Recent News

Please join us on April 29th for a Criminal Judicial Roundtable event!   Please see attached Flyer for more details.  Lunch will be served!      

  North Pillar Brewing Company – 212 East North Street in Waukesha All are welcome for Euchre! Don’t miss a fun evening with colleagues, judges, court staff and more! Spouses are welcome! Join us on Wednesday, March 6th at 5:30pm. Beginners are welcome!

Nominations for the 2024 WCBA Lifetime Achievement, Community Service and Distinguished Member Awards are now open!  Please complete an Annual Award Nomination Form to nominate a candidate and return the form to the WCBA by email ([email protected]) no later than April 17, 2024.  The award recipients will be honored at our Annual Meeting on May 16th.

Please see the below linked Order approving changes to the Civil Division Local Rules.  The revised rules take effect 8/01/2023. 23-SO-11 (67)

Please review the following linked Invitation for more details regarding Judge Cody J. Horlacher’s investiture to the Waukesha County Circuit Court, Branch 7, on Thursday, August 10, 2023 at 4:30 p.m.

Due to the pending courthouse construction, the professional jail visitation unit that is located in conference room C105 will be removed on June 29th.   Please note that you may need to make other arrangements for jail meetings.  Any further questions, please contact the Clerk of Courts at (262) 548-7582. 

Please see the linked ORDER regarding upcoming changes to the Waukesha County family bench.

The Honorable Paul Bugenhagen has been recently appointed Chief Judge of the 3rd Judicial Administrative District, effective August 1, 2023.  See a copy of the Supreme Court’s ORDER here.  Congratulations Judge Bugenhagen!    

Thank you to all of those who joined us for the judicial candidate forum on March 21, 2023! And a big thank you to the two candidates for their time and willingness to take questions from our members about their respective backgrounds, experience, and goals if elected to Circuit Court Branch 7. Below are a Read More

Save the date for a 1-hour lunchtime CLE, co-hosted by the WCBA and Judges Bugenhagen and Melvin.  We will seek approval for 1 credit. Where: Courtroom SC-3122 When: April 17th, 2023 at 12 P.M. Topics to be covered include: Criminal law generally Courtroom technology and how to best utilize it Presenting, marking, organizing exhibits in Read More

Please review the following linked Invitation for more details regarding Judge Frederick J. Strampe’s investiture to the Waukesha County Circuit Court, Branch 7, on Thursday, February 2, 2023 at 4:30 p.m.

The State Bar is seeking volunteer judges for the 2023 Waukesha Regional High School Mock Trial Competition!  Mock trial is back in person, and this year will be held at the Waukesha County Courthouse on February 4th, 2023. The event is being coordinated by Michelle Fitzgerald and Karyn Youso.  The easiest way to sign up Read More

Join us for our next Euchre outing at Raised Grain Brewing Co. on Wednesday, February 15th starting at 5:00 p.m.  All skill levels are welcome – Judge Aprahamian is a patient teacher.   See you there!

WCBA members are invited to tour the Waukesha County Jail at 12:00 p.m. on February 23, 2023.  The tour will show at least two of the living pods, and jail staff will review the intake process, Huber rules, and other jail processes. More details, including tour meeting location to follow.  Thank you to Judge Melvin Read More

Thank you to everyone who attended our Holiday Party on December 8th at the Historic Courthouse 1893, and to the many members who donated non-perishable food or cash donations to the Food Pantry Serving Waukesha County!  It was a beautiful event, and an estimated 150 pounds of food and over $1,800 was donated to the Read More

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!  Buy your ticket HERE for the Holiday Party by November 29th!     We are excited to announce that our 2022 Holiday Party will be held at the beautiful Historic Courthouse (LINK) in Waukesha on December 8, 2022 from 5-8:30 p.m.!

