Personal Mentions

Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson has been appointed to the National Institute of Justice National Forensic DNA Review Panel, which is developing criteria for model external DNA proficiency testing.

Lawrence G. Albrecht, Valparaiso 1973, a partner in First, Blondis, Albrecht, Bangert & Novotnak S.C., Milwaukee, has been posted by the ABA Central and East European Law Initiative as a legal specialist to the University of Bucharest, Romania, to help establish a clinical legal education program, lecture on constitutional and human rights law, and serve as a liaison with the Romanian and Bucharest bar associations.

David G. Anderson Jr., U.W. 1989, has joined LaFollette and Sinykin's Stoughton office as an associate. He previously practiced with Pieper & Anderson and with Brennan, Steil, Basting & MacDougall.

Anne Applegate-Scott, Hastings 1994, has become an associate with Action Law S.C., where she will focus on litigation in personal injury and employment law. She previously practiced as a judicial clerk for Dane County circuit judges Mark A. Frankel and Moria Krueger.

Robb Arent, Marquette 1996, has opened a solo practice at 3127 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee. He will represent individuals and small businesses in estate and succession planning, taxation, real estate and general legal issues. He previously was part of both the professional sports practice and the tax consulting practice of Arthur Andersen LLP.

Nicole M. Bauer, U.W. 1996 cum laude, has joined the Freeport, Ill., law firm of Plager, Hasting & Krug Ltd. She conducts a general practice with an emphasis in litigation.

Louis E. Baureis, Missouri-Kansas City 1990, has joined Alan C. Olson & Associates S.C. as an associate. The firm practices employment law.

Beck, Chaet, Loomis, Molony & Bamberger S.C. announces that E. Vanessa Jones, Marquette 1984, practicing in labor and employment law and litigation; Katherine L. Williams, Marquette 1987, practicing in employment law and appellate practice; Christopher J. Johnson, Marquette 1989, practicing in labor and employment law and civil litigation; and Kevin L. Keeler, U.W. 1985, practicing in commercial and real estate law and litigation; have been elected shareholders of the firm.

Sally R. Bentley, Marquette 1987, has joined Carson Pirie Scott & Co. as corporate counsel. She formerly was with Godfrey & Kahn S.C.

Patrick T. Berigan, U.W. 1985, formerly of Angermeier and Rogers, has joined the Waukesha law firm of Phillips and Gemignani as an associate. He will continue to practice general civil litigation and concentrate in representing claimants in Social Security Disability and Worker's Compensation cases. His biography was recently included in the 9th edition of Who's Who in American Law.

Sheri (Garvoille) Berkani, U.W. 1991, has formed the Berkani Law Firm at 176 W. Main St., Stoughton. The general practice law firm emphasizes probate, family, real estate and elder law. She previously was an assistant DA in Kenosha where she handled juvenile and gang prosecutions.

Anthony J. Bourget, U.W. 1991, has become a partner at Misfeldt, Stark, Richie & Wickstrom, Eau Claire, practicing in patent, trademark, copyright and computer law matters and related business counseling.

Barbara K. Boxer, Marquette 1994, has joined the national health-care practice of Michael Best & Friedrich in Milwaukee.

The Law Office of Lisa M. Chandek, Marquette 1989, has established a branch office in Brookfield at 125 N. Executive Dr., Suite 107. The firm will continue to advise clients in computer and Internet law, licensing software, securing and enforcing trademarks and copyrights, enforcing trade secrets, electronic commerce and related matters.

Eastern District of Wisconsin U.S. District Judge Charles N. Clevert Jr., Georgetown 1972, was reelected to the board of directors of the American Judicature Society, a national organization that promotes improvements in the courts.

Susan Collins, U.W. 1995 cum laude, has rejoined the staff of the State Bar of Wisconsin as a legal editor in CLE Books. She formerly was associated with the Madison law firm of Boardman, Suhr, Curry & Field. She previously edited for CLE Books from 1986 to 1990.

Francis R. Croak, Thomas J. Drought and Kevin J. Lyons of the Milwaukee law firm of Cook & Franke S.C. have been listed in the 1997-98 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

Kimberly N. Cunningham, U.W. 1995, has joined the law firm of Hebl, Hebl & Kuehn, a general practice law firm with offices in Sun Prairie and Waunakee.

