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    Wisconsin Lawyer
    February 11, 2020

    Members Only

    If you have moved, become a partner or an associate, or received a promotion or an award, let us know!

    New Hires, Promotions, Partners

    Eric BeyerEric Beyer, William Mitchell 1998, has been promoted to partner at SiebenCarey and continues to manage the Duluth office. He focuses on car accident, worker’s compensation, serious personal injury, and wrongful death claims. The firm also has offices in Minneapolis and Lakeville, Minn.

    Nine attorneys have been elevated to shareholder at Godfrey & Kahn s.c.

    Marvin C. Bynum IIErin (Maggie) M. CookMatthew M. WuestMilwaukee office: Marvin C. Bynum II, Marquette 2010, is with the real estate practice group. He focuses on commercial real estate transactions, including development, financing, leasing, acquisition, and disposition. Erin (Maggie) M. Cook, U.W. 2009, and Matthew M. Wuest, U.W. 2010, are with the litigation practice group. Cook represents clients in complex commercial disputes including labor and employment litigation, financial services litigation, real estate and construction litigation, contract actions, and business torts. Wuest represents clients in civil litigation matters, focusing on intellectual property disputes and other complex commercial disputes.

    Matthew J. KovacichMathew R. PetersonJustin P. WebbMatthew J. Kovacich, Hamline 2010, and Mathew R. Peterson, U.W. 2010, are with the corporate practice group. Kovacich focuses on mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, private equity, venture capital, and strategic commercial relationships for businesses in various industries. Peterson focuses on mergers and acquisitions, private equity transactions, equity financings, and general corporate law matters. Justin P. Webb, Marquette 2013, is with the data privacy and cybersecurity practice group. His work includes regulatory compliance, data breach response and prevention, establishing data privacy programs, and reviewing and negotiating cyber liability insurance policies.

    Mark W. HancockAllison W. ReimannMadison office: Mark W. Hancock, Stanford 2007, is with the litigation practice group, practicing in areas including contracts, business torts, insurance, bankruptcy, and intellectual property. Allison W. Reimann, Pennsylvania 2009, is with the health care practice group, focusing on civil litigation, government investigations, and antitrust in a broad complement of industries with a particular focus on health care.

    David W. PlattGreen Bay office: David W. Platt, St. Thomas 2009, is with the corporate and real estate practice groups, focusing on mergers and acquisitions and drafting commercial contracts, such as supply, distribution, license, contractor, employment, noncompetition, and confidentiality arrangements.

    Jessica L. Hale, Roger Williams Univ. 2014, has joined the Columbia County Corporation Counsel Office, Portage, as an assistant corporation counsel. She previously was senior law clerk for the Brown County circuit courts, Green Bay.

    Brenton (Brent) Tunis, Howard 2015, has joined Lommen Abdo, Hudson. He focuses on insurance defense, personal injury, corporate litigation, and appellate practice in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa. Larry Rocheford, Hamline 1983, has become a shareholder with Lommen Abdo. Rocheford has successfully defended catastrophic injury and major cases, including products, mass shootings, construction, negligence, dram shop, motor vehicle, and premises liability cases. He also defends employers in negligent hiring, training, and retention claims, defamation matters, and shareholder control agreement cases. He is a board-certified civil trial advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy.

    Nicole M. Masnica, U.W. 2010, has joined Gimbel, Reilly, Guerin & Brown LLP, Milwaukee, as a member of the criminal defense and appellate team. She previously focused on criminal litigation at the Wisconsin State Public Defender’s Office. She has also worked with clients in termination of parental rights proceedings on appeal and pursued civil writs of habeas corpus on behalf of Wisconsin inmates.

    Sarah Roeder, St. Thomas 2010, has become corporate counsel at Wunderlich-Malec, Hopkins, Minn., an engineering and architectural services firm. She leads the legal department in support of engineers and other professionals in business units across the United States.