Please welcome Tammy Kruczynski as the new Chief Deputy Clerk to oversee the Waukesha County Civil/Family Division, beginning Monday, October 10, 2022.  Tammy is currently the Senior Administrator for the Milwaukee Clerk of Circuit Courts. She brings a combined total of nearly 25 years’ worth of managerial experience with the Milwaukee Child Support and Milwaukee Read More

Board members Christine Hansen, Sarah Ponath (Treasurer), and AnnMarie Sylla (President) along with Josh Sylla (member), Sarah Bondar (MU Law student, 2L) and her husband Duane Bondar at the Association for Women Lawyers Annual Meeting and Awards on September 7, 2022.  AnnMarie Sylla was honored as the 2022 Mentoring Award winner, and Sarah Bondar was Read More

SAVE THE DATE!  The WCBA will be hosting its annual Judges Night at Tuscan Hall on Thursday, October 27th from 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.   More information to follow via email, and registration for the event will be open by September 9th.  Check back soon for more details!

Attention all WCBA Members:   Please save the date for our annual Litigation Seminar on Tuesday, October 4, 2022 from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm at the Marriot hotel in Waukesha.  We anticipate approval for 7 CLE credits including 1 EPR.  Continental breakfast and lunch will be provided!   More details regarding registration and speakers to Read More

Please review the linked Invitation for more details regarding Judge Lazar’s investiture to the Court of Appeals, District II on Thursday, August 18th at 4:30 p.m.

The State Bar of Wisconsin Board of Governors (BOG) District #6 (Waukesha County)  presently has one opening for a representative.  Normally, the term of office is two years, commencing on July 1 following the spring elections.  When a vacancy occurs, a new representative steps in and serves the remaining term.  In this situation, the representative Read More

I am privileged to now say “Hello!” to you as President of the Waukesha County Bar Association for the 2022-2023 year.  I wanted to take a quick moment to introduce myself and the Board of Directors to our new and returning members, and offer what I hope to be some useful information going into this Read More

Please see the linked Order announcing Judge Domina as the new Presiding Judge of Waukesha County, effective August 1, 2022.

Congratulations to our award recipients for the 2021-2022 year:      Distinguished Member: Kelly L. Neitzke      Lifetime Achievement: J. Steven Tikalsky   Our Annual Meeting was held and the awards were distributed on May 13, 2022.  Photos of the award recipients and their respective presenters are below! Thank you to our membership for Read More

Please see below links for three Orders recently signed by Chief Judge Jennifer R. Dorow in anticipation of the upcoming judicial rotation occurring August 1, 2022.  As the date approaches, the Clerk of Courts will provide an updated phone list for courthouse staff. 22-SO-04 (67) 22-SO-05 (67) OTC 22-SO-06 (67) DTC    

Congratulations to Pepper, the Victim Witness Specialist Labrador, on completing her first year of service with Waukesha County!

Interested in taking court appointments in the new year? If so, here are links to two forms: 2022 Appointed Attorney Agreement and the 2022 Appointed Attorney Profile Information.  To be considered for the court appointed attorney’s list, please complete the two forms and return electronically to Kevin Smith, Programs & Projects Analyst, at [email protected] along Read More

Date:  January 21st, 2022 | 8:00am to 2:00pm Location: Waukesha County Communication Center, 1621 Woodburn Road, Waukesha 53188 Cost: The seminar is being offered at no cost for current Waukesha County Bar Members Topics: Family First Act, Legislative Update, Clerk of Courts Business Center Presentation/Q&A, Confidentiality in the Digital World/Ethics and Technology (as it relates to juvenile Read More

Our hearts are with the greater Waukesha community today as we grieve together over the senseless injuries and loss of life caused during our treasured annual holiday parade.  Please keep the families of the victims of this tragedy in your thoughts this holiday season.   Phone numbers for the Waukesha County Health & Human Services Read More

Message from Chief Judge Dorow: “Waukesha County has been engaged in a series of temporary reforms to address the backlog of pending matters in the criminal division.  This includes the movement of a judge from the family division to the criminal division.  These reforms include the hiring of two, part-time court commissioners to primarily handle Read More

Please join us in congratulating Peter Tempelis of the Waukesha County District Attorney’s Office on his selection as a 2021 Legal Innovator award winner!   The wisbar.org Inside Track article with more detail on Attorney Tempelis’ accomplishments and the list of other 2021 award winners can be found here.

