Please provide a brief description of your professional background and your legislative district.

I own a business in Elm Grove where I provide tax preparation and financial planning services for a diverse array of clients. As a Certified Financial Planner I help families prepare for life’s eventualities like college, healthcare expenses, and retirement. I have been a CPA since 1990 and received my Juris Doctor from Duke University School of Law in 1994. The 97th Assembly District contains most of the City of Waukesha and parts of the Town of Waukesha.

How has your legal career/legal studies shaped your experience in the state legislature?

In addition to committee assignments – Judiciary & Ethics and Criminal Justice, and then Constitution & Elections during the 2007-2009 Legislative Session, my legal background has given me the ability to get to the core of most issues and legislation quickly. This allows me to concentrate my time, energy, and focus on key components of legislation and debate without getting distracted by the tangential issues that are inherent to policy development. I try to always be conscientious about the effects legislation will have on real people who must deal in the proposed law.

What current pieces of legislation are you working on that might be of interest to the State Bar of Wisconsin?

Interestingly enough, I have been working with Representative Leah Vukmir (R-Wauwatosa) and Senator Tim Carpenter (D-Milwaukee) on the repeal of Wisconsin’s Unfair Sales Act (minimum markup law). As we developed the legislation, we found ourselves untangling a fascinating history of United States antitrust law – as developed by Congress and the Courts.

It’s been rewarding to see how a Depression-era law can lead to misunderstandings of economics, prompt lawsuits to protect special interests, and currently awaits adjudication in the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. At issue, it appears, is nearly a century of case law and economics and how – and if – current understandings of the Commerce Clause governs unfair trade practices in the states.

What would you identify as the major issues/challenges facing the justice system?

The main issues facing the judiciary are the same as the issues facing the state government. Wisconsin state government must get its budget under control. Politicians’ promises over the last two decades have strained the state’s finances and credibility and can have very real impacts on everyday life for Wisconsinites. The justice system is not immune to the challenges facing the state budget – from providing funding for prosecutors and counsel for the accused to the very administration of justice by our judges and juries.

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