    Theresa L. Roetter, Marquette 1993, has joined the Madison office of DeWitt LLP as an equity partner in the family law practice area. Roetter concentrates in assisted reproduction, adoption, guardianship, and LGBT law. She drafts and negotiates gestational surrogacy agreements and sperm and egg donation agreements and has established parentage in many Wisconsin counties.

    Michael D. Rosenberg, Northwestern 1990, has been promoted to managing attorney at Community Justice Inc., Madison, a nonprofit law firm working to close the justice gap in southcentral Wisconsin.

    Lane Ruhland, U.W. 2013, has joined Husch Blackwell as senior counsel in the Madison office with the public policy, regulatory & government affairs practice and financial services & capital markets group. Her experience includes regulatory issues, election law, campaign finance compliance, and legislative affairs. Previously, she worked for Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce and as special counsel and deputy chief of staff to the Wisconsin attorney general.

    Greg Rutzen, Indiana (Maurer) 1987, has been appointed vice chancellor for university advancement at UW-Whitewater, where he oversees philanthropy and alumni engagement, the UW-Whitewater Foundation, and university marketing and communications.

    Mergers, Relocations, New Offices

    Andrew J. QuartaroJames W. Goonan

    Lindner & Marsack S.C., a management-side labor, employment, and worker’s compensation defense firm, has opened two new offices, in Madison and Manitowoc. Andrew J. Quartaro, Marquette 1994, leads the Madison office, located on the Capitol Square. James W. Goonan, Marquette 2000, leads the Manitowoc office. They formerly practiced with von Briesen & Roper and Peterson, Johnson & Murray; both are experienced in worker’s compensation law.

    Appointments, Elections

    The Hon. Richard Ginkowski, U.W. 1981, has been named chair of the education committee of the National Conference of Specialized Court Judges and a member of the American Bar Association Judicial Division’s education committee. Ginkowski is municipal judge for Pleasant Prairie, vice president of the Wisconsin Municipal Judges Association, and vice chair of the editorial board of the ABA’s Criminal Justice magazine.

    Susan LovernSusan Lovern, Iowa 1995, has been elected president and chief executive officer of von Briesen & Roper s.c. and is the first woman to hold these positions at the firm. Lovern also chairs the commercial and business litigation section and formerly chaired the recruiting committee. She succeeds John Rocco, Marquette 1994, who served as interim president and CEO. Rocco will resume his previous role as vice president of the firm.

    Thomas A. MyersThomas A. Myers, Creighton 1978 magna cum laude, has been appointed to a three-year term on the board for UWM Foundation Inc. Myers is a shareholder of von Briesen & Roper s.c., Milwaukee, and focuses on mergers and acquisitions, succession planning, executive compensation, ESOP transactions, business counseling, corporate finance, and taxation.

    Albert S. OrrJerome JanzerAlbert S. Orr, Ohio State 1986, has been selected CEO of Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c., effective July 1, 2020. Orr co-chairs the firm’s corporate law practice and leads its private equity group. He succeeds Jerome Janzer, Marquette 1982, who will assume the role of chair emeritus. Janzer will continue to work with the board on strategic initiatives and counsel clients through his corporate, real estate, and banking law practice.

    Angela F. SchulzAngela F. Schulz, Lewis & Clark 2007, has been appointed to the LOTUS Legal Clinic board. She is assistant dean for public service at Marquette Law School. LOTUS also recognized its past president, the Hon. Barry C. Slagle, Indiana 1978, and welcomes 2020 president, Linda Krieg, Hofstra 1989, and interim executive director, Kate Knowlton, Marquette 2000. LOTUS (Legal Outreach for Trafficked and Underserved Survivors) provides free, direct, comprehensive legal services statewide, advocacy and education, and investment in survivors as change agents.