On Tuesday, October 12th, Waukesha County celebrated completion of the Secure Courtroom addition to the Waukesha County Courthouse. This concludes Phase One of the Courthouse Project. The next phase, to renovate the original 1959 Courthouse, will begin in 2022.  Click HERE for the full press release.

Registration is now open! Join us for our 2021 Ethics Seminar, via Zoom, on 11/18/21.     https://waukeshabar.org/product/waukesha-county-bar-association-annual-ethics-seminar/   Please note, registration this year is going to be ONLINE ONLY. Sign up today! 

Please see the below-linked Orders on behalf of Chief Judge Dorow regarding a number of changes that will be effective January 3, 2022: 21-SO-12 (67): Courtroom Assignments in Secure Courts Addition 21-SO-13 (67): Reassigning Caseload and Courthouse Courtroom Assignments 21-SO-14 (67): Reassigning the Guardianship Caseload in Waukesha County  

The judiciary and the Chief Deputy Clerk are requesting input regarding a proposed Civil Division local rule (6.3) change.  Please contact Jesse Blocher at [email protected] if you would like to provide feedback regarding this proposed change.  Chief Deputy Clerk Backus has requested feedback be provided no later than Friday, September 10th.    The proposed rule Read More

Please take a moment to welcome Elizabeth “Liz” Adams, the new Clerk of Juvenile Court!  Liz will be starting on September 1st.   Liz currently is a supervisor with Juvenile Court Operations in Milwaukee where she has spent the last two years overseeing the state permanency contract between the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families Read More

Please consider volunteering to represent the plaintiff in one of the below cases.  The court understands that the issues may not be familiar to you, which is why the court offers helpful resources, including connecting volunteer lawyers with “mentors” who have significant prior experience.  Mediations in particular, which are typically conducted via Zoom and last Read More

Please take note of the Amended Meet and Confer Order in branches I and IV of the Civil Division, dated June 30, 2021.

As of June 21st, WCS will resume preliminary breath testing (PBT) on all participants ordered to absolute sobriety, which includes testing at each scheduled supervision appointment as well as randomly through the use of the drug testing line.  As of July 10th, random weekend alcohol and drug testing of participants will resume as well.

Please click here to see a job posting for the position of Director and Qualified Tax Expert with Legal Action of Wisconsin.

To all WCBA members:   This will be my last “official” action as President of the Waukesha County Bar Association.  Jessica Klein will take over as President going forward, and I will move to Past-President.  AnnMarie Sylla has agreed to act as President-elect, and Corey Montiho steps into the role of Secretary.  Please congratulate Jessica, Read More

Did you know our CLEs from this past year are available on demand? Here’s the information to access them:   2020 Ethics Seminar (3 EPR credits) To view: Waukesha County Bar Virtual Ethics Seminar 2020 – YouTube Sign-in: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1oGBn-b9Y9gUNe5Y6B19upoG1n3il5ni_Rd-yziTubXY/edit?usp=sharing Materials: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/acm3fv2n1r0m9bp/AAD-y7ecSKzXQW3Kk4XJYIpea?dl=0 Lineup:   – Cathrine Davies, Reinhart, Boerner Van Deuren, “Minimizing Your Practice Risk – Read More

We’re very excited to have you join us for Waukesha County Bar Association’s 2021 Litigation Seminar on Tuesday, May 4! The information to view the seminar on Tuesday is as follows:   View the Presentation   Due to the number of attendees, we will be broadcasting the seminar on Youtube.  You will not be on Read More

Please click here to view a job posting for Walworth County Judicial Court Commissioner.

