The Dane County Bar Association shares with the Milwaukee Bar Association the honor of being the oldest bar organization in Wisconsin, both predating the State Bar of Wisconsin by some twenty years. Because it contains the State Capitol, Dane County always has been particularly attractive to lawyers. Some of the leading figures in Wisconsinís legal and political history have been Association members.

During the Association's existence the American legal profession, like American society, has undergone dramatic and continuing change. New areas of legal practice have arisen regularly, faded with the technologies and businesses that gave them birth, and have been succeeded by other specialized areas of practice. Throughout all of these changes, the Dane County Bar Association has played a modest but important role in helping its members understand and adjust to these developments and to the changing needs of the society they serve.

Madison was founded in 1836 in a thinly populated area of south central Wisconsin. Both the City of Madison and its legal community grew steadily in the years that followed. By the late 1800s approximately 50 lawyers practiced in Madison. The Dane County Bar Association was founded in July, 1858, with an initial membership of 15 lawyers. The object of the Association was to promote social and professional fellowship among its members and to improve the quality and reputation of the bar.

The Association was only intermittently active during it's early years. It was kept alive only by the efforts of a few dedicated leaders. As was true of many state and local bar associations, the Dane County Bar Association did not become well entrenched until the early years of the 20th century. Since 1928, the Association has held regular annual meetings and has elected officers every year.

The functions of the Dane County Bar Association have changed periodically over the years, based partly on general trends in the legal profession and partly on changes in the functions assumed by the State Bar of Wisconsin. For example, during World War II the Association provided free legal assistance to servicemen and after the war it sponsored refresher courses for members returning from military service. The Association periodically has sponsored legal education programs for the public, sometimes in cooperation with the University of Wisconsin.

The Association investigated grievances against its members until state government assumed this function in the early 1960s. That same decade the Association created a lawyer referral service for Dane County residents who needed a lawyer; the State Bar later created a similar service extending statewide. Throughout itís history, the Dane County Bar Association has sponsored regular social and educational events for members.

Today, there are approximately 2,700 lawyers and judges in Dane County, approximately 1,400 of whom (including all Supreme Court and Court of Appeals judges in Dane County) are Association members. The Association continues to sponsor educational programs and social events for its members throughout the year. It works closely with the judges of the Dane County Circuit Court on a number of projects; it publicizes legal and administrative issues of concern to the courts and acts as a liaison between the bench and bar in Dane County.

Not surprisingly, many Dane County Bar Association members have played important roles in Wisconsinís legal and political history. Some of the association's most prominent members include:

Burr Jones (Association President, 1906-1913). Jones authored a nationally recognized treatise on evidence, was a member of congress, was a long-time member of the University of Wisconsin Law School faculty and served on the Wisconsin Supreme Court from 1920 to 1926.

Harry L. Butler (Association President, 1913-1920). Butler played an active role in drafting the State Worker's Compensation Law, one of the most important reforms of the Progressive Era, and served as counsel in cases determining the validity of various pieces of the Progressives' program.

Glenn Stephens (Association President, 1934-35). Stephens was a long-time Member of the Madison School Board and was instrumental in shaping Madisonís modern school system.

James E. Doyle (Association President, 1962-1963). Doyle was one of the leaders of the renaissance of the State Democratic Party in the 1950s, and served as Federal District Judge of the Western District of Wisconsin for many years.

As it enters a new century, the Dane County Bar Association and its members look forward to a continuation of their service to their community and state.

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