New Hires

Shane Anderson, Michigan State 2020, has joined the Law Firm of Conway, Olejniczak & Jerry S.C., Green Bay, concentrating on employment and labor law and business transactional law. He previously worked at another Fox Valley law firm. Anderson assists with wage and hour matters, postemployment restrictive covenants, contract disputes, employment policies, mergers and acquisitions, residential and commercial real estate transactions, entity formation, and general corporate work.

Sofia Ascorbe, U.W. 2017, has joined Marquette University as the assistant director of the Honors Program, advising students and developing curriculum. She continues to practice on a pro bono basis through local clinics. Ascorbe previously was with Legal Action of Wisconsin, where she practiced eviction defense law and elder law.

Emily R. Enslow, Marquette 2012, and Graham Garland, Georgetown 2016, have joined Godfrey & Kahn S.C., Milwaukee. Enslow, with the investment management practice group, represents investment companies and advisers with respect to compliance matters, fund registration, corporate governance, and general business matters. She also counsels on matters related to SEC compliance and reporting obligations under the federal securities laws. Previously she was in-house counsel for a large financial services company in Chicago.

Garland, with the corporate practice group, focuses on corporate law, including mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, and advising closely held businesses on choice of entity, business formation, and other issues.

Jonathan Nagy, Southern Methodist 2000, has been appointed chief counsel for litigation with the Indiana State Department of Health, focusing on litigation, licensing, and regulatory matters. He previously was chief deputy of the Correctional Law Litigation Section, Office of the Indiana Attorney General.

Kevin Rizzuto, Marquette 2009, has joined Quarles & Brady LLP. He is a partner with the intellectual property group in the Milwaukee office, focusing on protecting intellectual property assets through preparation and prosecution of patent applications, developing patent strategies that protect new technological advances, and counseling clients in minimizing patent-infringement risks. Previously he was a partner at a Milwaukee-based national law firm.

Marilyn Townsend, Potomac 1979, has been appointed a commissioner of the Wisconsin Labor and Industry Review Commission, which decides appeals from the decisions of administrative law judges in the areas of equal rights, unemployment compensation, and worker’s compensation. Townsend formerly was a solo practitioner whose practice focused on labor and employment law.

Brian J. Waterman, Marquette 2006, has been promoted to shareholder at Buelow Vetter Buikema Olson & Vliet LLC, Waukesha. He continues to focus on advising public and private employers on a variety of labor and employment matters. He assists employers with issues such as discrimination and harassment, discipline and discharge, wage disputes, medical leaves and reasonable accommodation, workplace safety, union avoidance, labor negotiations, contract interpretation, grievance arbitration, unfair-labor-practice claims, and other labor and employment matters. Waterman also counsels public school districts on issues such as pupil discipline, public records and open meetings, school board policies, and general business affairs.

Mergers, Relocations, New Offices

Eight attorneys, five paralegals, and the support staff of Appleton-based Epiphany Law LLC have joined Davis|Kuelthau s.c. The team includes attorneys Michael Bendel, John Marshall 1994, Kathryn Blom, U.W. 2003, Kevin Eismann, U.W. 1996, Patrick Furman, Pittsburgh 1996, Heather Macklin, Chicago 1999, Rob Macklin, Chicago 1999, Alexis Merbach, Marquette 2019, and Jonathan Walsh, Marquette 2018. This team offers business law services including employment, intellectual property, litigation, mergers and acquisitions, succession planning, tax, and, for individuals, estate and wealth planning.

Appointments, Elections

Sherry D. Coley, Marquette 2003, has been selected as managing partner for the Appleton and Green Bay offices of Davis|Kuelthau s.c. and continues to focus on commercial and intellectual property litigation. She succeeds Thomas V. Rohan, U.W. 1983, who concentrates in corporate and commercial finance matters. Coley primarily serves businesses in complex business litigation with an emphasis on contract disputes, business torts, financial services litigation, real estate foreclosures and workouts, and tax assessment appeals. She also has litigated patent, trademark, copyright, unfair competition, and trade secret cases in a variety of industries.

James Egle, U.W. 1992 cum laude, has been elected managing partner with Stafford Rosenbaum s.c. He is serving his third term on the firm’s five-member board. Egle primarily focuses on complex commercial transactions, franchise and distribution law, public utility matters, corporate formation and financing, and real estate. He represents business clients in a broad range of industries, including manufacturing, utilities, health care, construction, real estate, and professional services.

Katherine Harrell, U.W. 2008, has been elected to the firm’s board and will oversee succession-planning goals. Harrell is a partner in the Madison office and has been involved in its diversity and inclusion efforts for several years. Harrell’s practice is concentrated on families, including family mediation, divorce litigation, cooperative divorce, legal separation, child custody and placement, paternity, child support, third-party visitation, and prenuptial or marital property agreements. She often has been appointed as a guardian ad litem in family law cases.

