Personal Mentions
Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson has been
appointed to the National Institute of Justice National Forensic DNA
Review Panel, which is developing criteria for model external DNA
proficiency testing.
Lawrence G. Albrecht, Valparaiso 1973, a partner in
First, Blondis, Albrecht, Bangert & Novotnak S.C., Milwaukee, has
been posted by the ABA Central and East European Law Initiative as a
legal specialist to the University of Bucharest, Romania, to help
establish a clinical legal education program, lecture on constitutional
and human rights law, and serve as a liaison with the Romanian and
Bucharest bar associations.
David G. Anderson Jr., U.W. 1989, has joined
LaFollette and Sinykin's Stoughton office as an associate. He previously
practiced with Pieper & Anderson and with Brennan, Steil, Basting
& MacDougall.
Anne Applegate-Scott, Hastings 1994, has become an
associate with Action Law S.C., where she will focus on litigation in
personal injury and employment law. She previously practiced as a
judicial clerk for Dane County circuit judges Mark A. Frankel and Moria
Krueger.
Robb Arent, Marquette 1996, has opened a solo
practice at 3127 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee. He will represent
individuals and small businesses in estate and succession planning,
taxation, real estate and general legal issues. He previously was part
of both the professional sports practice and the tax consulting practice
of Arthur Andersen LLP.
Nicole M. Bauer, U.W. 1996 cum laude, has joined the
Freeport, Ill., law firm of Plager, Hasting & Krug Ltd. She conducts
a general practice with an emphasis in litigation.
Louis E. Baureis, Missouri-Kansas City 1990, has
joined Alan C. Olson & Associates S.C. as an associate. The firm
practices employment law.
Beck, Chaet, Loomis, Molony & Bamberger S.C. announces that
E. Vanessa Jones, Marquette 1984, practicing in labor
and employment law and litigation; Katherine L.
Williams, Marquette 1987, practicing in employment law and
appellate practice; Christopher J. Johnson, Marquette
1989, practicing in labor and employment law and civil litigation; and
Kevin L. Keeler, U.W. 1985, practicing in commercial
and real estate law and litigation; have been elected shareholders of
the firm.
Sally R. Bentley, Marquette 1987, has joined Carson
Pirie Scott & Co. as corporate counsel. She formerly was with
Godfrey & Kahn S.C.
Patrick T. Berigan, U.W. 1985, formerly of
Angermeier and Rogers, has joined the Waukesha law firm of Phillips and
Gemignani as an associate. He will continue to practice general civil
litigation and concentrate in representing claimants in Social Security
Disability and Worker's Compensation cases. His biography was recently
included in the 9th edition of Who's Who in American Law.
Sheri (Garvoille) Berkani, U.W. 1991, has formed the
Berkani Law Firm at 176 W. Main St., Stoughton. The general practice law
firm emphasizes probate, family, real estate and elder law. She
previously was an assistant DA in Kenosha where she handled juvenile and
gang prosecutions.
Anthony J. Bourget, U.W. 1991, has become a partner
at Misfeldt, Stark, Richie & Wickstrom, Eau Claire, practicing in
patent, trademark, copyright and computer law matters and related
business counseling.
Barbara K. Boxer, Marquette 1994, has joined the
national health-care practice of Michael Best & Friedrich in
Milwaukee.
The Law Office of Lisa M. Chandek, Marquette 1989,
has established a branch office in Brookfield at 125 N. Executive Dr.,
Suite 107. The firm will continue to advise clients in computer and
Internet law, licensing software, securing and enforcing trademarks and
copyrights, enforcing trade secrets, electronic commerce and related
matters.
Eastern District of Wisconsin U.S. District Judge Charles N.
Clevert Jr., Georgetown 1972, was reelected to the board of
directors of the American Judicature Society, a national organization
that promotes improvements in the courts.
Susan Collins, U.W. 1995 cum laude, has rejoined the
staff of the State Bar of Wisconsin as a legal editor in CLE Books. She
formerly was associated with the Madison law firm of Boardman, Suhr,
Curry & Field. She previously edited for CLE Books from 1986 to
1990.
Francis R. Croak, Thomas J. Drought
and Kevin J. Lyons of the Milwaukee law firm of Cook
& Franke S.C. have been listed in the 1997-98 edition of The Best
Lawyers in America.
Kimberly N. Cunningham, U.W. 1995, has joined the
law firm of Hebl, Hebl & Kuehn, a general practice law firm with
offices in Sun Prairie and Waunakee.
