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The Wisconsin Supreme Court is set to consider the latest version of a petition from the State Bar to impose more regulation over the practice of law in Wisconsin.
The State Bar wants more control over legal proceedings because it says consumers are being scammed by people pretending to be lawyers. So, the bar wants a mechanism to crack down on these scammers. However, many industry groups in Wisconsin are crying foul. They say the Bar is actually trying to protect its members and secure a "lawyer monopoly" in the state.
Rose Oswald Poels, general counsel of the Wisconsin Bankers Assoc., says banks may have to hire a lawyer to open a checking account if the petition is accepted by the high court. That's because customers sign legal documents when they open bank accounts, and bank association executives say they might be forced to hire lawyers to supervise those transactions.
Land surveyors, architects, engineers, and designers are also worried. They also say they might need to hire lawyers to supervise and carry out activities they've done on their own for decades.
But the State Bar says these groups shouldn't be concerned. Thomas Basting, president of the State Bar, says the targets are scammers pretending to be lawyers, not businesses doing their normal activities.
© WKOW TV, Madison, WI.
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