New Hires, Promotions, Partners
Patrick D. Bomhack, U.W. 2014, has joined O’Neil, Cannon, Hollman, DeJong & Laing S.C., Milwaukee, with the business law and mergers and acquisitions practice groups. He previously was a litigation attorney and has significant background working in Wisconsin government and politics.
Jennifer Brown, DePaul 2006, has been elected shareholder at Weld Riley S.C., Eau Claire. Brown is a member of the firm’s divorce and family law section.
Laura Davis, U.W. 2015 cum laude, Matthew Hills, Marquette 2014 cum laude, and Jordan Rohlfing, U.W. 2014 cum laude, have been promoted to partner at DeWitt LLP. Davis practices from the Madison office and is a litigator in the litigation, intellectual property, labor & employment relations, and background screening practice groups. Her practice focuses on enforcing and defending violations of federal statutory laws in federal courts and administrative agencies nationwide.
Hills practices from the Metro Milwaukee office and is a member of the business and intellectual property practice groups. He has expertise in mergers and acquisitions, with a special focus on employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) transactions and using ESOPs as a succession-planning tool.
Rohlfing practices from the Madison office and is a member of the litigation, labor & employment relations, and background screening practice groups. She advises businesses in a variety of industries including healthcare, manufacturing, agriculture, restaurant and food service, construction, transportation and trucking, retail, engineering, information technology, and real estate.
Samuel Draver, Marquette 2017, has joined Lindner & Marsack S.C. as an associate on the worker’s compensation defense team and divides his time between the Milwaukee and Madison offices. He previously worked for other Milwaukee law firms in the areas of worker’s compensation defense, labor law, and personal injury.
Four attorneys have been promoted to shareholder at Godfrey & Kahn S.C. Erin A. West, Minnesota 2009, is with the bankruptcy practice group in the Madison office, helping lenders, trade vendors, committees, debtors, buyers, and other creditors navigate all facets of insolvency, bankruptcy, and financial distress. This includes pre-bankruptcy advising and workouts, bankruptcy, and state court receivership proceedings.
Milwaukee office: Rebeca M. López, Marquette 2012, is with the labor, employment & immigration law practice group. She assists businesses in the service, manufacturing, distribution, retail, and hospitality industries with solving labor and employment issues. Robert J. Shepard, U.W. 2012, is with the corporate law practice group. His practice focuses primarily on mergers and acquisitions, strategic commercial relationships, and general corporate law services.
Tim C. Smith, U.W. 2011, is a tax attorney and focuses primarily on the federal and state income tax aspects of mergers, acquisitions, and other business transactions. He advises clients on the tax implications of forming, owning, restructuring, and selling or acquiring limited liability companies, C corporations, S corporations, partnerships, and joint ventures.
Tara Guelzow, Marquette 2005, has been promoted to partner at Crooks Law Firm S.C. (formerly known as Crooks, Low & Connell), Wausau. Her primary practice area is family law.
Colin Good, Montana 2004, Martin Kuhn, Marquette 2004, and Timothy Maynard, Marquette 2013, are the newest shareholders at Hawks Quindel S.C.
Good, an employment attorney in the Madison office, focuses on issues such as discrimination, retaliation, harassment, and wrongful termination. He is chair of the State Bar of Wisconsin’s Labor & Employment Law Section. Kuhn, Marquette 2004, is an employment attorney in the Milwaukee office. He represents labor unions, with a focus on public sector first responder unions; and individuals, with a focus on workplace discrimination matters, restrictive covenants, and severance and separation agreements, among other areas.
Maynard focuses on wage and hour and disability benefits matters in the Milwaukee office. He has represented employees in claims for unpaid minimum wages, agreed-upon wages, and overtime pay; long-term, short-term, and Social Security disability benefits; race discrimination; sex discrimination; sexual harassment; and severance and noncompete agreements.
Suzanne Fischer Lorenz, Marquette 1993, and Lisa Martin, Marquette 1999, have been promoted to partner with Karp & Iancu S.C. Fischer Lorenz practices primarily family law and employment law in the Wauwatosa and Waukesha offices. Martin practices family law in the Wauwatosa office.
John Kreuser, Marquette 2017, has become a named shareholder at Hynes & Kreuser S.C., Elm Grove, and continues to represent employees, managers, and executives in labor and employment law matters, including severance and employment contract review, employment discrimination, and medical and disability leave matters.
Brian L. Kuhl, U.W. 2013 summa cum laude, has been promoted to partner at Mayer Brown LLP, Chicago, and continues to focus on securitization and other structured finance transactions. He joined Mayer Brown as a summer associate and currently works remotely from his home in Minnesota.
Randall J. Nesbitt, Marquette 1983, has joined the Law Firm of Conway, Olej-niczak & Jerry S.C., Green Bay. He concentrates on municipal law, real estate law, contracts, employment law matters, and general practice and engages in business development in Door County.
Nesbitt previously worked as an attorney at a Sturgeon Bay law firm and before that was an assistant district attorney at the Outagamie County District Attorney Office.
Vanja Pemac, U.W. 2020, has joined Bell, Moore & Richter S.C., Madison, as an associate. She focuses on civil defense litigation, worker’s compensation, and insurance coverage.
Ronald G. Pezze Jr., Marquette 1989, has joined Otjen Law Firm S.C., Waukesha, as a shareholder and concentrates in civil litigation. He represents insurance companies, their insureds, and businesses in the defense of liability claims, contract matters, bad-faith claims, and other complex litigation.
