New Hires, Promotions, Partners

William Foley, U.W. 2013 cum laude,and Conor Leedom, Thomas Jefferson 2015 summa cum laude, have joined Axley Brynelson LLP. Foley is with the Madison office and focuses in tax, estate planning, and general business matters. He previously was with Deloitte Tax. Leedom is with the Waukesha office and focuses in contract negotiations; business organization and formation; mergers and acquisitions; and real estate transactions including sales and acquisitions, leasing and development, and land use matters.

Lyndsey K. Bley, U.W. 2017, has joined the Madison office of Peterson, Johnson & Murray S.C. and focuses on worker’s compensation.

Edward Bremberger, William Mitchell 2013, has joined McLario, Helm, Bertling & Spiegel S.C., Menomonee Falls, and practices in small claims, criminal law, traffic violations, estate planning, and residential real estate matters. He previously was a public service special prosecutor for the Waukesha County District Attorney’s Office and also has private practice experience.

Cory Brewer, U.W. 2016, has joined Leib Knott Gaynor LLC, Milwaukee, as an associate, focusing on health-care-related defense and governmental liability. She previously was a judicial clerk for the Hon. David Hansher of the Milwaukee County Circuit Court.

Gail Buenger, Marquette 2002, has joined Avesis Inc., a Guardian company, as senior vice president of operations based in its Phoenix office, where she focuses on governmental and commercial dental, vision, and hearing benefit administration. She previously was with Scion Dental Inc., Menomonee Falls.

Meghan E. Busalacchi, Marquette 2009, has been promoted to shareholder at Lichtsinn & Haensel S.C., Milwaukee. Her practice concentrates on complex commercial real estate, secured transactions, and general business representation.

Joseph Camilli, Hamline 2012, has joined Neider & Boucher S.C., Madison, and focuses on health-care regulations, employee benefits, and employment and labor law. He previously worked in regulatory compliance related to health care, employment and labor law, and employee benefits.

Graham Garland, Georgetown 2016, has joined Milwaukee-based Meissner Tierney Fisher & Nichols S.C. as an associate and focuses on transactional matters. He previously was a legal intern for Textron Systems and the Wisconsin Court of Appeals.

Jason D. Luczak, Chicago-Kent 2008, has been promoted to partner at Gimbel, Reilly, Guerin & Brown LLP, Milwaukee, continuing to practice in criminal defense and civil litigation, licensing, and appeals. He also is an adjunct associate professor of law, teaching trial advocacy and the trial skills competition course at Marquette Law School. Brianna J. Meyer, Marquette 2017, has joined the firm with the civil litigation and criminal law team. She received the Outstanding Public Interest Law Student Award from the State Bar of Wisconsin in 2017.

Maria Gonzalez Knavel, Marquette 1993, has become assistant general counsel for SSM Health, which operates several hospitals in southeast Wisconsin. She previously was general counsel for the Wisconsin Labor and Industry Review Commission and also is a retired partner and health-care attorney at Foley & Lardner.

Emily Greene, Marquette 2017, has joined Rogahn Jones LLC, Waukesha, as an associate focusing on litigation.

Theodore J. Chadwick, California Hastings 2009, and Carrie Ziegler Thomas, Marquette 2006, have been promoted to partner at Grzeca Law Group S.C., a full-service immigration firm based in Milwaukee.

Ashley S. Heard, Marquette 2017, has joined Nelson & Lindquist, Hudson, and concentrates in employment law, criminal defense, and general civil litigation.

Timothy S. Jacobson, Marquette 1992, has joined Fitzpatrick, Skemp & Associates LLC, La Crosse, concentrating on environmental, business, and personal injury litigation and appeals. He also serves as assistant wing legal officer of the Wisconsin Wing of the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary (Civil Air Patrol). He is past president of Midwest Environmental Advocates, O’Flaherty Heim Egan Ltd., and Visjonaer Consulting & Communications and a former executive director of Mississippi Valley Conservancy.

Andrew C. Jaynes, U.W. 2007, has been promoted to assistant dean of admissions and financial aid at Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, Phoenix. Most recently, he was the executive director of the law school’s Center for Law and Global Affairs.

Aaron J. Graf, Marquette 2008, and Andrew H. Robinson, Hamline 2008, have been elected shareholders of Mallery & Zimmerman S.C., Milwaukee. Graf represents clients in labor and employment litigation in state and federal courts. Robinson focuses on creditors’ rights and representing clients in complex corporate and construction-related litigation matters. Carolyn E. Garski, Marquette 2017, has joined the firm as an associate and focuses on business, finance, and real estate transactions.

Five attorneys have been promoted to partnership with Michael Best & Friedrich LLP.