Anne Ertel-Sawasky, Marquette 1987, has opened a law
practice in Appleton, practicing primarily in general business,
corporate, real estate and fraternal law. She formerly served as
corporate counsel to Aid Association for Lutherans in Appleton.
Gregory A. Fedders, Iowa 1992, has joined the
business organizations department of Reinhart, Boerner, Van Deuren,
Norris & Rieselbach S.C., Madison, as an associate, practicing
commercial finance, general corporate transactions, real estate
development, bankruptcy and debtor-creditor law.
Kristi L. Fry, U.W. 1982, has joined the law firm of
Sager, Pavlick, Wirtz, Colley & Fry S.C. (formerly Sager, Pavlick
& Wirtz S.C.), Fond du Lac, concentrating in civil trial work with
emphasis on business, injury claims and insurance litigation. She
formerly was vice president, claims counsel, at Society Insurance
(formerly Threshermens).
Sharon A. Gallagher, U.W. 1976, staff attorney for
the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission since 1984, has recently
been placed on the roster of ad hoc arbitrators maintained by the
Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. She has been on the list of
arbitrators maintained by the American Arbitration Association since
1994.
Robert L. Gegios, U.W. 1981, recently was appointed
to a fourth term as chair of the ABA Civil RICO Subcommittee and as vice
chair of the ABA Business Law Section Class Actions Subcommittee. He
also has been named editor-in-chief of Private Antitrust Litigation
News, a publication of the Antitrust Law Section. Gegios is a
shareholder with the Milwaukee law firm of von Briesen, Purtell &
Roper S.C.
The law firm of Godfrey & Kahn S.C. has elected five associates
to become shareholders: Raymond J. Manista, Marquette
1990 magna cum laude, litigation; Diane M. Marchik,
Iowa 1990 with high distinction, environmental; Timothy K. Oleszczuk,
Michigan 1990, corporate; Kristin A. Roeper, Marquette
1989 magna cum laude, secured lending, bankruptcy and creditors' rights;
and Nicholas P. Wahl, U.W. 1990, real estate and corporate law.
John C. Goodnow, U.W. 1984, recently was elected
partner at Zelle & Larson LLP, a national law firm with offices in
Minneapolis, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas, Boston and Miami.
Goodnow practices in the firm's Minneapolis office and limits his
practice to commercial litigation, focusing on insurance coverage
disputes arising from environmental contamination.
Gov. Thompson recently appointed three Wisconsin law firms to
represent the State in its lawsuit against the tobacco companies to
recover expenses incurred by the state to pay for tobacco-related
illnesses. The firms of Habush, Habush, Davis & Rottier
S.C., Milwaukee, Whyte, Hirschboeck, Dudek
S.C., Milwaukee, and Brennan, Steil, Basting &
MacDougall S.C., Janesville, will join with the Attorney
General's office to pursue the case. Robert L. Habush was appointed by
the governor as lead counsel in the litigation.
Habush, Habush, Davis & Rottier S.C. has added three lawyers to
the firm. Michael D. Egelhoff, Marquette 1993, formerly
with the firm of Kasdorff, Lewis & Swietlik S.C., has joined the
firm in its Milwaukee office. Rhonda L. Lanford, U.W.
1996, formerly with the firm of LaFollette & Sinykin, will be
practicing in the Madison office. Edward J. Vopal,
Valparaiso 1994, formerly with the firm of Hanaway, Ross, Hanaway,
Weidner & Bachhuber S.C., has joined the firm in its Green Bay
office.
Michael J. Hanrahan, U.W. 1992, has joined the
litigation department of Reinhart, Boerner, Van Deuren, Norris &
Rieselbach S.C. as an associate.
John Hawley, U.W. 1982 cum laude, has been elected
vice president of the Wisconsin Association of School Boards. Hawley,
president of the Random Lake Board of Education, practices in the Random
Lake office of the firm Darrow, Dietrich & Hawley S.C.
Deborah S. Herro, U.W. 1989, is now practicing under
the name of Deborah S. Saseen, in Flint, Mich. While no longer an
associate with O'Donnell Law Office in New Berlin, Wis., she has assumed
the position "of counsel" with the firm.
Mary Ann Hess, Marquette 1994, has joined the Mesa,
Ariz., law firm of Killian, Nicholas, Fischer, Wirken, Cook & Pew
P.L.C., practicing primarily in domestic relations law.
Stanford P. Hill, Minnesota 1984, was elected
shareholder of the Minneapolis law firm of Bassford, Lockhart, Truesdell
& Briggs P.A. His areas of practice include general liability
defense and real estate liability defense. He also is on the Minnesota
Supreme Court list of qualified arbitrators and mediators.
