Wisconsin Lawyer: Wisconsin Lawyer October 1999: In the News:

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October 01, 1999

Wisconsin Lawyer October 1999: In the News

In the News

New Hires, Promotions
Appointments, Elections
Authors, Speakers
Awards, Degrees, Honors

Mergers, Relocations, New Associations
In Memorium
Place an announcement in In the News

New Hires, Promotions, Partners

Kevin D. Anderson, Michigan 1981, has joined the Washington national tax office of the accounting firm Deloitte & Touche LLP as a partner. He will practice in accounting methods and periods, and tax issues related to mergers and acquisitions.

Sarah A. Davies , U.W. 1995, has joined Balisle & Roberson S.C., Madison, as an associate practicing in family law, estate planning, probate, and appellate law. She previously was clerk to Court of Appeals Judge Neal Nettesheim.

Louis E. Baureis, University of Missouri-Kansas City 1990, has joined Daniel P. Kondos S.C., Milwaukee, as an associate in business litigation and personal injury. Baureis formerly was associated with Alan C. Olson & Associates S.C.

Caleb Bedford, U.W. 1999, has joined Pellino, Rosen, Mowris & Kirkhuff S.C., Madison, as an associate concentrating in family law, criminal defense, and personal injury.

Malina R.P. Fischer, U.W. 1991, has been named assistant director of labor relations for the Madison Metropolitan School District. Fischer previously was a partner with Lathrop & Clark, Madison.

Julie M. Bogle, U.W. 1999, has joined the firm of Boardman, Suhr, Curry & Field LLP, Madison, as an associate.

Sean N. Duffey , U.W. 1986, has completed training as a firefighter/EMT for the Milwaukee Fire Department. He also has resumed his association with Schultz & Duffey S.C. practicing in tort law, insurance coverage, and civil appeals.

Beth M. Brockmeyer, Marquette 1995, has joined Lanser Law Office, Milwaukee, as an associate. She will continue to concentrate her practice in bankruptcy law.

Dennis M. Cook, Marquette 1971, has joined the Milwaukee office of Kasdorf, Lewis & Swietlik S.C., practicing in civil litigation. He previously was staff trial counsel with American International Group.

Cassandra J. Crall, Marquette 1994, has joined Swartzberg & Duggan S.C., Milwaukee, and will continue to practice in personal injury and family law.

Shane W. Falk, Minnesota 1996, has joined Seidl & Stingl S.C., Wausau, as an associate. His practice will emphasize general litigation and personal injury. He formerly worked for Grischke & Bremer LLSC, Wausau.

Scott J. Grady , U.W. 1983, has joined the Schroeder Group S.C., Waukesha, as a shareholder, focusing on corporate and business law, and commercial and real estate transactions.

Juliet K. Basile, Colorado 1994, and Richard J. Anderson III, U.W. 1999, have joined Hurtado S.C., Brookfield, as associates. Basile practices in real estate development and construction dispute resolution. She also is licensed to practice in New Mexico. Anderson practices in construction and construction insurance. He formerly was employed by the Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance.

Timothy J. McDermott, Nebraska 1975, has joined Milam Otero, Jacksonville, Fla., as a partner. He formerly was a partner with Tripp Scott, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. McDermott is board certified under the Florida Bar in both business litigation and civil trial practice.

Timothy S. Crisp, Duke 1990, has become a partner with Michael Best & Friedrich in the firm's Madison office. Billie Jean Strandt, U.W. 1992, has become a partner in the firm's Milwaukee office.

Brenda K. Muench , John Marshall 1998, has joined Redfield Law Offices LLC, Stevens Point, practicing family, criminal, and bankruptcy law.

Todd J. Mitchell, U.W. 1968, has joined Schober & Schober S.C., Hartland. The firm is now called Schober Schober & Mitchell S.C. Mitchell previously was with Meissner Tierney Fisher & Nichols S.C.

Lori K. Murphy, William Mitchell 1994, has joined the Milwaukee office of Shneidman, Myers, Dowling, Blumenfield, Ehlke, Hawks & Domer as an associate in the general practice division. She will continue to practice in civil litigation, focusing on family, real estate, construction, and business litigation including intellectual property.

Jeffrey A. Pitman, Marquette 1990, and Thomas W. Kyle, Hamline 1996, have become partners and formed the law firm of Pitman & Kyle S.C., located at 1110 N. Old World Third St., Suite 620, Milwaukee. The firm will practice plaintiff personal injury. Pitman is on the Wisconsin Association of Trial Lawyers board of directors and is a state delegate to the American Trial Lawyers Association.