To: Waukesha County Justice Partners From: Chief Judge Jennifer Dorow Re: Court Commissioner Announcement Date: April 22, 2021   It is with great pleasure that I announce the hiring of Attorney Chris Bailey as Waukesha County’s newest court commissioner. Many of you know Attorney Bailey from his work here in Waukesha County. Attorney Bailey is Read More

Please click the below links to view job postings with Legal Action of Wisconsin. Low Income Taxpayer Clinic Director & Qualified Tax Expert Consumer Law Staff Attorney

Please click here to see a job posting for Court Commissioner for the Waukesha County Circuit Court.

Please see the below information to register for a Candidate Forum jointly hosted by Wisconsin Association for Justice and Wisconsin Defense Counsel. Event RSVP link:   Wisconsin Court of Appeals District III Forum [wisjustice.org] You may also email the RSVP to Bryan Roessler, Executive Director of Wisconsin Association for Justice, at [email protected], or by calling Bryan Read More

Legal Action of Wisconsin has current job openings! Click on the links below to view the job positing for each open position. Law Clerk – Green Bay and Milwaukee Offices Law Clerk – Madison Office Law Clerk – Racine Office Law Clerk – Student Legal Aid Legal Action of Wisconsin Legal Secretary – Bilingual Outreach Read More

The Waukesha County Bar Association is pleased to share the announcement of Monica Paz as the Clerk of Circuit Court for Waukesha County. Please click here for the official announcement.

Please click here to download an Excel file showing the survey results, as of January 8, 2021, for the Opportunities and Challenges in Litigation During the Pandemic Survey conducted by the Milwaukee, Waukesha and Eastern District Bar Associations, and the Thomas Fairchild Inn of Court.

If you or another attorney you know provided 50 hours or more of qualifying pro bono legal services in 2020, make sure to certify for the Wisconsin Pro Bono Honor Society. What pro bono services qualify? “Qualifying pro bono legal services” means the direct provision of legal services without fee or expectation of fee, or Read More

Please click here to view an informational flyer regarding Wisconsin Court System’s 2021 sessions for guardian ad litem training.

The Waukesha County Judiciary is in the process of establishing its 2021 List of Attorneys interested in accepting Court Appointments to serve as Guardians ad Litem or Advocate Counsel in criminal, family, civil, juvenile and probate cases filed in Waukesha County.   Any attorney who was on the 2020 Appointment List has already been contacted directly.  Read More

Please click the below link to complete a short survey (five to ten minutes) aimed at identifying what the bench and bar think of a variety of workarounds that have been put in place to address the challenges of the pandemic, and which, if any, should be abandoned, tweaked or maintained once it has been Read More

Thanks for signing up to attend the Waukesha County Bar Association’s Annual Ethics Seminar on November 10, 2020 at 8:30 a.m.   The seminar will be held virtually this year, and we have a great lineup for you.    The schedule is as follows, with links to each presenter’s presentation materials in the blue text following:   Read More

Click on the below links to see job postings for positions currently open with Legal Action of Wisconsin. Barriers to Employment Staff Attorney – Madison Office Paralegal (LTE) – All Locations Staff Attorney (LTE) – All Locations

Please click here to see an order from Chief Judge Dorow in the matter of: rescinding temporary measures on warrants issued for certain offenses.

Please see the below resources for juror safety and remote appearances in Waukesha County Circuit Court:   Click the following link to watch a Juror Safety YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihrhOcC2XIA&feature=youtu.be [youtube.com].   Here is the link on the Waukesha County Clerk of Court website for Instructions on How to Appear Remotely for your clients: https://www.waukeshacounty.gov/circuitcourts/ [waukeshacounty.gov]. Read More

Please click here to see the outline for the CLE presentation hosted by the Waukesha County Bar Association on September 17, 2020: Managing Malpractice Risks – Common Pitfalls in Law Practice During the COVID Era and Beyond.