Anne Ertel-Sawasky, Marquette 1987, has opened a law practice in Appleton, practicing primarily in general business, corporate, real estate and fraternal law. She formerly served as corporate counsel to Aid Association for Lutherans in Appleton.

Gregory A. Fedders, Iowa 1992, has joined the business organizations department of Reinhart, Boerner, Van Deuren, Norris & Rieselbach S.C., Madison, as an associate, practicing commercial finance, general corporate transactions, real estate development, bankruptcy and debtor-creditor law.

Kristi L. Fry, U.W. 1982, has joined the law firm of Sager, Pavlick, Wirtz, Colley & Fry S.C. (formerly Sager, Pavlick & Wirtz S.C.), Fond du Lac, concentrating in civil trial work with emphasis on business, injury claims and insurance litigation. She formerly was vice president, claims counsel, at Society Insurance (formerly Threshermens).

Sharon A. Gallagher, U.W. 1976, staff attorney for the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission since 1984, has recently been placed on the roster of ad hoc arbitrators maintained by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. She has been on the list of arbitrators maintained by the American Arbitration Association since 1994.

Robert L. Gegios, U.W. 1981, recently was appointed to a fourth term as chair of the ABA Civil RICO Subcommittee and as vice chair of the ABA Business Law Section Class Actions Subcommittee. He also has been named editor-in-chief of Private Antitrust Litigation News, a publication of the Antitrust Law Section. Gegios is a shareholder with the Milwaukee law firm of von Briesen, Purtell & Roper S.C.

The law firm of Godfrey & Kahn S.C. has elected five associates to become shareholders: Raymond J. Manista, Marquette 1990 magna cum laude, litigation; Diane M. Marchik, Iowa 1990 with high distinction, environmental; Timothy K. Oleszczuk, Michigan 1990, corporate; Kristin A. Roeper, Marquette 1989 magna cum laude, secured lending, bankruptcy and creditors' rights; and Nicholas P. Wahl, U.W. 1990, real estate and corporate law.

John C. Goodnow, U.W. 1984, recently was elected partner at Zelle & Larson LLP, a national law firm with offices in Minneapolis, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas, Boston and Miami. Goodnow practices in the firm's Minneapolis office and limits his practice to commercial litigation, focusing on insurance coverage disputes arising from environmental contamination.

Gov. Thompson recently appointed three Wisconsin law firms to represent the State in its lawsuit against the tobacco companies to recover expenses incurred by the state to pay for tobacco-related illnesses. The firms of Habush, Habush, Davis & Rottier S.C., Milwaukee, Whyte, Hirschboeck, Dudek S.C., Milwaukee, and Brennan, Steil, Basting & MacDougall S.C., Janesville, will join with the Attorney General's office to pursue the case. Robert L. Habush was appointed by the governor as lead counsel in the litigation.

Habush, Habush, Davis & Rottier S.C. has added three lawyers to the firm. Michael D. Egelhoff, Marquette 1993, formerly with the firm of Kasdorff, Lewis & Swietlik S.C., has joined the firm in its Milwaukee office. Rhonda L. Lanford, U.W. 1996, formerly with the firm of LaFollette & Sinykin, will be practicing in the Madison office. Edward J. Vopal, Valparaiso 1994, formerly with the firm of Hanaway, Ross, Hanaway, Weidner & Bachhuber S.C., has joined the firm in its Green Bay office.

Michael J. Hanrahan, U.W. 1992, has joined the litigation department of Reinhart, Boerner, Van Deuren, Norris & Rieselbach S.C. as an associate.

John Hawley, U.W. 1982 cum laude, has been elected vice president of the Wisconsin Association of School Boards. Hawley, president of the Random Lake Board of Education, practices in the Random Lake office of the firm Darrow, Dietrich & Hawley S.C.

Deborah S. Herro, U.W. 1989, is now practicing under the name of Deborah S. Saseen, in Flint, Mich. While no longer an associate with O'Donnell Law Office in New Berlin, Wis., she has assumed the position "of counsel" with the firm.

Mary Ann Hess, Marquette 1994, has joined the Mesa, Ariz., law firm of Killian, Nicholas, Fischer, Wirken, Cook & Pew P.L.C., practicing primarily in domestic relations law.

Stanford P. Hill, Minnesota 1984, was elected shareholder of the Minneapolis law firm of Bassford, Lockhart, Truesdell & Briggs P.A. His areas of practice include general liability defense and real estate liability defense. He also is on the Minnesota Supreme Court list of qualified arbitrators and mediators.