Benjamin E. Evans, U.W. 2007, is a member of the intellectual property practice group in the Madison office and focuses on preparing, filing, and prosecuting U.S. and international patent applications in the mechanical arts field.

Benjamin T. Johnson, DePaul 2007, is with the labor and employment relations practice group in the Chicago office and defends employers against employment discrimination claims, particularly Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) claims and counseling on ADA issues such as reasonable accommodation and service animal requests. He also advises on wage and hour matters, including auditing employee classifications to minimize potential employer liability, and defends clients against class action litigation.

Laura M. Konkel, Mercy (Detroit) 2008, is with the intellectual property practice group in the Madison office. She handles all aspects of trademark and copyright prosecution and enforcement and counsels clients on issues such as clearance, prosecution, maintenance, licensing, due diligence, and enforcement, including opposition, cancellation, and infringement proceedings before the U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board and global courts and trademark offices.

Justin M. Mertz, Marquette 2008, is with the corporate and transactional practice group in the Milwaukee office, providing strategic counseling to businesses on bankruptcy, commercial loan negotiation, and real estate. He negotiates and drafts complex contracts, performs the financial and cash flow analyses, and represents clients in general litigation matters, including noncompete agreements, real estate developments, condominium disputes, and tax liabilities for distressed companies.

David J. Trautschold, U.W. 2012, is with the intellectual property practice group in the Milwaukee office. He focuses on drafting utility and design patent applications, prosecuting patent applications to allowance, conducting right-to-use and patentability searches, analyzing patents for validity, developing global patent filing strategies, enforcing IP rights against competitors, and defending clients from infringement allegations through noninfringement positions and post-grant proceedings.

Bethany C. McCurdy, Marquette 1999, has joined Michael Best’s Milwaukee office as senior counsel in the labor and employment practice group, concentrating on management-side employment law. She previously was a member of Petrie + Pettit.

Kristin R. Muenzen, Marquette 2003, has become a university counsel in the general counsel’s office at Princeton University. She previously was with the U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.

Rory E. O’Sullivan, Trinity College (Dublin) 2007, has joined Rodli, Beskar, Neuhaus, Murray & Pletcher S.C., River Falls, as a litigation associate. He previously was a Pierce County assistant district attorney and operated his own practice in Spring Valley.

Holly Slota, U.W. 2003, and Christa Westerberg, U.W. 2002, have been promoted to partner at Pines Bach LLP, Madison. Slota, with the family law practice group, concentrates in divorce litigation, collaborative divorce, appellate practice, international child abduction cases, and estate planning and is a guardian ad litem in family law matters. Westerberg, with the litigation practice group, concentrates her practice in environmental, land use, and open government law. She has represented individuals, nonprofit groups, businesses, and municipalities in their efforts to protect environmental resources and promote transparent, open government.

Jessica Hutson Polakowski, Minnesota 2006, and Wendy S. Rusch, U.W. 2000, have been promoted to shareholder at Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c. Polakowski is with the intellectual property litigation and litigation practice groups in the Madison office and serves clients such as electrical and mechanical designers and manufacturers, biotech companies, health-care technology companies, software developers, service firms, and product distributors. Rusch is with the trusts and estates and corporate law practices in the Waukesha office and focuses on estate planning, family business succession planning, retirement planning, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, and probate and trust administration.

Alan J. Mazzulla, Marquette 2017, has joined Rose & deJong S.C., Milwaukee, as an associate with the litigation team. Henry M. Russo, Marquette 2017, has joined the firm as an associate with the business team.

Christopher Scherer, John Marshall 1999, has been promoted to shareholder at the Metro Milwaukee office of DeWitt Ross & Stevens S.C. and continues to concentrate in domestic and international patent and trademark prosecution, particularly for electrical and electronic circuits and systems, computer software, medical devices, medical patient monitoring and treatment technology, design patents, device fabrication, optical devices and systems, and mechanical devices.

Andrew F. Spillane, Marquette 2011 cum laude,has joined Godfrey & Kahn S.C. as a member of the banking and financial institutions practice group in the Milwaukee office and focuses on mergers and acquisitions, branch and loan portfolio sales, regulatory compliance, vendor management, and financial technology. He previously was associate general counsel at a Milwaukee-area bank.

Erica H. Stoltz, Marquette 2017 cum laude, has joined Peckerman, Klein & Van Kirk LLP, Milwaukee, and practices family law.

Meghan M. Teigen, DePaul 2007, has joined Christenson Johnson LLC, Fitchburg, focusing on special needs planning, estate planning, and probate and trust administration. She previously was with WisPACT Inc. as the associate executive director and attorney trust advisor.

Connor Valentyn, U.W. 2017, has joined Murphy Desmond S.C. in its Madison office and focuses on business law and assisting business start-up companies.