Elizabeth G. Rich , Illinois 1984, has joined Frazer & Schapiro S.C., Milwaukee, as a shareholder. The firm has been renamed Frazer Schapiro & Rich S.C. Rich practices in environmental law. She formerly was a shareholder in the Milwaukee offices of Whyte Hirschboeck & Dudek S.C. and Godfrey & Kahn S.C.

The following attorneys have joined Previant, Goldberg, Uelmen, Gratz, Miller & Brueggeman S.C.: Jackson T. Main Jr., U.W. 1988, practices in personal injury, worker's compensation, family law, criminal law, and traffic law in the firm's Green Bay office. He previously served as Kewaunee County District Attorney. Ryan J. Hetzel, U.W. 1997, practices in personal injury, worker's compensation, criminal law, and traffic law in the Milwaukee office. William H. Ramsey, U.W. 1998, practices labor relations law and labor litigation in the Milwaukee office.

Bradley W. Raaths, Marquette 1999, has joined DeWitt, Ross & Stevens S.C., Madison, as an associate concentrating in business law and commercial litigation.

Eric P. Slotegraaf , Detroit 1994, has joined O'Neil, Cannon & Hollman S.C., Milwaukee, as an associate concentrating in taxation, business transactions, and estate and succession planning. Slotegraaf received his LL.M. in taxation from Wayne State University in 1996. Previously, he was associated with the accounting firm of Arthur Andersen LLP.

Timothy C. Hall, U.W. 1999, has joined Rohde Dales LLP, Sheboygan, as an associate practicing in real estate and employment law. Lisa L. Kritske, U.W. 1999, has joined the firm as an associate practicing in litigation, employment, and family law.

David Satola, U.W. 1986, was promoted to senior counsel in the legal department of the World Bank. He continues to work with legal and regulatory reform and privatizations in telecommunications in the developing world.

Michael Silhol, U.W. 1985, has been named vice president of legal operations for Triad Hospitals Inc., a Dallas-based holding company. Silhol previously was vice president of operations for the Louisiana Division of Columbia/HCA.

Apppointments, Elections

Mia Cahill, Denver 1992, has been appointed a visiting scholar at the Institute for Law and Society, New York University. Her work focuses on the implementation of sexual harassment law and civil rights law within corporations.

John W. Daniels Jr. , Harvard 1974, has been named president of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers (ACREL). Daniels, a partner and member of the Quarles & Brady management team, is the first attorney from Wisconsin to head ACREL. He is also among a select few minority attorneys ever elected to head a national legal organization. Daniels previously served as the national treasurer, national vice president, and national president-elect of the college.

Julita Kishma de Leon, U.W. 1996, has been appointed legal counsel for the Coastal Zone Management Board in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. She will practice in environmental and natural resources litigation, contract law, municipal law, public financing, real estate, business law, and administrative proceedings. de Leon previously clerked for a trial court judge in St. Thomas and with an appellate court judge in Madison.

Mark Grapentine, U.W. 1997, has been named to both the Law Enforcement & Crime Commission and the Juvenile Justice Commission by Gov. Tommy Thompson. Grapentine is a policy advisor to Thompson on justice-related issues.

Michael J. Gratz, U.W. 1994, has been appointed chair of the Milwaukee Bar Association's Intellectual Property Law Section. Gratz is with Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek S.C., where he practices in intellectual property and computer law, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, licensing, and related litigation.

Matthew Sanidas, Denver 1991, has been appointed to the Office of Rules and Regulations at the United Nations, New York. He formerly was the legal officer to the Office for Outer Space Affairs, United Nations, Vienna. Sanidas holds an LL.M. from the University of the Pacific.

Jay A. Urban , Marquette 1992, a shareholder with Urban Taylor & Stawski Ltd., Milwaukee, has been appointed to the City of Milwaukee Equal Rights Commission by Mayor John O. Norquist. The five-member commission serves to ensure equal education, housing, and employment opportunities for all Milwaukee residents while providing business and community leaders with resources toward these goals. Urban practices in plaintiff personal injury.

Nancy K. Splain, U.W. 1977, has begun her second year in Kyiv, Ukraine, as rule of law liaison with the American Bar Association Central and East European Law Initiative (ABA/CEELI). Splain works with lawyers on CLE and strengthening bar associations as well as with the supreme court and lower courts in Ukraine. CEELI is a public service project of the ABA, designed to advance the rule of law in the world by supporting the law reform underway in Central and Eastern Europe and the new independent states of the former Soviet Union.

Hon. Diane Sykes, Marquette 1984, has been appointed to the Wisconsin Supreme Court to fill the seat vacated by retiring Justice Donald Steinmetz. Sykes leaves a position with the Milwaukee County Circuit Court.