Les Hodges, Marquette 1996, has been admitted to practice in Michigan. He currently works for Ford Motor in Dearborn, Mich., as an intellectual property attorney, concentrating primarily in patent prosecution and other patent matters related to the company's electronics manufacturing efforts worldwide.

Kristin M. Huotari, U.W. 1995, has joined the Madison law firm of Winner, Wixon & Pernitz, as an associate practicing insurance defense. She formerly was an associate with DeWitt Ross & Stevens S.C., Madison.

Barbara J. Janaszek, Marquette 1981, an attorney with the Milwaukee law firm of Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek S.C., was reelected to the board of directors of the American Judicature Society, a national organization that promotes improvements in the courts.

Thomas J. Kapusta, Marquette 1979, Loyola 1996 LL.M.-Health Law, has become associate general counsel of Murer Consultants Inc., based in Joliet, Ill., a legal-based national healthcare consulting firm specializing in post-acute care venues. He continues as an adjunct instructor for Roosevelt University in Chicago for its Lawyer Assistant Program. He also has authored several recent annotations for the A.L.R. federal series on the Americans With Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Kimberly A. Kolch, Marquette 1993, has joined Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc. (CLINIC) in its new Oakdale, La., office. As the managing attorney in that office, she represents detainees at the Federal Detention Center in Oakdale and provides technical assistance on immigration matters to offices of the Catholic dioceses in Louisiana. Kolch previously was the managing attorney at Proyecto Libertad in Harlingen, Texas.

Warren L. Kreunen, U.W. 1961, recently received the George Tippler Award for distinguished service in school law by the Wisconsin School Attorneys Association. Kreunen, a shareholder with the Milwaukee law firm of von Briesen, Purtell & Roper S.C., has dedicated his career to education law and policy.

The La Crosse Area Young Lawyers Association recently elected the following officers: president - Daniel Ryan, James B. Noble Law Office S.C.; vice president - Brian Weber, Johns & Flaherty S.C.; and treasurer/secretary - Katherine Schnell, State Public Defender; all of La Crosse.

John E. Lange, U.W. 1975, received an M.S. degree in National Security Strategy and was honored as a 1996 Distinguished Graduate of the National War College in Washington, D.C. A Foreign Service Officer, he has since returned to the State Department as deputy director of East African Affairs.

Theresa B. Laughlin, U.W. 1995 cum laude, has become associated with Grischke & Bremer S.C., representing negligence victims.

The Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee Inc. added several attorneys to its staff in 1996 and 1997: Mary M. Gundrum, U.W. 1977, became Legal Aid's associate director in April; Christie A. Christie, Marquette 1987 cum laude, joined as a staff attorney with the Mental Disability Law Division; Catherine M. Doyle, U.W. 1973, became a Mental Disability Law Division staff attorney in October; Molly S. Nealson, Marquette 1995 magna cum laude, joined Legal Aid's Guardian ad Litem Division staff in December; and Jon A. Padgham, U.W. 1995, also joined the Guardian ad Litem Division in January 1997.

Jerris Leonard, Marquette 1955, has joined the Washington, D.C., law firm of Hopkins & Sutter. A former member of the Wisconsin Senate, having served as Majority Leader during the late 1960s, and former assistant attorney general for civil rights, U.S. Department of Justice, Leonard also served as head of the Law Enforcement Assistant Administration during the Nixon Administration. He has developed an extensive legislative and litigation practice.

Ellen K. Marley, Marquette 1996, has joined the Madison office of Clifton Gunderson L.L.C. in its legal services support division.

Truman Q. McNulty, Marquette 1948, Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek S.C., Milwaukee, has been appointed representative of the Board of Governors to the ABA Law and National Security Standing Committee. The committee assists policy makers, the media and the public, educates lawyers on law and national security issues and makes recommendations to the ABA. A member of the ABA Board of Governors, McNulty also has been reappointed to the ABA Finance Committee. He is a past president of the State Bar of Wisconsin.

Patricia J. Meunier, Marquette 1992, formerly of Shneidman, Myers, Dowling, Blumenfield, Ehlke, Hawks & Domer, has joined the firm of Kotin, Crabtree and Strong in Boston, Mass. She will continue to practice in employment law, civil rights and litigation.

Margaret Quinn Niemer, U.W. 1982, has been appointed corporate vice president of human resources for Children's Health System, Milwaukee, leading the system's employee relations, volunteer services, educational services, security services and occupational health services departments.

