of Wisconsin for the Spring and Winter programs.

Need Last Minute CLE?
If you need last-minute CLE before the end of the year, participate in a SeminarWeb Live! or SeminarWeb OnDemand course through our website. Two live programs are scheduled before the end of this month, one of which has been approved for ethics credit, and dozens of past program topics are available for you to choose from on a schedule that is convenient for you. Earn CLE from the convenience of your home or office with the click of a mouse with our SeminarWeb programs!

2009 Supreme Court Race Around the Corner
The November elections are finally behind us. Due to your efforts we were able to help elect a progressive, pro-civil justice majority in both houses of the legislature for the first time in years. Despite these facts we cannot rest now. Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson’s re-election campaign is ramping up with the April 2009 election date just around the corner. We need to be ready, willing and able to help when called upon.

Join the Justice Fund.
WAJ’s conduit for political giving made a difference in the elections this fall! Through your participation we were able to meet and exceed our goals, helping elect a progressive and pro-civil justice majority in both houses of the legislature. Building participation in the Justice Fund is a top priority and WAJ is counting on your help in this important effort. For more information or to sign up, click here.

Member-Get-A-Member Program
WAJ is rewarding members for every new member they recruit. Under our Member-Get-A-Member program anyone who recruits a new member will earn a $20 Starbucks gift card. Members can even earn free registration to any one-day WAJ CLE seminar by recruiting three new members! For information on WAJ’s member benefits, click here. For a copy of the WAJ membership form, click here.