President’s Message: “None of Us Is As Good as All of Us”
Heather Nelson, President, Wisconsin Defense Counsel

When I was sixteen, I was a proud McDonald’s employee and was one of a handful of McDonald’s employees selected to be in a nationwide poster for Founder’s Day (yes, the poster is framed and hanging in my house). I tell you without hesitation that McDonald’s was one of the best employment experiences I have ever had – the company (from my point of view) was very well run, they had an excellent training program and, at least when I was there in (I’ll say it) the mid-1980’s I found it to be a great experience; they took young kids, taught us how to work together to make the store run smoothly, engendered pride in our roles and empowered us to be leaders. The quote “None of us is as good as all of us” was a famous quote of McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc, emphasizing the power of teamwork and collective effort.

I will carry the quote game deeper into history, to Greek philosopher Aristotle, who said “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” Both quotes underscore one of the great strengths of the Wisconsin Defense Counsel: our members are our strength and, dare I say, our superpower. There are many wonderful benefits to being a member of the Wisconsin Defense Counsel, many of which I will discuss below. Without an active and engaged membership, we simply would not be as strong. 

Yet in recent years, WDC membership has declined to some degree. This is not unique to us – it is occurring throughout bar organizations across the country and likely in other industry organizations as well. As part of a strategic planning initiative which began several years ago, WDC’s Board of Directors analyzed who we are and how we can best serve our members. We have made excellent strides honing in on that focus. The recent “Defense Skills Program” (hands-on litigation workshops) targeting training our younger lawyers is an excellent example. 

Over the past several months, WDC’s Membership Committee, Law School Committee, Board of Directors, and Executive Committee have put their efforts into stabilizing and ideally increasing WDC’s membership. We have identified, as best we can, civil defense attorneys throughout Wisconsin who are not members and have reached out to them to let them know who we are and let them know of our many benefits. It occurred to me while doing so that even our current members may not realize all the benefits and advantages WDC membership offers. All of us play a pivotal role in sharing the benefits of WDC membership with our colleagues.

Have you ever received an e-mail from a law school friend or a friend of a friend somewhere outside of your practice area asking for information on a judge? an expert? an opposing counsel? in need of a conference room? I have received at least two of these inquiries within the least week alone. I am always happy to help, but only recently have I thought, “Hey, I need to tell this person about WDC and the vast network of attorneys with whom they could be connected if they joined.” I am asking our membership to consider making a short “elevator pitch” about WDC to other defense colleagues who practice throughout the state. 

A great selling point is the fact that the first year of membership is free. After that first year, dues are very reasonable; attorneys admitted to the Bar three years or less pay $135 per year; attorneys admitted to the Bar four years or more pay $250 per year. WDC members pay a reduced registration cost for our three yearly conferences which are chock full of relevant practice-enhancing CLE.

When I was an in-house attorney with an insurance company, the rules were fairly restrictive as far as bar memberships and what would and would not be reimbursed – we would be reimbursed for one voluntary bar membership – anything else was on our own dime. It became obvious to me that Wisconsin Defense Counsel gave me by far the most bang for my buck and was not just another bullet point on my resumé or firm website bio.

Allow me to introduce (or reintroduce) you to the vast benefits and resources WDC membership offers. 

• Access via publications, Listservs and conferences to a premiere network of approximately 350 defense attorneys across the state (and in some cases out of state), all of whom are dedicated to the representation and defense of individuals and businesses in civil litigation.

• Discounted access to three annual CLE-accredited education programs: (1) the Spring Conference in April, which has traditionally been held at the American Club in Kohler; (2) the Annual Conference in August, which has traditionally been held in the Wisconsin Dells; and (3) the Winter Conference in December, which has traditionally been held in the western suburbs of Milwaukee. Note that the December program is geared toward providing at least three CLE ethics credit hours to meet the end-of-year reporting deadlines.

Our three yearly conferences typically include between six to eight CLE hours and include:

• Presenters such as experts in a variety of fields (medical, liability, technical);
• Panels discussing issues as wide-ranging as bridging generational divides in law firms, interactive ethical role play scenarios focused on issues which arise in our area of practice, and deposition skills; and
• Individual speakers (often our members) speaking on topics including employment law, construction law, expert discovery, etc. Our members do a fantastic job presenting at conferences and educating our attendees. When I have had the opportunity to present, I often learn as much as those in attendance.

• Networking! The connections I have made, both professional and personal, in WDC have vastly enhanced my practice!

• A comprehensive professional publication – the Wisconsin Civil Trial Journal, published three times a year. The Journal includes substantive law articles often authored by WDC members as well as reporting of trial verdicts around the state. The trial verdict reporting alone is an excellent resource to see what juries are doing with various types of cases in various venues. The Journal is also an excellent opportunity for attorneys to become published in a well-respected publication with wide circulation. In addition to being circulated to our members, the Journal is posted publicly and is circulated to all judges throughout the state. Archived copies of the Journal are maintained on WDC’s website for easily searchable reference.

• A members-only online forum which contains multiple Listservs/message boards through which members can share expertise and resources. Typical message board requests seek experts in various specialties, experiences with judges, seeking conference rooms in other cities, sharing expert transcripts, etc.

• Committees! Have a special area of interest? WDC has many committees including substantive areas of law (employment law, insurance law), an amicus committee (which consults with requesting members and can provide amicus briefs to the Appellate or Supreme Courts on issues impacting our members), as well as others to help you in your practice and life (litigation skills committee, wellness committee). Like WDC as a whole, the committees are only as good as their members, and there is much excellent work being done by our committees, including authoring articles, presenting hot topics at WDC conferences, and providing other helpful educational material and services.

• Defense Skills Programs (immersive trial skills workshops) - our immediate past President and respected trial attorney, Monte Weiss, along with our Litigation Skills Committee, were instrumental in developing and presenting a series of interactive workshops designed to provide trial skills and experience to newer attorneys. Topics included taking expert depositions, cross-examining an expert at trial, and motion practice. Some of our senior members have acted as mentors, witnesses and judges in these workshops, and the feedback has been fantastic. The plan is to offer this every other year, and we anticipate this returning in 2026. One of our main goals, as set forth in our Mission Statement, is to provide education and development for our members. Finding, educating, and growing our next generation of trial attorneys is a top priority of WDC.

• Have I mentioned networking? Yes? Well, I will mention it again. WDC offers many opportunities to network with other attorneys, claims professionals, experts, etc.

The next time you are at a deposition with or receive an e-mail from someone who does the same fine civil defense work we do, reach out and ask them if they are a member of WDC. If they are not, bend their ear for a few minutes about the many benefits and direct them to our website and/or any of our officers, and remind them that this is a no risk proposition as the first year is free!

Author Biography:

Heather Nelson is President and Shareholder of Everson, Whitney, Everson & Brehm, S.C., in Green Bay. She currently serves as WDC President, having served on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee as well. Heather is an experienced trial attorney, having successfully tried cases before juries in state and federal courts throughout Wisconsin and Illinois. She obtained her J.D. from DePaul University College of Law in Chicago and launched her legal career in the Chicago area. Heather became licensed to practice law in Wisconsin in 2000, defending cases in both Illinois and Wisconsin. Joining The Everson Law Firm in 2016 brought Heather back home to her Green Bay roots. Her practice areas include motor vehicle accident, premises liability, wrongful death, and insurance coverage. Heather has been active in presenting CLE topics at WDC conferences, for the State Bar of Wisconsin, and at the North Central Region Trial Academy.