In Monday ceremony, Wisconsin State Law Library will be named for Lavinia Goodell

JANESVILLE — The Wisconsin State Law Library will be renamed on Monday after Lavinia Goodell, Wisconsin’s first woman lawyer and a Janesville native.

The ceremony hosted by the Wisconsin Supreme Court, in partnership with the director of State Courts Office and the Wisconsin State Law Library, is Monday, Sept. 30, at noon at the Wisconsin State Law Library, 120 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., in Madison. It is open to the public.

The renaming commemorates Goodell’s contributions to the legal profession.

On June 17, 1874, she became the first woman to practice law in Wisconsin, overcoming significant barriers and advocating for legislative changes that opened doors for generations of women to follow in her footsteps.

“Naming the State Law Library in Lavinia Goodell’s honor is an opportunity to recognize her legacy and inspire the next generation of women in Wisconsin,” Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Ann Walsh Bradley said in a release.

The ceremony will feature remarks reflecting on Goodell’s legacy and the impact of women in law today.