Les Hodges, Marquette 1996, has been admitted to
practice in Michigan. He currently works for Ford Motor in Dearborn,
Mich., as an intellectual property attorney, concentrating primarily in
patent prosecution and other patent matters related to the company's
electronics manufacturing efforts worldwide.
Kristin M. Huotari, U.W. 1995, has joined the
Madison law firm of Winner, Wixon & Pernitz, as an associate
practicing insurance defense. She formerly was an associate with DeWitt
Ross & Stevens S.C., Madison.
Barbara J. Janaszek, Marquette 1981, an attorney
with the Milwaukee law firm of Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek S.C., was
reelected to the board of directors of the American Judicature Society,
a national organization that promotes improvements in the courts.
Thomas J. Kapusta, Marquette 1979, Loyola 1996
LL.M.-Health Law, has become associate general counsel of Murer
Consultants Inc., based in Joliet, Ill., a legal-based national
healthcare consulting firm specializing in post-acute care venues. He
continues as an adjunct instructor for Roosevelt University in Chicago
for its Lawyer Assistant Program. He also has authored several recent
annotations for the A.L.R. federal series on the Americans With
Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
Kimberly A. Kolch, Marquette 1993, has joined
Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc. (CLINIC) in its new Oakdale,
La., office. As the managing attorney in that office, she represents
detainees at the Federal Detention Center in Oakdale and provides
technical assistance on immigration matters to offices of the Catholic
dioceses in Louisiana. Kolch previously was the managing attorney at
Proyecto Libertad in Harlingen, Texas.
Warren L. Kreunen, U.W. 1961, recently received the
George Tippler Award for distinguished service in school law by the
Wisconsin School Attorneys Association. Kreunen, a shareholder with the
Milwaukee law firm of von Briesen, Purtell & Roper S.C., has
dedicated his career to education law and policy.
The La Crosse Area Young Lawyers Association recently elected the
following officers: president - Daniel Ryan, James B.
Noble Law Office S.C.; vice president - Brian Weber,
Johns & Flaherty S.C.; and treasurer/secretary - Katherine
Schnell, State Public Defender; all of La Crosse.
John E. Lange, U.W. 1975, received an M.S. degree in
National Security Strategy and was honored as a 1996 Distinguished
Graduate of the National War College in Washington, D.C. A Foreign
Service Officer, he has since returned to the State Department as deputy
director of East African Affairs.
Theresa B. Laughlin, U.W. 1995 cum laude, has become
associated with Grischke & Bremer S.C., representing negligence
victims.
The Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee Inc. added several attorneys to
its staff in 1996 and 1997: Mary M. Gundrum, U.W. 1977,
became Legal Aid's associate director in April; Christie A.
Christie, Marquette 1987 cum laude, joined as a staff attorney
with the Mental Disability Law Division; Catherine M.
Doyle, U.W. 1973, became a Mental Disability Law Division staff
attorney in October; Molly S. Nealson, Marquette 1995
magna cum laude, joined Legal Aid's Guardian ad Litem Division staff in
December; and Jon A. Padgham, U.W. 1995, also joined
the Guardian ad Litem Division in January 1997.
Jerris Leonard, Marquette 1955, has joined the
Washington, D.C., law firm of Hopkins & Sutter. A former member of
the Wisconsin Senate, having served as Majority Leader during the late
1960s, and former assistant attorney general for civil rights, U.S.
Department of Justice, Leonard also served as head of the Law
Enforcement Assistant Administration during the Nixon Administration. He
has developed an extensive legislative and litigation practice.
Ellen K. Marley, Marquette 1996, has joined the
Madison office of Clifton Gunderson L.L.C. in its legal services support
division.
Truman Q. McNulty, Marquette 1948, Whyte Hirschboeck
Dudek S.C., Milwaukee, has been appointed representative of the Board of
Governors to the ABA Law and National Security Standing Committee. The
committee assists policy makers, the media and the public, educates
lawyers on law and national security issues and makes recommendations to
the ABA. A member of the ABA Board of Governors, McNulty also has been
reappointed to the ABA Finance Committee. He is a past president of the
State Bar of Wisconsin.
Patricia J. Meunier, Marquette 1992, formerly of
Shneidman, Myers, Dowling, Blumenfield, Ehlke, Hawks & Domer, has
joined the firm of Kotin, Crabtree and Strong in Boston, Mass. She will
continue to practice in employment law, civil rights and litigation.
Margaret Quinn Niemer, U.W. 1982, has been appointed
corporate vice president of human resources for Children's Health
System, Milwaukee, leading the system's employee relations, volunteer
services, educational services, security services and occupational
health services departments.
