State Bar of Wisconsin

2009-10 Communications Committee Member Profiles

Amy S. Dixon, Madison, chair

• Practice: Private; civil rights and employment
• Firm size: Formerly with two-lawyer firm
• Other: Law Clerk to the Honorable William A. Bablitch (ret.) (1999-2001); legal writing instructor University of Wisconsin Law School (2003-2004); former legislative aide (wrote news columns, news letters, correspondence)

Virginia M. Antoine, Mequon

• Practice: Retired; of counsel
• Firm size: Prior to retirement, practiced personal injury litigation representing plaintiffs in a 35-plus lawyer law firm with statewide offices; focused her practice on legal research and writing; headed the firm’s team of legal writers; authored hundreds of appellate and circuit court briefs.
• Other: Law Clerk to the Honorable Connor T. Hansen of the Wisconsin Supreme Court during the court’s 1979-1980 term; member of State Bar’s Local Bar Relations Committee; formerly served on the Board of Directors and as Secretary of the State Bar’s Appellate Practice Section; former reviewer for the State Bar’s publication, Wisconsin Trial Practice; former member of Editorial Board of The Verdict, the publication of the Wisconsin Association for Justice (WAJ); former member and chairperson of WAJ’s Amicus Curiae Brief Committee; former Editor-in-Chief of The Marquette Lawyer, a publication of the Marquette University Law Alumni Association; former member of committee that was responsible for obtaining content and editing content of articles for the Milwaukee Messenger, a former publication of the Milwaukee Bar Association.     

Kimberly Ann Matthei, Carmel, Calif.

• Practice: Corporation (USI Services Corporation); in-house counsel for 13 years, NRLD Board Member, litigation management, IP management, concentrating in employment, contractual transactional, and insurance regulatory

• Firm size: 6 attorneys in-house for national corporation (insurance and securities) of approximately 2000 employees
• Other: Substantial experience in corporate governance and policy development; Editor in Chief – The Review Magazine, Colby College Managing Editor, The Consumer Law Reporter, Loyola University School of Law Editor/Proofer – CCH – Commerce Clearing House, Inc. in Chicago, working on pamphlets and newsletter for the Carmel Unified School District

Gina M. Ozelie, Mequon

• Practice: Private; civil litigation (including business and commercial litigation, plaintiff’s personal injury, employment litigation and other general civil litigation matters)

• Firm size: 5 attorneys, Centofanti Phillips S.C.
• Other: Collaborated on Marquette Magazine in the past and also wrote for the school newspaper when in college; throughout the years have worked on various newsletters, marketing pieces, and other types of publications

Kevin J. Palmersheim, Middleton, BOG Liaison

• Practice: Private; business law and business litigation
• Firm size: 4, Haley Palmersheim S.C.
• Other: Past president of the Dane County Bar Association; member and former chair, State Bar’s Public Image Committee; member, State Bar Board of Governors; State Bar Executive Committee; author of numerous articles for legal and business publications; speaker to various groups about legal issues

Nilesh P. Patel, Waunakee

• Practice: Part-time solo practice; labor and employment law. Currently, also a career services advisor to JD students at UW Law School

• Other: Multiple book reviews, authored article in Wisconsin Lawyer in Oct. 2006, which received the Charles Dunn Author Award; several short employment law related articles in Dane County Business Watch; authored Pro Bono Spotlight pieces for Wisconsin Lawyer

Carrie May Poniewaz, Milwaukee

• Practice: Private; Worker’s Compensation Law
• Firm size: 11 attorneys, Otjen, Van Ert & Weir, S.C.
• Other: Law Clerk, The Florida Bar Journal & News; Executive Editor, Florida State Law Review and Florida State Journal of Land Use and Environmental Law; Public Relations Specialist for various media outlets and other businesses; Higher Education Reporter, Kenosha News; United States Congress Reporter, Congress Daily

Susan M. Schaubel, Sheboygan

• Practice: Court commissioner, Sheboygan County Circuit Court; practice emphasis: family law, small claims, juvenile hearings and TROs
• Other: Former editor, The UWM Post Arts organizations publications; contributing reviewer and arts editor, Crimespree Magazine; Sisters in Crime, member, national organization for female mystery writers; former press aide, State Sen. John Plewa Arts Editor and Reporter; Wisconsin Legislature reviewer

Deborah Gruehn Spanic, Milwaukee

• Practice: Private; Intellectual Property and Technology
• Firm size: 150-plus, Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek, S.C.
• Other: Northwestern Mutual: worked as a copywriter, marketing manager and web developer; owned and ran a freelance copywriting business for several years, wrote marketing materials, PR, and articles for the ASQ, GE Medical and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and a number of smaller clients

Marna Tess-Mattner, Brookfield

• Practice: Employment and labor (management)
• Firm size: 5, Schmidt, Rupke, Tess-Mattner & Fox, S.C.
• Other: Have been on this committee since shortly after the earth cooled; former executive editor, Marquette Law Review; former editor, The Vanguard, a WACDL publication; former Communication Committee, chair; State Bar Board of Governors; wrote/edited various newsletters/articles/reviews over the years; editor of The Verdict

Connie Von Der Heide, Madison, public member

• Public Member: Director of Reference & Outreach Services at the Wisconsin State Law Library an agency of the Supreme Court of Wisconsin; legal research
• Other: Reference librarian; editor and author, WSLL @ Your Service, Wisconsin State Law Library’s online newsletter; author of articles on various aspects of legal research published in the Wisconsin Law Journal and various law and library-related publications

Thomas J. Watson, Madison, vice chair

• Practice: Professional liability insurance company, Sr. Vice President and Director of Communications for WILMIC, in charge of marketing, communications and risk management, oversee claims and underwriting
• Firm size: WILMIC staff of 11, board of 14 (Corporate Secretary)
• Other: Radio news journalist for 14 years, worked seven years in public relations and three years as a private practicing attorney;

Alyson K. Zierdt, Fond du Lac

• Practice: Retired/of counsel
• Firm size: Prior to retirement was in employment law/litigation on employer’s side, general civil litigation(exclusive of PI, although did that for 19 years on plaintiff’s side)
• Other:; co-author, Chapter 5, The Law of Damages (State Bar CLE publication); author, Chapter 10, Wisconsin Trial Practice (State Bar publication); served on Communications Committee 1988-1995, 1996-2002, 2004 - present; editor-in-chief of The Milwaukee Lawyer (former publication of Milwaukee Bar Association)

Communications Committee