Nathan S. Fronk, Marquette 2010 magna cum laude, and Meghan C. O’Connor, Marquette 2010 cum laude, have been promoted to shareholder at von Briesen & Roper s.c., both with the Milwaukee office. Fronk focuses on transactional matters, with particular emphasis in representing businesses and financial institutions in complex commercial lending transactions and representing conduit issuers in taxable and tax-exempt bond issuances and refundings, and on environmental compliance and enforcement issues. O’Connor chairs the health information privacy and security section. She advises health-care, governmental, and corporate clients on HIPAA compliance, use of health information for integrated delivery systems and managed care arrangements, data-sharing issues, regulatory compliance, transactional, technology, and general corporate matters.

Thomas A. Myers, Creighton 1978 magna cum laude, has joined the firm as a shareholder in the business practice group, focusing on mergers and acquisitions. He has represented manufacturers, distributors, large retailers, software companies, mezzanine lenders, private equity sponsors and financial institutions in mergers and acquisitions, succession planning, finance, and taxation.

Henry Welch, Marquette 2008 magna cum laude, has been promoted to partner with Haynes & Boone LLP. He is a member of the intellectual property practice group in the Palo Alto, Calif., office, preparing patent applications, responding to office actions, providing pre-litigation and due diligence advice, and representing clients in trials before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board and federal courts.

Mergers, Relocations, New Offices

Christopher J. Ertl, U.W. 1999, has opened Ertl Law Office LLC, 1437 N. Prospect Ave., Milwaukee. Formerly of Canfield & Ertl, he continues to focus on criminal defense, tax, and civil litigation.

The law firms of Gingras, Cates & Luebke and Richie, Wickstrom & Wachs have merged to form Gingras, Cates & Wachs. The merger brings together all the attorneys from the two firms, with offices now in Eau Claire, Madison, and Waukesha.

Mark Thomsen, Marquette 1987, has joined the firm and works out of the Waukesha office. He practiced most recently at Cannon & Dunphy.

Hupy and Abraham S.C.’s Gurnee, Ill., office has relocated to 6475 Washington St., Suite 105.

Husch Blackwell has created a government solutions team, a group of lawyers and professionals who have experience working inside federal, state, and local governmental agencies, the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Congress and state legislatures, and statehouses. The team is comprised of more than 50 attorneys and maintains a significant presence in Washington, D.C., 18 U.S. cities, including Madison, and eight U.S. states.

K. Scott Wagner, Marquette 1989, Anne M. Plichta, Northwestern 2000, and Andrew G. Frank, U.W. 2002, have joined Kerkman & Dunn and the firm has been renamed Kerkman Wagner & Dunn. They previously practiced with Wagner Law Group S.C., and they join Jerry Kerkman, U.W. 1984, Michael Dunn, Notre Dame 1985, Evan Schmit, Marquette 2008, and Greg Schreiber, U.W. 2011, at the renamed firm, which focuses on business litigation and business bankruptcy matters.

Andrea L. Murdock, Marquette 2006, and Anthony K. Murdock, Marquette 2006, have opened Murdock Law S.C., 500 W. Silver Spring Dr., Suite K200, Milwaukee. They represent homeowners, contractors, and small-business owners in matters involving policyholder insurance coverage, real estate, construction, and business issues. Both previously were shareholders at a small firm in downtown Milwaukee.

Stroud, Willink & Howard LLC has expanded and relocated to 33 E. Main St., Suite 610, Madison.

von Briesen & Roper s.c. has moved its Green Bay office to the Chamber Building at 300 N. Broadway, Suite 2B. Jonathan A. Meulemans, Marquette 2012, has joined the firm and works with Frank W. Kowalkowski, Marquette 1992, and William S. Woodward, Marquette 1989, in the Green Bay office. Meulemans focuses on business and transactional matters including contracting, financing, corporate policies and governance, acquisitions, business structuring, and succession planning. He previously was legal counsel for the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.

Appointments, Elections

James Casey, Dayton 1988, was elected a State Bar of Wisconsin delegate to the ABA House of Delegates at the June Board of Governors’ meeting. He is director of the Office of Sponsored Programs at American University in Washington, D.C., and a member of the State Bar’s Nonresident Lawyers Division Board.

Kathleen Falk, U.W. 1976, is the Douglas Costle Chair in Environmental Law – Visiting Professor at the Vermont Law School, Royalton, for autumn 2017. Her previous positions include regional director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Dane County Executive, Wisconsin assistant attorney general, and co-director for Wisconsin’s Environmental Decade.

The Hon. Michael Fitzpatrick, Drake 1984, began serving a six-year term on the Wisconsin Court of Appeals, Madison, in August, after being elected to the seat. He previously was a Rock County circuit court judge.