Patricia A. Nitz, U.W. 1994 cum laude, has joined
Edenhofer Law Offices S.C. with offices in Kenosha and Paddock Lake,
concentrating in family law, traffic, probate and bankruptcy.
Ann Novacheck, U.W. 1986, Southern Methodist
University 1987 LL.M.- Taxation, has become a partner in the Minneapolis
law firm of Lindquist & Vennum P.L.L.P. She is a member of the
firm's corporate group, concentrating in tax law. She is an adjunct
professor of corporate income taxation at William Mitchell College of
Law.
The Ozaukee County Bar has elected the following officers: president
- John M. Gallo, Grafton; president-elect - Ted
B. Johnson, Cedarburg; vice president - John P.
Kuczmarski, West Bend; secretary/treasurer - Paul M.
Dimick, Cedarburg.
Bruce M. Peckerman, Washington University 1973, has
been joined in the practice of family law by Julie K. Brown, U.W. 1988,
formerly of Davis & Kuelthau S.C. Their new offices are located at
920 E. Mason St., Milwaukee. Peckerman has been included in the 1997-98
edition of The Best Lawyers in America, and is past president of the
Wisconsin Chapter of American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.
Elizabeth A. Peters, U.W. 1996, has joined the
Sheboygan law firm of Olsen, Kloet, Gunderson & Conway as an
associate, initially focusing her practice in family law and general
civil litigation.
Jay Pitner, Louisiana State 1986, of Gray & End
in Milwaukee, has been admitted to membership in the Commercial Law
League of America, an organization of bankruptcy and commercial law
professionals.
Beth Rahmig Pless, U.W. 1992 cum laude, an attorney
with the law firm of Denissen, Krinzush, Mahoney & Ewald S.C., Green
Bay, recently was appointed as a part-time Brown County judicial court
commissioner.
Waltraud A. Arts, U.W. 1979, has become a partner in
the Madison office of Quarles & Brady, practicing in civil
litigation and environmental law. She served as the Wisconsin assistant
attorney general from 1979-91. Peter G. Vandenhouten, U.W. 1996, has
joined the firm's Madison office as an associate practicing in corporate
law.
Patricia Zeeh Risser, U.W. 1985 cum laude, has
joined de la Mora & de la Mora, a Waukesha County law firm with
offices in Elm Grove and Delafield. Risser will be the firm's lead
attorney in the family law practice area. She also will practice in
divorce, marital property and children's law. Risser will continue to be
available as a family law mediator and guardian ad litem. Risser, a
member of Order of the Coif, previously was a partner in the firm of
Coyle & Risser. She is secretary of the Society of Family Lawyers
and regularly lectures on family law-related topics.
Roddy W. Rogahn, U.W. 1996 cum laude, has become
associated with Giese & Weden Milwaukee, practicing general
corporate law, estate planning and civil litigation. He previously
interned for the Hon. John Coffey, Circuit Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals
for the Seventh Circuit.
Joseph J. Skemp Jr., St. Louis 1991, has become a
shareholder in the La Crosse firm of Moen Sheehan Meyer Ltd., practicing
in litigation and family law.
James J. Skyberg, Marquette 1992, has left Kaminski
& Pozorski law firm to enter general practice at Skyberg Law
Offices, 1110 S. Eighth St., Manitowoc. He continues to focus on civil
and criminal litigation.
Carol M. Gapen, U.W. 1988, and Joseph P. Wright,
U.W. 1988, have been named partners at Stafford, Rosenbaum, Rieser &
Hansen, a 29-lawyer firm with offices in Madison and Sun Prairie. Gapen
practices in adoption, children's law, and employment law. Wright
practices in business litigation and insurance law.
Carlton D. Stansbury, Iowa 1990 with distinction,
has published a chapter entitled "Deviating From the Child Support
Percentages in High-Income Cases" in the 1997 Wiley Family Law Update.
Stansbury is a shareholder of Maier & McIlnay Ltd., working
primarily from its downtown Milwaukee office.
Miriam K. Stauff, Marquette 1986 cum laude, has
established her own practice at 1120 Elm Grove St., Elm Grove. She will
continue as a general practitioner with emphasis on estate planning,
probate, guardianships, family law, real estate, small business matters,
commercial collections and bankruptcy.
Russell B. Stowers, U.W. 1989, has been elected a
litigation partner in the Tucson, Ariz., office of Snell & Wilmer
L.L.P., with other offices in Phoenix, Ariz., Orange County, Calif., and
Salt Lake City, Utah.
