$50 a Year

That's how much the Wisconsin Supreme Court decided individual Wisconsin Bar members should pay for each of the next three years to fund an indigent legal services program. The interesting bit is buried in the news article near the bottom.

State Bar president Michelle Behnke, who argued against the assessment, said later that the court seemed very concerned that there be a long-term solution to the issue.

"The court reiterated that this is not purely, or solely a lawyers' issue and that all citizens had an interest in finding a long-term solution," she said.

She said the question for the Wisconsin State Bar is not whether the poor should have access to legal assistance in civil matters. Instead, she said, the petition raises "serious questions about whether this is a tax and appropriate or legally permissible."

She also believes it raises constitutional questions. By having the court grant its petition, the foundation has become "the preferred charity," she said. And the foundation doesn't provide funds to every agency that assists the indigent, she said. That could hurt legal service programs that aren't funded by the foundation, she said.

We'll see how long this program lasts, but again the bottom line is we're talking about $50 a year in a profession that averages an annual income in Madison $78,000 for someone with up to three years experience out of law school. And it obviously goes up from there. (Source: Monster.com Salary Center)