New Hires, Promotions, Partners
Captain Salahudin Ali, Lewis & Clark 2011, has been named the staff judge advocate for the Wounded Warrior Regiment, Quantico, Va., and has been submitted for a Navy Commendation Medal for outstanding legal work as military prosecutor and legal assistance attorney. He also is a U.S. Marine Corps judge advocate.
Julia Potter, Michigan 2015 summa cum laude, and Ashley Rouse, U.W. 2015, have joined Boardman & Clark LLP, Madison, as associates. Potter is with the municipal law practice group and practices in labor and employment law. Rouse has a general law practice and is a member of the litigation and labor and employment practice groups.
Amy M. Burger, Regent 2011 cum laude, has joined First, Albrecht & Blondis S.C., Milwaukee, as an associate and focuses on estate planning, elder law, and civil litigation, including plaintiff’s side employment, personal injury, worker’s compensation, and civil rights law.
Sherry Coley, Marquette 2003, has joined Davis & Kuelthau s.c. in its Green Bay and Oshkosh offices. She is a senior counsel member of the litigation team, assisting business owners, managers, and in-house counsel with commercial litigation, financial services litigation, and product liability defense.
Thomas O. Gartner, Chicago-Kent 1978, has joined the Milwaukee office of Michael Best & Friedrich LLP as of counsel in the transactional practice group, focusing on real estate development and finance, urban redevelopment, zoning and land use, and municipal law. He previously was a Milwaukee assistant city attorney.
Edward W. Harness, Marquette 2000, has been appointed executive director of the Albuquerque, N.M., Civilian Police Oversight Agency.
Jane E. Howard, U.W. 2012, has joined Blumenfield & Shereff LLP, Mequon, and focuses on intellectual property and litigation, including trademark prosecution, strategic portfolio management, and licensing.
Scott R. Letteney, Marquette 1988, has been promoted to Racine city attorney. Nicole F. Larsen, Toledo 2000, has been promoted to Racine deputy city attorney. Nhu H. Tran, U.W. 2010, has joined the City Attorney’s Office as assistant city attorney.
Jennifer R. Niesen, Gonzaga 2014, and Jordan C. Staleos, Marquette 2013, have joined the mortgage default services section of J Peterman Legal Group Ltd., Brookfield. Jason J. Heinen, Liberty Univ. 2011, and James R. Shaw, Marquette 2005, have joined the firm’s general practice section.
Thomas C. Dill, Oklahoma City Univ. 1984, has expanded his practice at J Peterman Legal Group Ltd. to include mediation and arbitration services to all clients.
Wayne H. Rusch, U.W. 1970, has become of counsel to Berliner, Corcoran & Rowe LLP, Washington, D.C., which he founded and of which he was managing partner for 25 years.
Brian Rybarik, U.W. 2003, has joined the legal department of MidAmerican Energy Co. as a managing senior attorney in Des Moines, Iowa.
David Strifling, Marquette 2004, has become director of Marquette Law School’s Water Law and Policy Initiative, in support of the university’s broader efforts to help the Milwaukee region continue to lead on water-related research and governance issues. Strifling has been an adjunct professor at the law school for several years while practicing with Quarles & Brady. He has extensive practical experience in both environmental law and environmental engineering and holds active licenses in both disciplines.
Dean A. Sutton, Marquette 2003, has been named general counsel for Dean Health Plan Inc., Madison.
Steven E. Zablocki, Michigan State 1999 cum laude, has become underwriting counsel with First American Title Insurance Co., Madison.
Appointments, Elections
Lyris Medrano, Marquette 2008, has been elected vice chair of the Latino Caucus of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. She is a partner with Ramon & Medrano S.C., Milwaukee, a worker’s compensation and personal injury law firm.
Israel Ramon, Marquette 1994, has been elected president of the Wisconsin Hispanic Conduit Inc. He is a partner with Ramon & Medrano S.C., Milwaukee, a worker’s compensation and personal injury law firm.
Awards, Degrees, Honors
Captain Mika’il Ali, Lewis & Clark 2011, a U.S. Marine Corps judge advocate, has won the 2014 ABA Legal Assistance for Military Personnel Attorney of Excellence award. He also received the Installation (Marine Corps Combat Development Center, 29 Palms, Calif.) award for the best legal tax center and legal assistance center, for which he is officer in charge.
Brittany Lopez Naleid, U.W. 2010, has been named a 2015 “Future Leader” by Hispanic Professionals of Greater Milwaukee. She is with Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c.’s labor and employment practice and focuses on employment litigation and immigration. She also frequently represents low-income clients as part of Reinhart’s pro bono program and volunteers at the Milwaukee Justice Center, providing free legal advice on civil and family matters.
James D. Sweet, U.W. 1978, and Rebecca R. DeMarb, U.W. 1997, with Sweet DeMarb LLC, Madison, received the 2015 National Transaction of the Year Award: Small Company, presented by the Turnaround Management Association. The award recognizes Sweet DeMarb’s work on transactions that rehabilitated and then sold the business and assets of LongVANS Inc., and the assets of 13 related companies. The matter was handled without a bankruptcy or receivership filing and highlights how Sweet DeMarb represents clients to rehabilitate their companies and sell their assets without court proceedings.
Foley & Lardner LLP hosted students from its Milwaukee Public Schools partner school, the Wisconsin Conservatory of Lifelong Learning (WCLL), to receive hands-on experience sailing the S/V Denis Sullivan. This was the first time many of the WCLL students experienced being on a boat or on Lake Michigan.
The Wisconsin District Attorneys Association recently bestowed its three annual awards. Scott Blader, Marquette 1999, received the Wisconsin Prosecutor of the Year award. Blader, Waushara County district attorney, helped create Waushara County’s first drug treatment court, developed a nonviolent offender diversion program, and used forensic podiatrist evidence to obtain a murder conviction. Peter Tempelis, U.W. 2006, received the Wisconsin Assistant District Attorney of the Year award. As Milwaukee County assistant district attorney, Tempelis has prosecuted thousands of felony and misdemeanor domestic violence cases. Michelle Viste, U.W. 1999, received the Wisconsin Deputy District Attorney of the Year award. Viste, now a Wisconsin assistant attorney general, was recognized for her work with the Dane County District Attorney’s Office, including creating diversion court programming and undertaking many administrative functions.
Pro Bono, Public Service
Michael Hupy, Marquette 1972, president of Hupy and Abraham S.C., made a generous donation to the Milwaukee Justice Center in September, to assist the center with its mission of using volunteers to address the unmet legal needs of Milwaukee County’s low-income unrepresented litigants.
In Memoriam
James T. Christon, Marquette 1950, Brookfield, May 18, 1924 – Sept. 8, 2015.
Robert J. Conroy, New York Law School 1981, Bridgewater, N.J., Feb. 17, 1953 – July 25, 2015.
Stephanie J. English, Marquette 2009, Milwaukee, Jan. 12, 1983 – Sept. 4, 2015.
Paul F. Linn, U.W. 1985, Milwaukee, March 27, 1958 – Sept. 24, 2015.
Alan Edward Webster, Hamline 1994, Appleton, Sept. 11, 1966 – Aug. 16, 2015.
Leonard S. Zubrensky, U.W. 1949, Milwaukee, May 10, 1922 – June 25, 2015.
How to Place your Announcement
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