    Authors, Speakers

    Michael S. Heffernan, U.W. 1977, authored the recently revised Appellate Practice and Procedure in Wisconsin (State Bar of Wis. 8th ed. 2020). Heffernan, of Middleton, is retired and limits his practice to appellate consultation and divorce mediation. The Hon. Thomas Hruz, Marquette 2002, updated the book’s Standards of Appellate Review appendix. Judge Hruz sits on the Wisconsin Court of Appeals, Wausau. Jennifer D. Andrews, U.W. 1985, updated the book’s forms. She is chief staff attorney for the Wisconsin Court of Appeals, Madison.

    Awards, Degrees, Honors

    Peter C. Blain, Georgetown 1978, has been named the Pro Bono Attorney of the Year at Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c. Blain was chosen because of his decades-long involvement with the Marquette University Volunteer Law Clinic, providing legal advice to clients facing landlord-tenant and financial matters. He also volunteers with Strides Against Breast Cancer Campaign, Revitalize Milwaukee Build Block MKE, and the firm's Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. Blain is chair of Reinhart’s business reorganization practice, counseling clients in industries including manufacturing, airlines, real estate, energy, trucking, and food and beverage.

    Rodney W. Dequaine, Hamline 1991, was named the Wisconsin Child Support Enforcement Association Attorney of the Year for 2019. He is the director and attorney for the Door County Child Support Agency, Sturgeon Bay.

    Tomislav KuzmanovicTomislav Kuzmanovic, U.W. 1988, has been named a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. He is a capital partner in the Milwaukee office of Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP and focuses on business litigation, large loss tort defense, international litigation and arbitration, and other complex litigation. He is a member of the State Bar of Wisconsin International Practice Section board and is a frequent guest lecturer at law schools and seminars on international criminal and humanitarian law.

    Milwaukee-based Laffey, Leitner & Goode was awarded a Pro Bono Achievement Award at the Animal Law Conference in Portland, Ore., in October. The firm has been an ally in the Animal Legal Defense Fund’s First Amendment lawsuit challenging a Wisconsin statute that imposes broad restrictions on wildlife advocates and journalists and also assisted in the successful campaign to stop a university from conducting “maternal deprivation tests” on baby monkeys and a later public records victory related to these and other experiments.

    The Wisconsin Association for Justice (WAJ) recently honored two lawyers and a paralegal with its annual awards. Daniel A. Rottier, U.W. 1976, was named the 2019 Robert L. Habush Trial Lawyer of the Year; this is the second time he has won the honor. He is president of Habush Habush & Rottier, which has offices throughout Wisconsin. In addition to managing the firm, he handles complex medical malpractice and product liability cases. He has taught trial advocacy at the U.W. Law School and is a frequent lecturer on trial practice techniques and the use of technology in litigation.

    Noah D. Domnitz, Miami 2007, was named the Outstanding Young Trial Lawyer of 2019. He is a shareholder at Domnitz & Domnitz S.C., Milwaukee. He focuses on helping injured individuals and representing families in wrongful death cases, and he has tried cases to verdict in many Wisconsin counties.

    Judy Felker, a paralegal at Milwaukee’s Pitman, Kalkhoff, Sicula and Dentice S.C., was named 2019 Paralegal of the Year.

    Pro Bono, Public Services   

    The Oneida/Vilas/Forest County Bar Association presented Holly Stenz with the association’s 2019 Legal Education Scholarship. Stenz is a second-year law student at Marquette Law School. The scholarship is awarded annually on the basis of a combination of past and potential academic performance, financial need, course of study, and residence in or significant connections to Oneida, Vilas, or Forest counties

    In Memoriam

    Allen G. Anderson, Cooley Law School 1983, Traverse City, Mich., Nov. 22, 1953 – Nov. 18, 2019.

    James G. Doyle, Marquette 1959, Hartland, Sept. 2, 1932 – Dec. 7, 2019.

    Joseph H. Hallows, Marquette 1964, Milwaukee, Aug. 9, 1938 – Dec. 8, 2019.

    James R. Duchemin, U.W. 1970, Madison, Nov. 4, 1945 – Dec. 26, 2019.

