WisBar News: State Bar Welcomes 2012 U.W. Law School Graduates:

New lawyer Jami Lynn Crespo and her husband Aaron Seligman. Crespo is joining Boardman and Clark focusing in transactional law. Seligman, class of U.W. 2011, moved his wife’s admission to the State Bar of Wisconsin. Seligman is with Godfrey & Kahn.

Visit the State Bar’s Facebook page for more admissions photos.

June 7, 2012 – Earlier today, 154 U.W. Law School graduates were admitted to practice. The new lawyers were welcomed to the profession by the Wisconsin Supreme Court justices, U.W. Law School Dean Margaret Raymond, State Bar President Jim Brennan, and Board of Bar Examiners (BBE) Director Jacquelynn Rothstein.

Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson presided over the ceremonies. Justices Ann Walsh Bradley, N. Patrick Crooks, David T. Prosser Jr., Annette Kingsland Ziegler, and Michael J. Gableman administered the oath in the Supreme Court Hearing Room.

Following each swearing-in ceremony, Justice Patience Drake Roggensack spoke to the new lawyers. During the first ceremony, she began with a quote Eleanor Roosevelt: The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. “You are the future of the legal community in Wisconsin," said Roggensack. “Some very famous Americans have built their careers around dreams.” Referring to Dr. Martin Luther King’s famous I Have A Dream speech in 1963, she said, “We have made progress in racial equality since 1963 but more needs to be done. There are others that suffer from hardships that are not dependent on their race, sometimes due to a physical or an emotional handicap.

“Will you dedicate your careers to helping those who have difficulty helping themselves?” she asked. “Whatever your dream, the attitude with which you approach it is very important. Attitude is a little thing but it can make a very big difference in how your efforts and ideas are received by others. I urge you to adopt an optimistic attitude as your first task that will face you in your legal career. You will be surprised at what you can accomplish if you think you can do it.

New lawyers are sworn in. From left: Sartouk Moussavi, Ronnie V. Murray, Christine Elizabeth Nelson, Jeremy Newman and Claire L. Norsetter.

Timothy J. Dorr (center) is joined by his wife and Brian Huttenburg. Dorr is heading to Illinois and hopes to focus on litigation. Huttenburg hopes to practice in environmental law.

“If you don’t win your very first case … don’t be discouraged. Pick yourself up and try again,” she said. “Optimism is important in approaching legal challenges, but truth is also a very important ingredient of any dream that will succeed.

Quoting Winston Churchill: The truth in incontrovertible malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end there it is. Roggensack summed up, “Value truth and don’t give your word lightly, but once you give it, stand by it. As a lawyer, your word is the most important quality that you have so be known for being truthful and forthright … even when truth is not what others want to hear.” Don’t shade the truth and in the process become an appeaser for those who do not value the truth, she said. “As you practice, whatever your dream is, I urge you not to give up on it. The future can belong to each and every one of you if you believe in the beauty of your dreams.”

State Bar President Jim Brennan – reminded the new attorneys of the relationship of the rule of law and equal justice. “Public service is an important component of what we do that is shared and recognized by all lawyers,” he said. “It is certainly my hope that your careers will be marked by your commitment to service to individual clients, your community, and the court system.”

Chief Justice Abrahamson echoed Brennan’s comments and reminded the new lawyers about the goal of attorneys and judges and lawyers to maintain the rule of law. “Judicial decisions affect all of us, whether we are in court at litigants or as lawyers. Abrahamson urged the new members to raise your voices to protect and perfect our democracy, our rights and our responsibilities under law.”

The State Bar welcomes the following attorneys:

Gregory Michael Ainsley, Madison

Jeanine Rosa Belb Anderson, Madison

Wesley David Anderson, Madison

Kori Lynn Ashley, Milwaukee

Yongsoo Bahk, Madison

Christina Balistreri, Milwaukee

Alexa D. Baltodano, Madison

Thomas Anthony Bausch, Milwaukee

Nina Gerda Beck, Madison

Jeffrey Becker, Madison

Nathan Beemster, Madison

Cassandra Best, Madison

David Samuel Blinka, Greendale

Alexander P. Boettcher, Freeport, Ill.