Patricia A. Nitz, U.W. 1994 cum laude, has joined Edenhofer Law Offices S.C. with offices in Kenosha and Paddock Lake, concentrating in family law, traffic, probate and bankruptcy.

Ann Novacheck, U.W. 1986, Southern Methodist University 1987 LL.M.- Taxation, has become a partner in the Minneapolis law firm of Lindquist & Vennum P.L.L.P. She is a member of the firm's corporate group, concentrating in tax law. She is an adjunct professor of corporate income taxation at William Mitchell College of Law.

The Ozaukee County Bar has elected the following officers: president - John M. Gallo, Grafton; president-elect - Ted B. Johnson, Cedarburg; vice president - John P. Kuczmarski, West Bend; secretary/treasurer - Paul M. Dimick, Cedarburg.

Bruce M. Peckerman, Washington University 1973, has been joined in the practice of family law by Julie K. Brown, U.W. 1988, formerly of Davis & Kuelthau S.C. Their new offices are located at 920 E. Mason St., Milwaukee. Peckerman has been included in the 1997-98 edition of The Best Lawyers in America, and is past president of the Wisconsin Chapter of American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.

Elizabeth A. Peters, U.W. 1996, has joined the Sheboygan law firm of Olsen, Kloet, Gunderson & Conway as an associate, initially focusing her practice in family law and general civil litigation.

Jay Pitner, Louisiana State 1986, of Gray & End in Milwaukee, has been admitted to membership in the Commercial Law League of America, an organization of bankruptcy and commercial law professionals.

Beth Rahmig Pless, U.W. 1992 cum laude, an attorney with the law firm of Denissen, Krinzush, Mahoney & Ewald S.C., Green Bay, recently was appointed as a part-time Brown County judicial court commissioner.

Waltraud A. Arts, U.W. 1979, has become a partner in the Madison office of Quarles & Brady, practicing in civil litigation and environmental law. She served as the Wisconsin assistant attorney general from 1979-91. Peter G. Vandenhouten, U.W. 1996, has joined the firm's Madison office as an associate practicing in corporate law.

Patricia Zeeh Risser, U.W. 1985 cum laude, has joined de la Mora & de la Mora, a Waukesha County law firm with offices in Elm Grove and Delafield. Risser will be the firm's lead attorney in the family law practice area. She also will practice in divorce, marital property and children's law. Risser will continue to be available as a family law mediator and guardian ad litem. Risser, a member of Order of the Coif, previously was a partner in the firm of Coyle & Risser. She is secretary of the Society of Family Lawyers and regularly lectures on family law-related topics.

Roddy W. Rogahn, U.W. 1996 cum laude, has become associated with Giese & Weden Milwaukee, practicing general corporate law, estate planning and civil litigation. He previously interned for the Hon. John Coffey, Circuit Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.

Joseph J. Skemp Jr., St. Louis 1991, has become a shareholder in the La Crosse firm of Moen Sheehan Meyer Ltd., practicing in litigation and family law.

James J. Skyberg, Marquette 1992, has left Kaminski & Pozorski law firm to enter general practice at Skyberg Law Offices, 1110 S. Eighth St., Manitowoc. He continues to focus on civil and criminal litigation.

Carol M. Gapen, U.W. 1988, and Joseph P. Wright, U.W. 1988, have been named partners at Stafford, Rosenbaum, Rieser & Hansen, a 29-lawyer firm with offices in Madison and Sun Prairie. Gapen practices in adoption, children's law, and employment law. Wright practices in business litigation and insurance law.

Carlton D. Stansbury, Iowa 1990 with distinction, has published a chapter entitled "Deviating From the Child Support Percentages in High-Income Cases" in the 1997 Wiley Family Law Update. Stansbury is a shareholder of Maier & McIlnay Ltd., working primarily from its downtown Milwaukee office.

Miriam K. Stauff, Marquette 1986 cum laude, has established her own practice at 1120 Elm Grove St., Elm Grove. She will continue as a general practitioner with emphasis on estate planning, probate, guardianships, family law, real estate, small business matters, commercial collections and bankruptcy.

Russell B. Stowers, U.W. 1989, has been elected a litigation partner in the Tucson, Ariz., office of Snell & Wilmer L.L.P., with other offices in Phoenix, Ariz., Orange County, Calif., and Salt Lake City, Utah.

