Maggie McLoone and Ali Mohammed Mahmood make a heart around their names on the list that welcomes them as new Wisconsin Lawyers. Visit the State Bar’s Facebook page for more photos of this event, or click here.

May 25, 2022 – Before the Supreme Court, in five separate ceremonies, 156 new Wisconsin lawyers – new alumni of Marquette University Law School – took the Attorney’s Oath and signed the Attorney’s Roll book, becoming new Wisconsin lawyers.

They also received words of advice. It’s good to review the Attorney’s Oath from time to time as you practice, said Chief Justice Annette Kingsland Ziegler.

“Don’t just remember the words, but let your actions speak volumes,” she said. “Unlike any other profession, your character will be tested. Your honesty will be tested. And some days, that might be tough. But you have to do it, because you only get one reputation.

“Marquette has set you up to be a great lawyer,” she said. “Now it’s yours to actually be one. … I know you can do it.”

Theresa Montag (second from left) was among 156 Marquette University Law School graduates to take the Attorney's Oath and become a Wisconsin Lawyer at the event on May 23.

New Lawyers Begin Law Careers

Among the 156 new lawyers is Hannah Chin, a former college dance athlete who loved hearing her aunt talk about her work as an attorney in New York.

“I fell in love with the process – the learning, the complex network, that is law,” Chin said. Out of 10 law schools, she chose Marquette. “The minute I set foot on campus, I just knew,” she said. Chin, an Iowa native, will stay in Milwaukee, practicing in education and municipal law.

Members of the Class of 2022 were in the 1L year when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. “Many people got stuck in a rut, staying at home, not knowing what to do,” she said. That was when she sought out an opportunity to teach dance, something she’s done since the age of 3, and something that had been on hold. In 2014, she won a national championship in Pom dance.

Since 2020, she has taught dance at New Berlin West High School. She also teaches at the Academy of Performing Arts in Oak Creek. “Working with young people will help me become a better person and a better lawyer,” she said.

New lawyer Elizabeth Davis's (center) movants were her father, David Davis, and mother Ruthann Driscoll, both Wisconsin lawyers practicing in estate planning.

Dr. Theresa Montag is starting her third career. “My journey to law is rather convoluted,” she admits. With a degree in chemistry, she worked in a lab for a couple of years before deciding to go to medical school. “I ended up in medical school at the University of Illinois, then completed a family practice residency and ended up practicing in Illinois and Iowa,” she said.

But changes in the field didn’t sit well with her after a couple of years. “I was looking for something intellectual, and I needed to continue my dedication to improving society.” That was how she found law.

She begins her law career as an assistant city attorney for the City of Milwaukee. “I realized during this last semester that I enjoyed contracts and property law more than patents and copyrights. I am looking forward to living in Milwaukee, a city that I have fallen in love with because it feels like home,” Montag said.

Will Olson was working on his Ph.D. at UW-Madison in cellular and molecular biology, when the area of patent law caught his attention.

“I was fascinated by the work that patent attorneys and patent agents did. To me, they represented a key step in the process of getting scientific innovations from the lab out into the world,” he said. He is starting as a patent prosecution associate with Foley and Lardner in Milwaukee. “I love meeting with inventors, who have just made some great breakthrough, and figuring out how we can work together to turn that innovation into a product to help people.”

Hannah Chin is hooded by Marquette University Law School Professor Thomas Hammer at a ceremony May 21. Chin is among 156 graduates who became Wisconsin Lawyers on May 23 (photo submitted).

Jamie Bergener discovered law after completing a linguistics degree at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. She grew up in a Brazilian family in American Fork, Utah.

“Law school just made sense, given my background in semantics and interest in logic. After looking into law school, I reread The Trial by Franz Kafka, and knew that I wanted to be a lawyer.” She’s headed to practice in labor and employment law for Milwaukee Public Schools in their Employee Relations department. “This was where my first internship was and I'm excited to be going back.”

Additional new lawyers include:

Zachary Wroblewski of Franklin, who fell in love with law in an undergraduate class. He is joining criminal defense attorney Jason Baltz in Mequon, as the first associate with Baltz’s firm.

Brandon Zegiel of Milwaukee plans to be a litigator – an aim he’s had since high school. He’ll focus on personal injury in Racine.

Morgan Hines of Milwaukee is headed to Quarles & Brady to practice corporate and business law. It’s a family tradition now, as Morgan’s mother, Janel Hines, is a Wisconsin attorney.

Abigail Bogli from Mequon, who pursued law after the example of her uncle, a Connecticut lawyer. “Law was always fascinating to me,” she said. She is also headed to Quarles & Brady.

Jamie Bergener points to her name, now with the title "Atty.", after a ceremony at the Wisconsin Capitol on May 23.

Mahmood Abdellatif, came from Georgia to Marquette University for the sports law program. He is the first college graduate and first lawyer in his family. Law, he says, “is a great opportunity to break down barriers, especially for underrepresented people.”

Joshua Hernandez from Austin, Texas, didn’t know he wanted to go to law school until he encountered issues of labor and employment law while working at the University of Texas’ athletic department. He came to Milwaukee in part for Marquette’s sports law program, but also fell in love with the area. He’ll be working in employment law in Milwaukee.

Nicholas Begosh has always been a leader and serves in the military reserves, according to his parents. “He’s a helpful guy, and he wants to do good,” said his father, Jeff Bergosh. Nicholas will practice in insurance law as an in-house counsel in Omaha, Nebraska.

Zachery Zeichert of Stoughton found law via an undergraduate public defender clinic at UW-Madison. He’ll be doing general practice, including family law and criminal defense in Elkhorn with Seymour Kremer Koch. “I’ll be doing a little bit of everything, depending on what people need in the area,” he said.

New Wisconsin lawyers, from left: Zachery Zeichert, Brandon Zegiel, and Zachary Wroblewski.

Brian Coe from Racine, who became a lawyer – the first in his family – because of an interest in practicing in immigration law. “I couldn’t stop thinking about it, so I had to go to school for it,” he said. He’ll be practicing in immigration and family law in Milwaukee.

Nicholas Fucinato’s mother, Madison lawyer Nancy Fucinato, moved for his admission. He will be working for UW-Madison.

Greta Hilgendorf from Green Bay, found her passion for law while working as a Mandarin translator at a patent law firm. “I was really interested in the case and the process of evidence,” she said. She learned Mandarin in China and Taiwan after absorbing Chinese culture. She will be a tax attorney. “It’s not what I anticipated, but I like this area of law,” she said.

Elizabeth Davis’s movants were her father, David Davis, and mother Ruthann Driscoll, both Wisconsin lawyers practicing in estate planning. Law, Elizabeth said, “has always been in my blood.” She will be practicing in business law.

Olanrewaju Abiola signs the Book of the Attorney's Roll at the Capitol in Madison on May 23 – the final step in becoming a Wisconsin Lawyer.

Welcome to these New Wisconsin Lawyers