Kristen E. Knauf, Marquette 2010, has been appointed to the State Bar of Texas’s Computer and Technology Section council. She is corporate counsel at Infogroup, Dallas.

Jeff Kuglitsch, Southern Illinois 1988, has been appointed by Gov. Scott Walker to a seat on the Rock County Circuit Court. He previously was Rock County corporation counsel.

The Hon. Rhonda L. Lanford, U.W. 1996, has been appointed presiding judge of the Family Division of the Dane County Circuit Court. She was elected to the bench in 2013.

Timothy Samuelson, Indiana Univ.-Bloomington 1998, has been appointed by Gov. Scott Walker to a seat on the Dane County Circuit Court, replacing retiring Judge John W. Markson. Samuelson previously was an assistant attorney general for the Wisconsin Department of Justice.

William Wallo, Oklahoma 1992, has been elected chair of the State Bar’s Bankruptcy, Insolvency, and Creditors’ Rights Section. He is a shareholder at Weld Riley S.C., Eau Claire, and a member of the firm’s business and litigation sections. He represents individuals, business owners, companies, and lenders in transactional matters, commercial litigation, and bankruptcy, insolvency, and financial restructuring disputes.

The Hon. Gregory J. Potter, Gonzaga 1984, Wood County Circuit Court, has been selected by other Wisconsin chief judges to chair the Committee of Chief Judges, replacing the Hon. Scott R. Needham, U.W. 1978, St. Croix County Circuit Court. Potter is chief judge of the Sixth Judicial Administrative District, which includes Adams, Clark, Columbia, Dodge, Green Lake, Juneau, Marquette, Portage, Sauk, Waushara, and Wood counties.

Authors, Speakers

Bernard Kubale, U.W. 1955, has authored The Place to Meet Your Friends, a memoir ranging from his childhood living above a tavern with his parents and eight siblings to altar boy to high school basketball star to Korean War soldier. He formerly was a partner at Foley & Lardner LLP.

Awards, Degrees, Honors

Robert O. Burr Jr., Marquette 1966, recently was designated a “senior counselor” at the Florida Bar annual convention in Boca Raton along with numerous other 50-plus-years’ attorneys. He is a circuit court mediator.

Michael Hupy, Marquette 1972, and his wife, Suzanne, were honored as the 35th annual COA Youth & Family Centers’ “Parents of the Year” on Aug. 22 at the Italian Community Center in Milwaukee. Every year, COA honors two Milwaukee couples for their dedication to family and extraordinary leadership in the community. Michael and Suzanne have been longtime champions for several community organizations for many years and are the parents of two adult children. Hupy is president of Hupy and Abraham SC, with offices in several Wisconsin cities.

Michael Hupy has also recently developed a long-term fellowship for Marquette Law School students. The five-year commitment will support students in the Public Interest Law Society (PILS), a student-run organization that creates opportunities for students to help people traditionally underrepresented in the legal system. The Michael F. Hupy Fellowship will allow one student to be placed at the Milwaukee Justice Center and enable students to contribute an entire summer to public interest legal work in local and global communities.

Pro Bono, Public Service

Quarles & Brady lawyers and staff in Milwaukee and nationwide recently celebrated the firm’s 125th anniversary with team, client, and community appreciation days. Community efforts in Milwaukee included donating 300 pieces of sports equipment to Benjamin Franklin Elementary School. Other locations were given “Buddy Benches” to promote anti-bullying and kindness efforts, book vouchers to promote reading, and donations for youth programming to advance success in schools.

In Memoriam

John R. Austin, U.W. 1988, Waukesha, Aug. 28, 1951 – July 13, 2017.

Brenda Lee Hoffman, Whittier 1992, Falls Church, Va., Aug. 9, 1965 – June 28, 2017.

Gerald K. Konz, U.W. 1960, Racine, April 3, 1932 – Nov. 5, 2016.

Erwin Koppel, U.W. 1950, Boynton Beach, Fla., Feb. 25, 1923 – Oct. 17, 2016.

Steven P. Means, Iowa 1987, Madison, April 4, 1961 – July 25, 2017.

Demetrio A. Verich, Notre Dame 1976, Laona, June 21, 1932 – April 15, 2017.

Hon. Robert O. Weisel, U.W. 1954, Sierra Vista, Ariz., March 17, 1929 – 2017.

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. Talks, speeches (unless they are of national stature), honors from other publications, and political announcements are not accepted. Notices about State Bar members in good standing are printed as space is available, and at no cost, must be submitted in writing, and may be edited. Questions: (608) 250-6139.

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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. Email to: MembersOnly@wisbar.org. Include your State Bar membership number.