Denasha A. Scott, U.W. 1997 magna cum laude, has been reelected for her third term on the board. Scott, whose previous role on the board was to manage succession-planning goals, will now oversee firm finances. Scott counsels individuals and families regarding estate planning arrangements, businesses and professionals on a wide variety of ongoing business matters, and nonprofit organizations and foundations on all aspects of nonprofit law and tax exemption.

Megan L.W. Jerabek, Marquette 2008, has been named head of the newly formed sports law section at von Briesen & Roper s.c. She is a member of the Sports Lawyers Association and also serves as cochair of the firm’s trusts and estates section and a member of its tax, real estate, and business sections. The sports law section is focused on providing legal services to athletes and coaches and is comprised of 13 attorneys with expertise in a wide range of legal specialties often required by sports professionals.

Sarah Lawson, U.W. 2004, has been elected to the National Native American Bar Association board. She is with Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt, Seattle, and works with tribal governments and tribal entities to achieve self-governance and economic development goals while protecting tribal resources and sovereignty. Her work is particularly focused on tribal tax and real estate matters and Indian trust land.

John W. Miller, U.W. 2006, has been appointed to the U.W. System Board of Regents by Gov. Tony Evers. He is the principal and founder of Arenberg Holdings LLC, Milwaukee, which mentors and invests in early-stage companies in the Midwest.

Matthew D. Rowe, Minnesota 1997, has been named president of Ruder Ware, Wausau, succeeding Stewart L. Etten, U.W. 1980. Rowe’s practice focuses on corporate finance and securities, mergers and acquisitions, representation of bank and other financial institutions, and providing general corporate advice and counsel to a wide range of closely held and family-owned businesses. Etten continues as a full-time shareholder, focusing on business transactional matters, including secured-loan documentation, mergers and acquisitions, and bank regulatory issues.

Aly Lynch has been named executive director of the Wisconsin Equal Justice Fund Inc. (WEJF), which raises funds for three civil legal aid organizations serving low-income Wisconsin residents: Legal Action of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Judicare, and Disability Rights Wisconsin.

New officers of the Wisconsin Public Defender Board are the following: chair – James M. Brennan, Marquette 1976; vice chair – John J. Hogan, Marquette 1977; and secretary – Ellen Thorn, U.W. 1984. Brennan is a former State Bar of Wisconsin president, chief staff attorney for the Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee, and executive director of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. Hogan runs Hogan Law Office, focusing on trial practice in the Rhinelander-Minocqua area. Thorn is a partner with Arndt, Buswell & Thorn S.C., Sparta, a former public defender, and former president of the Wisconsin Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

Rebecca Cameron Valcq, Marquette 2000, has been reappointed chair of the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin by Gov. Tony Evers.

Authors, Speakers

Milwaukee-based trial and litigation law firm Gimbel, Reilly, Guerin & Brown has developed a new podcast, “Zealous.” In the first episode, Brianna Meyer, Marquette 2017, interviewed Jason Luczak, Chicago-Kent 2008, about COVID-19 and the criminal justice system.

Leonard W. Wang, U.W. 1978, has written a portfolio published by Bloomberg Tax, titled Avoiding Material Omissions Under the Federal Securities Laws (Tax Accounting Portfolio 5509-3rd).

In Memoriam

Hon. Michael J. Barron, Marquette 1959, Milwaukee, Dec. 18, 1933 – Feb. 28, 2021.

Victor S. Falk III, U.W. 1975, Key Largo, Fla., March 20, 1945 – Feb. 9, 2021.

Paul M. Hauer, Drake 1999, Wauwatosa, May 27, 1973 – Feb. 5, 2021.

Andrew S. Lawton, John Marshall 1978, Spooner, Jan. 17, 1951 – Feb. 25, 2021.

Roger W. LeGrand, U.W. 1975, La Crosse, Jan. 16, 1946 – Feb. 8, 2021.

Clifford D. Livingston, U.W. 1942, Merrill, July 10, 1918 – Jan. 20, 2021.

Thomas P. Lyons, Marquette 1979, Hartland, March 23, 1954 – Dec. 21, 2020.

James R. Mack, U.W. 1967, Beaver Dam, July 2, 1939 – Nov. 20, 2020.

Neil J. McCarty, Harvard 1949, Kaukauna, Feb. 13, 1921 – Nov. 12, 2020.

Sherwin C. Peltin, U.W. 1952, Mequon, Aug. 2, 1929 – Feb. 21, 2021.

Hon. James E. Shapiro, Harvard 1954, Milwaukee, March 28, 1930 – Feb. 5, 2021.

Robin Shellow, Mercer 1986, Milwaukee, May 14, 1958 – Feb. 25, 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.