    Lawrence I. Hanson, U.W. 1962, Middleton, Feb. 24, 1934 – Dec. 10, 2019.

    Charles A. Kranz, NYU 1967, Darlington, March 28, 1943 – Nov. 25, 2019.

    Steven A. Levine, Georgetown 1973, Madison, Aug. 29, 1948 – Jan. 4, 2020.

    Joseph L. Sommers, U.W. 1992, Oregon, Nov. 20, 1961 – Dec. 23, 2019.

    Arthur A. Wasserman, Marquette 2005, Milwaukee, Dec. 2, 1927 – Nov. 22, 2019.

    Congratulations to Recent Certified Paralegals

    Through a State Bar program, paralegals in Wisconsin are eligible to be certified – a credential that demonstrates a paralegal’s dedication to professional development and excellence. The State Bar of Wisconsin Certified Paralegal program is a self-funded, voluntary program for all paralegals in Wisconsin who meet the program’s criteria. For information about the program, visit www.wisbar.org/paralegal.

    The following individuals were certified as of Jan. 16, 2020. For a full list of Certified Paralegals, visit www.wisbar.org/Paralegal.

    Dena Bauer, Mary K. Kaminski, Susan Mixdorf, Colleen M. Schmitz, and Cheryl A. Yerkes, Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c., Milwaukee.

    Rebecca J. Below, City of Madison Department of Civil Rights, Madison.

    Aimee B. Blyer, Studinski Law LLC, Plover.

    Candis Chapman, Karyn A. Halverson, Andrew Skoug, and Susan M. Tuohy, Stafford Rosenbaum LLP, Madison.

    Brittany Ann Eder, Nicolet Law Office SC, Eau Claire.

    Barbara A. Fontaine, Bonnie R. Gottfried, Valerie Lardinois, Cindy Summers, and Amanda L. Willes, One Law Group SC, De Pere.

    Melinda Godfrey, Gebhard Law Office LLC, Milwaukee.

    Sarina M. Gordon and Carla J. Prochnow, Crivello Carlson SC, Milwaukee.

    Casandra A. Grathen, Alysa McMorran, Tracy A. Merkle, and Julie A. O’Branovich, Everson, Whitney, Everson & Brehm SC, Green Bay.

    Joy Gravunder, Gass Weber Mullins LLC, Milwaukee.

    Meghan E. Hodge, Godfrey & Kahn SC, Milwaukee.

    Joni Jakubowski, DeWitt LLP, Brookfield.

    Rebecca L. Janz, Sargento Foods Inc., Plymouth.

    Becky Jentsch, One Law Group SC, Appleton.

    Crystal A. LaMont, Curran, Hollenbeck & Orton SC, Mauston.

    Sarah Lechner, Nowlan & Mouat LLP, Janesville.

    Rachel Lilge, Melowski & Associates LLC, Sheboygan.

    Krista Y. Miller, Corneille Law Group LLC, Madison.

    Dawn M. Nelson, Hogan Eickhoff SC, Appleton.

    Carlie O'Donnell, Murdock Law SC, Milwaukee.

    Angela J. Peterson, Godfrey & Kahn S.C., Madison.

    Susan L. Rouse, US Venture Inc., Appleton.

    Karla S. Wyse, Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c., Waukesha.

    How to Place your Announcement

    If you have moved, become a partner or an associate, or received a promotion or an award, let us know! Email announcements to: MembersOnly@wisbar.org. Notices about State Bar members in good standing are printed as space is available, and subject to editing. Writing guidelines are available here. Questions? Email us or call (608) 250-6139.

    Photo placement: Submit a professional-quality photo. If the photo is used, the State Bar will issue an invoice ($35 each). Group photos are not accepted. High-resolution electronic photos are preferred.

    Deadline: The first of the month preceding publication. For example, to place an announcement in the May issue, it must be received before April 1.

    Ineligible announcements: Talks, speeches (unless they are of national stature), honors from other publications, and political announcements are not accepted.


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