Nicole Rae Borgen, New Richmond

Felice F. Borisy-Rudin, Madison

Melissa Ann Brown, Madison

Zak Buruin, Green Bay

Shannon A. Buttchen, Madison

James Campbell, Madison

Stephanie K. Chase, Madison

Davis Alan Ciotola, Madison

Allison E. Cogbill, Madison

Linda Irene Coleman, Washburn

Mikell Ashley Coleman, Madison

Jami Lynn Crespo, Madison

Kelly James Crombie, Columbus

Adria Crowe, Chicago

Rachel Edna Cychosz, Madison

James Daniel DeBriyn, Cable

Kathryn DeBruin, Appleton

Derek G. Dominguez, Madison

Allison Nicole Donenberg, Minneapolis

Timothy J. Dorr, Madison

Anita M. Dorrance, Madison

Jayme L. Durkee, Milwaukee

Nneka Colleen Egbujiobi, Beloit

Elizabeth N. Engel, Wauwatosa

Amy Ferguson, Rhinelander

Andrew T. Ferguson, Eau Claire

Amanda Victoria Fernley-Gonzalez, Madison

Jorge R. Fragoso, Madison

Paul Fredrickson, Milwaukee

Dana Sara Patricia Gavrila, Houston, Texas

Maryam Ghayyad, Madison

Christopher Brian Gierhart, Madison

Amanda Kathryn Grady, Madison

Jeffrey Eric Gross, Green Bay

Danielle Hackett, Palmyra

Peter Joseph Helf, Madison

Christian Alan Herrild, Madison

Joseph M. Higgins, Kenosha

Amber M. Hodgson, Madison

Natalie Ann Hoeper , Madison

Shane C. Hoffman, Fond du Lac

Nicholas Holland, Madison

Lida M. Horky, New Richmond

Jane Erin Howard, Madison

David O. Hughes, Kenosha

Brian Huttenburg, Madison

Jacob Allan Idlas, Minocqua

Samir S. Jaber, Milwaukee

Amanda Kate Jadin, New Franken

Mark W. Jeranek, Pleasant Prairie

Anamarie S. Jezo, Janesville

Kyle C. Johnson, Madison

Trevor F. Jones, Madison

Tara Stephanie Jordan, Madison

Margaret V. Kaiser, Hudson

Amanda Keitel, Madison

Hyunah Kim, Madison

Sung-Hoon Kim, Fairfax, VA

Kara May Koonce, Madison

Leslie Kuhn-Thayer, Madison

Cana G. Laska, Kohler

Anthony Lee, Madison

J. Jae Lee, Madison

Samantha R. Leonard, Madison

Kexin Li, Madison

Benjamin Lindsay, Madison

Nathan Littrell, Madison

Niramittata Ly, Madison

Alex George Mahfood, Madison

Chelsee B. Martinez, Madison

Michael Scott Mather, Milwaukee

Laura Marie McCabe, Madison

Gerardo Medina Jr., Fond du Lac

Lindsey Menebroeker, Madison

Dorothy Anne Miller, Madison

Joshua J. Minon, Pell Lake

Natasha R. Misra, Milwaukee

Janet Mitchell, Madison

Brandie L. Morgenroth, Madison

Sartouk Moussavi, Madison

Ronnie V. Murray, Madison

Christine Elizabeth Nelson, Madison

Jeremy Newman, Madison

Claire L. Norsetter, Madison

Jeffrey Stephen Nover, Washington, D.C.

Michael S. Oellerich, Brodhead

Jason K. Olley, Madison

Richard Thomas Orton, Madison

Erika M. Padgett, Madison

Lucas L. Petzold, Milwaukee

Ashley Janaii Poteat, Madison

Ian Prust, West Bend

Kathryn Puls, Chicago

Lina M. Ragep, Madison

Leroy Ramos, Milwaukee

Reid H. Rayome, Wausau

Anne Readel, Madison

Joseph Nugent Rectanus, Madison

Rebecca R. Remington, Madison

Ryan David Reszel, Madison

Matthew S. Richter, Milwaukee

Joseph Michael Ricker, Madison

Sean Riordan, Hartland

Joleen C. Rivera, Madison

Meghan Roed, Milwaukee

Blake A. Roter, Madison

Tanya Salman, Madison

Martin F. Schroeder, Madison

Melita Mullen Schuessler, Madison

Eric Abram Schulz, Madison

Douglas C. Scriver, Madison

James Conrad Severson, Madison

Robert J. Shepard, Waukesha

Justin Thomas Shultz, Milton

Jared Walker Smith, Middleton

Daniel P. Snyder, Madison

Daniel Spirn, Madison

Andrew Christian Stark, Madison

Sara L. Stellpflug, Madison

Amanda A. Steurer, Janesville

Kimberly C. Stietz, Madison

Jacob Matthew Stroup, Madison

Amy Sullivan, Sturgeon Bay

Sara Svendsen, Madison

Kelly Lynne Thorngate, Madison

Matthew Tobin, Madison

Pauline Toulouse, Saint Paul, Minn.

Robert C. Ulander, Saint Francis

Matthew Underwood, Madison

Le Vang, Madison

Lance R. Vest, Madison

Danielle Wampole, Madison

Jill Jeanette Wegner, Hortonville

Nicole Ida Wells, Madison

Christina Wen, Madison

Therese Marie Wenzel, Minneapolis

Timothy Jon Wilson, Madison

Hong-Shik Won, Madison

Benjamin R. Wood, Dodgeville

Brittany Anne Wilson, Madison

Visit the State Bar’s Facebook page for more admissions photos.

Deb Heneghan is the Publications Reporter for the State Bar of Wisconsin.

State Bar Welcomes 2012 U.W. Law School Graduates

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