Mindy Rowland, U.W. 2001, has joined Evident Change as chief legal and operating officer, providing strategic leadership and oversight of human resources operations and accounting and contracts functions and serving as in-house legal counsel. Rowland’s experience includes practicing law at DeWitt Ross & Stevens; serving as vice president and chief legal officer of The Employer Group, a professional employer organization; and operating Spark, which provides legal and human resources advice to businesses.
Aaron J. Foley, Marquette 2007, and Christopher T. Koehnke, William Mitchell 2009, have been promoted to shareholders of von Briesen & Roper s.c., Milwaukee. Foley, a member of the trusts and estates section, focuses on estate planning, probate and trust administration, business law, real estate, and adult guardianship and is a volunteer guardian through the Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee’s GAIN project. Koehnke, a member of the restructuring and insolvency section, focuses on business litigation, creditors’ rights, bankruptcy, Chapter 128 receiverships, and business restructurings.
Thomas J. Watson, Marquette 2002, has been named CEO of Wisconsin Lawyers Mutual Insurance Co. (WILMIC). Watson has been with WILMIC for almost 17 years, serving most of that time as senior vice president and director of marketing, communications, and risk management. He will be up for election by the board in June to also fill the position of president when Katja Kunzke, U.W. 1982, officially retires. Kunzke will leave WILMIC as the longest-serving president and CEO in the company’s 35-year history. She piloted WILMIC through a wave of change in technology, shifts in the lawyer population in Wisconsin, and most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mergers, Relocations, New Offices
Crooks, Low & Connell, Wausau, has changed its name to Crooks Law Firm S.C. The attorneys at the general practice firm continue to serve the legal needs of Wausau and north-central Wisconsin in a variety of practice areas, including criminal defense; family and divorce law; estate planning; probate; personal injury; business, commercial, and real estate matters; and general civil litigation.
Alexis Garuz, Marquette 2017, and Paul S. Crawford, Marquette 2011, announce the launch of Garuz Crawford LLC, a Waukesha-based criminal defense firm. Garuz began her solo practice in June 2020 after working as an associate attorney for a Milwaukee-area criminal defense firm. Crawford formerly was an assistant state public defender in the Waukesha office, where he represented clients in matters ranging from criminal traffic offenses to first-degree intentional homicide.
Hawks Quindel S.C. has two new offices, at 5150 N. Port Washington Rd, #243, North Milwaukee, and 500 N. Elm Grove Rd, #205, Elm Grove.
Shannon Corallo, U.W. 1998, has merged her practice with Karp & Iancu S.C. Corallo continues to practice family law as a partner with Karp & Iancu S.C. from the Wauwatosa and Fox Point offices.
Ed Manydeeds, U.W. 1978, and John E. Manydeeds, U.W. 2014, have established Manydeeds Law, at 1119 Regis Court, Eau Claire. They handle cases in the areas of personal injury, wrongful death, civil settlements, business law, real estate law, and mediation and arbitration.
Authors, Speakers
Michael S. Heffernan, U.W. 1977, authored the recently revised Appellate Practice and Procedure in Wisconsin (State Bar of Wis. 9th ed. 2022). He is retired from Foley & Lardner LLP and limits his practice to divorce mediation. The Hon. Thomas Hruz, Marquette 2002, Wisconsin Court of Appeals, Dist. III, and Nathan Petrashek, Marquette 2009, staff attorney for the Wisconsin Court of Appeals, Dist. II, contributed to the standards of appellate review outline. Christina Plum, U.W. 1995, chief staff attorney of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals, and Julie Rich, Minnesota 1994, court commissioner for the Wisconsin Supreme Court, updated the forms.
Awards, Degrees, Honors
Michael D. Rust, Marquette 2006, has been confirmed for the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals. He is chief executive officer of the Winnebago Conflict Resolution Center Inc., Oshkosh, and managing director of the Fond du Lac Conflict Resolution Center Inc.
Pro Bono, Public Service
Members of the Wisconsin Association for Justice (WAJ) have made a donation to the LOTUS Legal Clinic. LOTUS is a human rights organization that provides no-cost legal representation to victims of human trafficking and sexual violence across Wisconsin. This fundraising drive, a project of the WAJ Women’s Caucus, has raised nearly $30,000 over the past two years in support of LOTUS’ efforts.
Retirements
Katherine Charlton, Vermont 1983, Timothy Hawks, Iowa 1977, Barbara Quindel, Northeastern 1976, and Jeffrey Sweetland, Mississippi 1984, have retired from Hawks Quindel S.C., Milwaukee.
In Memoriam
Troy John Bronk, McGeorge 2000, Sun Prairie, Aug. 28, 1973 – Aug. 6, 2020.
Hon. George S. Curry, U.W. 1972, Platteville, Oct. 8, 1947 – Dec. 4, 2021.
Catherine M. Fisher, U.W. 1980, Oakland, Cal., Dec. 27, 1955 – Dec. 14, 2021.
William O. Marquis, South Texas 1977, Milwaukee, Feb. 26, 1944 – Dec. 8, 2021.
Hon. Keith A. Mehn, U.W. 1985, Kewaunee, Aug. 12, 1959 – Dec. 25, 2021.
Franklin E. Robinson, U.W. 1961, Nekoosa, Nov. 2, 1932 – Nov. 4, 2021.
Richard B. Schoenbohm, Indiana Univ.-Bloomington 1980, Appleton, Aug. 28, 1952 – Dec. 22, 2021.
Robert W. Stack, Nashville 1996, Milwaukee, March 26, 1959 – Dec. 8, 2021.
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.
