Gimbel, Reilly, Guerin & Brown, LLP Attorney Raymond Dall'Osto joins FOX6 WakeUp to talk more about the latest developments in the case against Retired Wisconsin Energy Chairman Charles McNeer. McNeer is accused of trying to kill his wife with a hammer, now he will spend the rest of this life under state supervision. In the following video, Dall'Osto provides insight into the complexities of the McNeer case well as the the not guilty by reason of insanity plea.

Congratulations are in order to Xavier High School, of Appleton, Wisconsin. Xavier returned last week from Albuquerque, New Mexico, where the school competed in the National High School Mock Trial National Championship. Wisconsin took thirty-second at this year's National Championship (or "Nationals" as it is called among the competitors), and the team has many reasons to feel proud. Xavier has held the title of "State Champs" in Mock Trial, a program run in our state by the Wisconsin State Bar's Law-Related Education section, for three out of the past four years. Last year, in fact, the team placed seventh in the nation, and the competition was so close that mere points separated Xavier from first- and second-place teams. One of the students on the team actually received an award for his participation as an attorney on the team.

The strength of Xavier's program is, in no small part, due to the coaches. Attorney-coaches for the team include Dan Flaherty (Dan's son is the attorney who won the award), Mark Christopher, Judge Mitch Metropulos, and Kevin Lonergan, and Kelli McGreevey is the teacher coach for the team. In the interest of full disclosure (just in case I seem biased in favor of the wonderful coaches Xavier has), I should probably mention that Kevin Lonergan is my dad. Dan Flaherty, Mark Christopher, and Judge Metropulos all have kids who currently participate on the team, and my dad has been coaching ever since my sister, Kristen Lonergan, competed on the team over a decade ago. As a quick aside to show how addictive Mock Trial can be-my sister actually helps write the problem that the students use each year!

Transfers are a common occurrence for any collegiate athletic department. For example, so far there have been 390NCAA division I basketball transfers seeking new schools for the coming year. The recent battle between Wisconsin Basketball Coach Bo Ryan and former freshman redshirt forward Jarrod Uthoff has once again raised the question of whether the NCAA and its member institutions deserve the certain degree of power they hold over their student-athletes. This past two weeks has been a difficult time for Bo Ryan as he has taken a good deal of negative publicity for the way he handled the Uthoff situation. Is there an inequity in the relationship between the student-athletes and the member institutions due to the National Letter of Intent? If so, where is it exactly (aside from the fact they "student-athletes" do not receive any salary or pay from lucrative television or endorsement deals). How can a student-athlete navigate him or herself out of difficult situations with an administration or athletic department? What can students wishing to transfer under the current rules learn from the Ryan and Uthoff situation for?

On one hand, the argument is that a recruit and his or her family (a parent or guardian is required to sign the letter as well) signed a National Letter of Intent  which includes a NLI Penalty if he or she decides to leave the institution early to attend another academic institution. If the student and the family are signing on to those requirements, they are agreeing in advance to the potential NLI Penalty. The penalty states that student-athlete would have to serve one year in residence at the new institution and lose a year of competition in intercollegiate athletics in all sports. In the Uthoff example, the University of Wisconsin has the benefit of commitment on the part of Uthoff for four years of athletic eligibility at the University.