Steven L. Theesfeld, U.W. 1990, has become a partner
in the law firm of Yost & Baill P.L.L.P. in Minneapolis. He
practices in appellate law, insurance coverage litigation and employment
law.
Steven J. Thompson, U.W. 1987, has become a partner
with Hedlund Hanley & John in Chicago. His practice is concentrated
in general commercial litigation, including banking, securities,
antitrust, real estate and construction, products liability, and
contract and licensing disputes.
Robert E. Toftey, Minnesota 1971, has been elected
president of Fryberger, Buchanan, Smith & Frederick P.A., Duluth,
Minn. He focuses his practice in municipal finance and administrative
and governmental law.
Diane Townsend-Anderson, Hamline 1978, of Faribault,
Minn., has been appointed a federal administrative law judge. She is a
sole practitioner and president of American Mediation and Arbitration
Services. She has been an administrative law judge for Minnesota since
1991 and currently chairs the MSBA CoManDR Section and is on the
Minnesota Export Finance Authority Board.
John Treadwell, U.W. 1993 cum laude, has joined the
Chittenden County State's Attorney office in Burlington, VT, as a deputy
state's attorney. He previously was a special assistant attorney general
with Vermont's Department of Corrections.
Lisa M. Gingerich, California Western 1994, formerly
with Legal Action of Wisconsin Inc., and Linda C. Pakenham, Marquette
1993, formerly with Bryan & Cave LLP, in Washington, D.C., have
become associates at von Briesen, Purtell & Roper S.C., practicing
with the health law group.
Daniel J. Walsh, CPA, Creighton 1984, a shareholder
with the De Pere law firm of Walsh & Walsh S.C., has been certified
as an elder law attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation. Walsh
practices in Medicare, Medicaid, planning for long-term care, estate
planning and probate.
Kathleen Walsh, U.W. 1984, staff attorney in the
civil division at the Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee Inc., has earned
inclusion in Who's Who of American Women 1997-1998.
The following attorneys have joined Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek S.C.:
George F. Roth, U.W. 1968, as a member of the real
estate and commercial law team, previously practiced law for 24 years
representing local and national real estate developers and closely held
corporations in the manufacturing and service sectors, and
Robert Conrad Severson, U.W. 1978, as a member of the
trusts and estates team practicing in the Madison office, previously was
the managing trust officer and trust counsel at First Bank (N.A.) in
Milwaukee.
The following associates also have joined the firm: Katherine
W. Lambert, DePaul 1978, as a member of the trusts and estates
team in the Milwaukee office; Michael J. Gratz, U.W.
1994, as a member of the intellectual property team in the Milwaukee
office; and Phillip R. Maples, U.W. 1992, as a member
of the trusts and estates team in the Madison office.
Saul N. Winsten, Drake 1980, a partner in the law
firm of Michael, Best & Friedrich, has been appointed by Gov. Tommy
G. Thompson to co-chair the newly formed Wisconsin International Trade
Council. The council will advise the governor on international trade
policy and initiatives and will help identify and promote international
trade opportunities for businesses throughout Wisconsin.
The Wisconsin State Public Defender is honoring its
staff for their commitment to community service, above and beyond their
work as civil service employees. Nicholas Chiarkas,
head of the State Public Defender agency, established the Rubin Society
to recognize staff members who volunteer in their communities. The Rubin
Society is named after attorney Peter Rubin who worked
in the Madison public defender office until his death in 1995 and who
was well-known in Madison for his extensive volunteer work with
children.
Twelve public defender employees from around the state have been
chosen for initial membership in the Rubin Society. They are:
Ann Davey, Tom Dixon, Ken
Lund, Renee Savannah, Jack
Schairer and Kathy Smith, all from Madison;
Marcus Coleman and Jose Perez,
Milwaukee; Barbara Krueger, Eau Claire; Trish
Sahs; Spooner; April Schmitt, Waukesha; and
Katherine Schnell, La Crosse. Each year one employee
will receive the Rubin Award for particularly outstanding service to the
community. Ken Lund has received the first Rubin Award
for his long-term efforts helping the poor, hungry and homeless.
Daniel P. Wright, U.W. 1969, has been appointed city
attorney for Racine. He served as deputy city attorney from 1977-1996,
and previously was a member of the U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate
General's Corps.
Scott J. Yauck, Marquette 1995, as associate in the
law firm of Quarles & Brady, has been appointed to the board of
directors of the Martin Luther King Economic Development Corporation,
which helps to improve the lives of central city residents within the
Harambee Neighborhood. Yauck practices in real estate and corporate
law.
Wisconsin Lawyer