The Waukesha County Bar Association has created a criminal law section. Several sections also exist for lawyers who deal in municipal law, family law, and probate. Daniel Fay, Marquette 1977, Pewaukee, has been elected to chair the new section.

Authors, Speakers

John T. Bannen, Marquette 1976, has authored a study titledPlanning for Distributions from Qualified Plans, IRAs and Tax-Deferred Annuities, for Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company. Bannen is a partner in Quarles & Brady LLP, Milwaukee, concentrating in estate planning, probate, and employee benefits.

Justin B. Nelsen, Iowa 1996 with distinction, of Meissner Tierney Fisher & Nichols S.C., Milwaukee, has coauthored a chapter on antitrust and health care. The chapter is new to the ABA Antitrust Law Section'sState Antitrust Practice and Statutes (2d ed. 1999).

Sylvan A. Sobel, U.W. 1983, has authoredHow the U.S. Government Works (Barron's 1999), and Presidential Elections and Other Cool Things (publication April 2000), both children's books. Sobel is the director of communications for the Federal Judicial Center in Washington, D.C.

Awards, Degrees, Honors

William Green, Minnesota 1990, has successfully completed the requirements for national certification by the American Board of Certification in consumer bankruptcy law. Green is with Green Law Offices, Milwaukee.

The following attorneys from Previant, Goldberg, Uelmen, Gratz, Miller & Brueggeman S.C., Milwaukee, have been recognized for excellence in the practice of labor and employment law by inclusion in the 1999-2000 Best Lawyers in America , published by Woodward/White Inc.: Gerry M. Miller, Yale 1960,Matthew R. Robbins, Wayne State 1977, Scott D. Soldon, Northwestern 1978, and Frederick Perillo, Michigan 1981.

The Milwaukee law firm of Quarles & Brady LLP has been ranked 21st among top U.S. legal advisors of bank and thrift mergers. The rankings, published in the August 1999 American Banker Magazine , were calculated by the announced deal value of mergers handled by law firms Jan. 1, 1999 through June 30, 1999. During that period, Quarles & Brady handled bank and thrift merger deals worth $819.1 million.

Susan R. Steingass, U.W. 1976, was named to the board of directors of the American Judicature Society, a national organization that promotes excellence in the courts. Steingass is with Habush, Habush, Davis & Rottier S.C., Madison. Before joining the firm, Steingass served as a Dane County circuit court judge.

Mergers, Relocations, New Associations

De Vonna Joy , Marquette 1987, has opened the Consumer Justice Law Center in Muskego. The center concentrates on consumer protection litigation under state and federal laws, including issues of debt collection harassment, lemon law, automobile fraud, deceptive sales practices, warranty disputes, and credit report errors.

Hippenmeyer, Reilly & Moodie S.C., Waukesha and Mukwonago, has changed the firm name to Hippenmeyer, Reilly, Moodie & Blum S.C. The shareholders in the firm remain Robert B. Moodie, Mark G. Blum, Paul F. Reilly, and Shawn N. Reilly. William F. Reilly, formerly senior partner, continues to associate with the firm on an of counsel basis. The firm's new Mukwonago location is 550 Bay View Road, Suite A. The firm concentrates in litigation, municipal law, real estate matters, and corporate law.

Kathryn E. Vandewalle, U.W. 1997, and Diann P. Burton, U.W. 1997, have establishedPommerening, Vandewalle & Burton LLC at 2401 N. Mayfair Rd., Suite 408, Milwaukee. The firm concentrates in consumer credit issues.

Rainbow Lawyers of Greater Milwaukee is a new organization of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender lawyers. For more information or to join, contact Thomas K. Zander at (414 ) 352-4706 orBrenda Lewison at (414) 287-1171.

Ronald P. Dales , U.W. 1965, Robert T. Melzer , U.W. 1967, William P. Te Winkle , U.W. 1979, David O. Gass, U.W. 1981, Richard L. Binder, U.W. 1973, K. Allan Voss, Iowa 1982, and Peter R. Mayer, U.W. 1987, the partners of Rohde, Dales, Melzer, Te Winkle & Gass announce the new firm name of Rohde Dales LLP. The firm is located at 607 N. 8th St., 7th Fl., Sheboygan.

Sager, Pavlick, Wirtz & Fry S.C., Fond du Lac, has changed its name to Sager & Pavlick S.C. Martin J. De Vries, Valparaiso 1989, also admitted in California, has joined the firm as an associate in civil litigation including medical malpractice, insurance defense, employment discrimination, and civil rights.

Ralph Sczygelski, U.W. 1991, has opened Sczygelski Law Firm LLC, Manitowoc, after the dissolution of the Savage Law Firm where he was a shareholder. He will continue focusing in civil, criminal, and family litigation as well as general practice law.