The below message regarding scheduling matters with the Waukesha County Circuit Court is from Monica Paz, Interim Clerk of Circuit Court: As Courts have started to stack their calendars, staff in a number of divisions have attempted to get matters scheduled with a majority accomplished via email.  Unfortunately, a number of attorneys/parties are not responding Read More

Legal Action of Wisconsin is hiring! Please click here to review the job posting for the position of Staff Attorney – Crime Victims’ Rights Project. The application deadline is Friday, September 11, 2020.

The Waukesha County Civil Division judiciary has approved a process to ensure exhibits are appropriately shared among all parties in Small Claims, Eviction and Injunction matters throughout the duration of hearings that are held remotely. Please find the Injunction exhibit process here, and the Small Claims and Eviction exhibit process here.

Please be advised that the Notice and Order for All Cases Assigned to Judge Brad D. Schimel Branch #6 dated August 27, 2020 has been STAYED UNTIL FURTHER ORDER OF THE COURT.

Please join us in warmly welcoming the Hon. J. Arthur Melvin III to the Waukesha County Circuit Court Bench.  Judge Melvin is starting his rotation in the criminal/traffic division, and is assigned to Branch 5.  Welcome Judge Melvin!

We are very excited to announce that the Waukesha Bench has agreed to participate in a series of virtual roundtables this year.  Below is the schedule of dates and participants.  These events will be open to members only, where you can get firsthand information on the current state of affairs at the Waukesha County Courthouse Read More

On Monday, August 3, a voluntary eFiling pilot program will begin in Wisconsin Court of Appeals District III, which serves the northern half of Wisconsin. Attorneys who want to try out appellate eFiling can use their existing eCourts accounts to file new cases or opt in to pending cases to file new documents.   Appellate Read More

Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many of our regular events for the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 years have been canceled or postponed.  Please check back regularly for updates!     Our Fall Ethics Seminar will be held on November 10, 2020, likely via Zoom video conference.  Tickets will be available later this summer/early fall.   Our Read More

Please view the following updated link for more details regarding incoming Judge Melvin’s judicial investiture ceremony scheduled for August 7, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. Please note the NEW location for this event, with a reception to follow at the Clarke Hotel.  Details and a map are linked HERE.

Please see the following Order which addresses the updated operating plan for Waukesha County Circuit Court proceedings, issued by Judge Dorow on June 19th: Updated COVID19 Order

Please click HERE for a press release with details regarding increased Waukesha County courthouse hours and functions effective May 11, 2020.

Please review this ORDER issued by Chief Judge Dorow regarding the emergency temporary measures now in effect in Waukesha County due to the COVID-19 pandemic.   For more details on any specific case, please call the Branch office to which your case is assigned.   UPDATE:  Please click HERE to read an explanatory memorandum from our Read More

The Mediation and Restorative Justice Center is hosting a 2-day training workshop on mediation and conflict resolution techniques on March 19th and 20th, 2020 at the WCS Administration Building in Milwaukee.  Please see THIS BROCHURE for more details.   The MRJC has applied for 13 CLE credits for this 2-day workshop.

Please see below a memo from Corporation Counsel regarding upcoming changes to child support fees in NIVD cases:   NIVD Child Support Memo

The WCBA is bringing back Thursday Socials, starting Thursday, October 3rd at Raised Grain Brewing Company here in Waukesha.  Join your fellow bar members and judiciary for casual conversation, appetizers and great local beer from 4:00 – 6:30 p.m.  No cost to attend, and there will be a drawing for prizes!  More details HERE. Please Read More

Please see pamphlet linked below for more information regarding the Mediation and Restorative Justice Center’s upcoming two-day mediation and dispute resolution workshop on Thursday, September 26 and Friday, September 27, 2019:   MRJC Training September 2019  

Please see below for recent announcements from Legal Action of Wisconsin regarding available Staff Attorney positions: Legal Action DOES Project Staff Attorney ( 1/6/20)