Candidate for Judicial Council

Edward E. Robinson

Cannon & Dunphy SC, Brookfield
Email

Platform Statement

I am humbled to be nominated as State Bar representative to serve on the Judicial Council.

I view the Judicial Council as playing a crucial role and having a vital voice in the shaping of court pleading, practice and procedure, as well as in making practical proposals to promote the efficiency and fairness of the judicial system to best adapt and respond to changing or new circumstances.

The Judicial Council’s funding was the casualty of budget cuts several years ago, leaving it without a staff attorney. The Council’s work – conducting research, drafting proposed rules, and advocating for changes – therefore falls upon its volunteer members.

To that end, I would bring to the Judicial Council the perspective of a civil litigator with nearly 30 years of “real world” experience litigating cases in courthouses around the state, as well as in federal court. I would also bring to the Council my strong passion for legal research and writing. Throughout my legal career, I have always striven to be an inquisitive student of the law, not simply understanding what the rules or, or what the holding was in a particular court decision, but also asking and understanding the answers to the why questions: why a rule is what it is, and why a court reached its particular conclusion.

If elected to serve on the Judicial Council, I would welcome your input on ways in which current court rules or procedures should be changed or improved, or where new rules should be adopted to meet current or developing circumstances.

I would be honored to serve a three year term as your representative to the Judicial Council.

Biography

Edward Robinson is a shareholder and litigator with Cannon & Dunphy, S.C., where his practice focuses on personal injury litigation, trucking and automobile crashes, products liability, and medical malpractice.

Ed graduated magna cum laude from Marquette University in 1991, with a double major in English and History.

Ed received his J.D., with honors, from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1995, where he was a member of the Law Review, and a Malt & Barley editor (yes, there was such a position).

Since graduating from law school, Ed has been an active member of the Wisconsin Association for Justice (WAJ), serving as the organization’s President in 2019, and as a contributing editor for the organization’s publication, The Verdict. Through his work on the Amicus Curiae Brief Committee, he has authored or co-authored more than 27 briefs on behalf of WAJ submitted to the Wisconsin Court of Appeals and Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Ed has been a frequent speaker at legal seminars, and since 2008, he has presented the annual Torts Update at the annual WAJ Summer Seminar. Since 2012, Ed has also served as a co-chair of the planning committee for the annual Torts Update program of the State Bar of Wisconsin.

Ed also previously served two terms on the State Bar Litigation Section.

Since 2011, Ed has been selected annually for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America®, and has been recognized annually as a Wisconsin Super Lawyer™ every year since 2009. In 2014, he was also inducted into the Wisconsin chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA).

Ed is a longtime resident of Oconomowoc, WI, where he resides with his wife Lee Ann (who he is proud to point out is a public school teacher). Ed and Lee Ann have two adult children.