Steven L. Theesfeld, U.W. 1990, has become a partner in the law firm of Yost & Baill P.L.L.P. in Minneapolis. He practices in appellate law, insurance coverage litigation and employment law.

Steven J. Thompson, U.W. 1987, has become a partner with Hedlund Hanley & John in Chicago. His practice is concentrated in general commercial litigation, including banking, securities, antitrust, real estate and construction, products liability, and contract and licensing disputes.

Robert E. Toftey, Minnesota 1971, has been elected president of Fryberger, Buchanan, Smith & Frederick P.A., Duluth, Minn. He focuses his practice in municipal finance and administrative and governmental law.

Diane Townsend-Anderson, Hamline 1978, of Faribault, Minn., has been appointed a federal administrative law judge. She is a sole practitioner and president of American Mediation and Arbitration Services. She has been an administrative law judge for Minnesota since 1991 and currently chairs the MSBA CoManDR Section and is on the Minnesota Export Finance Authority Board.

John Treadwell, U.W. 1993 cum laude, has joined the Chittenden County State's Attorney office in Burlington, VT, as a deputy state's attorney. He previously was a special assistant attorney general with Vermont's Department of Corrections.

Lisa M. Gingerich, California Western 1994, formerly with Legal Action of Wisconsin Inc., and Linda C. Pakenham, Marquette 1993, formerly with Bryan & Cave LLP, in Washington, D.C., have become associates at von Briesen, Purtell & Roper S.C., practicing with the health law group.

Daniel J. Walsh, CPA, Creighton 1984, a shareholder with the De Pere law firm of Walsh & Walsh S.C., has been certified as an elder law attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation. Walsh practices in Medicare, Medicaid, planning for long-term care, estate planning and probate.

Kathleen Walsh, U.W. 1984, staff attorney in the civil division at the Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee Inc., has earned inclusion in Who's Who of American Women 1997-1998.

The following attorneys have joined Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek S.C.: George F. Roth, U.W. 1968, as a member of the real estate and commercial law team, previously practiced law for 24 years representing local and national real estate developers and closely held corporations in the manufacturing and service sectors, and Robert Conrad Severson, U.W. 1978, as a member of the trusts and estates team practicing in the Madison office, previously was the managing trust officer and trust counsel at First Bank (N.A.) in Milwaukee.

The following associates also have joined the firm: Katherine W. Lambert, DePaul 1978, as a member of the trusts and estates team in the Milwaukee office; Michael J. Gratz, U.W. 1994, as a member of the intellectual property team in the Milwaukee office; and Phillip R. Maples, U.W. 1992, as a member of the trusts and estates team in the Madison office.

Saul N. Winsten, Drake 1980, a partner in the law firm of Michael, Best & Friedrich, has been appointed by Gov. Tommy G. Thompson to co-chair the newly formed Wisconsin International Trade Council. The council will advise the governor on international trade policy and initiatives and will help identify and promote international trade opportunities for businesses throughout Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin State Public Defender is honoring its staff for their commitment to community service, above and beyond their work as civil service employees. Nicholas Chiarkas, head of the State Public Defender agency, established the Rubin Society to recognize staff members who volunteer in their communities. The Rubin Society is named after attorney Peter Rubin who worked in the Madison public defender office until his death in 1995 and who was well-known in Madison for his extensive volunteer work with children.

Twelve public defender employees from around the state have been chosen for initial membership in the Rubin Society. They are: Ann Davey, Tom Dixon, Ken Lund, Renee Savannah, Jack Schairer and Kathy Smith, all from Madison; Marcus Coleman and Jose Perez, Milwaukee; Barbara Krueger, Eau Claire; Trish Sahs; Spooner; April Schmitt, Waukesha; and Katherine Schnell, La Crosse. Each year one employee will receive the Rubin Award for particularly outstanding service to the community. Ken Lund has received the first Rubin Award for his long-term efforts helping the poor, hungry and homeless.

Daniel P. Wright, U.W. 1969, has been appointed city attorney for Racine. He served as deputy city attorney from 1977-1996, and previously was a member of the U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate General's Corps.

Scott J. Yauck, Marquette 1995, as associate in the law firm of Quarles & Brady, has been appointed to the board of directors of the Martin Luther King Economic Development Corporation, which helps to improve the lives of central city residents within the Harambee Neighborhood. Yauck practices in real estate and corporate law.

Wisconsin Lawyer