New Hires, Promotions, Partners

Mike Cerniglia, Hamline 2004, has joined Krekeler Strother S.C., Madison. He practices Chapter 7 and 13 bankruptcy, representing clients in court. Cerniglia previously practiced bankruptcy law in Minneapolis and Milwaukee.

Maria LoPiccolo Davis, U.W. 2015 cum laude, has joined the League of Wisconsin Municipalities as assistant legal counsel. She previously worked in the city of Madison’s Office of Real Estate Services, which facilitates real estate transactions for the city, including acquiring and disposing of real property, eminent domain acquisitions for public purposes, property management, and leasing and licensing of city property.

Bridget M. Erwin, William Mitchell 2007, Corey S. Tilkens, William Mitchell 2013, and Katrina E. Cox, U.W. 2018, have joined Hager, Dewick & Zuengler S.C., Green Bay. Erwin’s practice focuses on last wills and testaments, trusts, probate and trust administration, guardianship, special needs planning, real estate, and business planning. Tilkens focuses on business and civil litigation, employment law, real estate, and landlord-tenant law. Cox’s areas of practice include residential and commercial real estate transactions, leases, formation of business entities, mergers and acquisitions, buy-sell and operating agreements, and other general business matters.

Megann S. Hendrix, Marquette 2010, has joined MacGillis Wiemer LLC, Wauwatosa, and focuses on family law, elder law, and estate planning. She is a trained collaborative law attorney and certified family law mediator, has won numerous awards in the family law community, and often serves as a consultant for other lawyers representing clients in divorce actions involving public benefits and other elder law issues.

Nicholas Herdrich, U.W. 2015 summa cum laude, has joined Michael Best & Friedrich LLP in the corporate and Venture Best^® groups in Madison. He focuses on mergers and acquisitions, securities law, general transactional work for start-up companies, and investment funds.

Andrea G. Jahimiak, Marquette 2018, MBA Alverno 2014, has joined Hurtado Zimmerman SC, Wauwatosa, and focuses on litigation and counseling clients in construction, real estate, and corporate business disputes.

Lorene D. Mozinski, U.W. 1979, has become the Racine County family court commissioner. Previously she was the Manitowoc County family court commissioner.

Robert J. Ollman Jr., Marquette 2018, has joined Fox, O’Neill & Shannon S.C., Milwaukee, as an associate in the business group. He focuses on commercial transactions, real estate matters, organizing and servicing corporations and limited liability companies, and drafting and implementing operating agreements.

Charlie W. Cousland, Marquette 1993, and Ryan P. Haas, U.W. 2008 cum laude, have joined Quarles & Brady LLP in the Milwaukee office. Cousland, with the real estate practice group, focuses on real estate transactions and leasing, real estate development, construction, and land use disputes. He also advises clients on mergers and acquisitions, commercial lending, joint ventures, capital formation, shareholder-partner disputes, and corporate governance. Haas, with the business law group, represents private equity funds and their portfolio companies as well as other privately and publicly held businesses in mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, growth equity investments, joint ventures and general corporate matters. He previously was a partner in the Chicago office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP.

Amber M. Ragonese, Marquette 2014, has joined Murphy Johnson & Trampe S.C., Racine. Her primary focus remains in all areas of family law, including mediation for self-represented parties in divorce and postjudgment matters.

Michael P. Richman, Columbia 1979, and James D. Sweet, U.W. 1978, have joined the Madison office of Steinhilber Swanson LLP as partners. Both have published and lectured extensively on bankruptcy topics and are nationally recognized chapter 11 business debtors’ and creditors’ lawyers. Sweet is a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy. Richman is a past president and chair of the American Bankruptcy Institute and an adjunct professor of bankruptcy law at the U.W. Law School.

Appointments, Elections

Michael Aldana, Michigan 1992, has been appointed managing partner of Quarles & Brady LLP. He replaces Daniel Radler, Marquette 1997, who is retiring. Aldana is a partner in the labor and employment group, representing employers. He is on the firm’s executive committee, previously chaired the legal personnel and recruiting committees, and was on the diversity and inclusion committee. He recently was inducted as a Fellow of the Wisconsin Law Foundation.

Bud Bobber, Northwestern 1987, has been appointed cochair of the new manufacturing practice group at Ogletree Deakins, a management-side labor and employment law firm. He is a shareholder in the Milwaukee office.

Jeffrey A. Pitman, Marquette 1990, has been elected to the American Board of Trial Attorneys (ABOTA) and the Wisconsin Chapter of ABOTA. His practice at Pitman, Kalkoff, Sicula & Dentice SC, Milwaukee, focuses on nursing home abuse and neglect law.

Authors, Speakers

Authors of the recently revised The Guardian ad Litem Handbook (State Bar of Wisconsin 5th ed. 2018) include the following: Mary Beth Arnett, U.W. 1989, De Pere; Mitchell Hagopian, U.W. 1985, and Kristin Kerschensteiner, Seattle Univ. 1982, Disability Rights Wisconsin, Madison; James R. Jansen, U.W. 1982, and Eric J. Ryberg, U.W. 2006, Habush, Habush & Rottier S.C., Madison; Kate A. Neugent, Marquette 2005, Burbach & Stansbury S.C., Milwaukee; Chantelle Ringe, DePaul 2006, Hill Glowacki LLP, Madison; Jeffrey Spitzer-Resnick, Boston College 1985, Systems Change Consulting, Madison; Gretchen G. Viney, U.W. 1978, U.W. Law School, Madison; and Samantha S. Wagner, Saint Louis Univ. 2012, Brown County Corporation Counsel.

David Krekeler, U.W. 1979, spoke at the American Bankruptcy Institute Consumer Bankruptcy Symposium in Chicago, on the topics of problems under the new Chapter 13 model plan, issues for debtors who do not complete their direct payments, and the need for creditors to file timely proofs of claim.

Awards, Degrees, Honors

Laura M. Davis, U.W. 2015, of DeWitt Ross & Stevens S.C. and its affiliate DeWitt Mackall Crounse & Moore S.C., is the 2018 recipient of the firm’s Jack DeWitt Pro Bono Award. Davis, with the Madison office, has played an integral role in establishing a formal pro bono policy and committee within the firm, to centralize currently existing pro bono activities, and also was recognized for her undergraduate and law school volunteer work in the justice system. The pro bono award is named in honor of founding partner Jack DeWitt, who passed away in 2012 at age 93. Each year, the award recognizes one lawyer or team of lawyers in the firm for their pro bono efforts.

Terese Halfmann, Marquette 1985, received the Mentor’s Award at the annual meeting of the Association for Women Lawyers, held in Milwaukee in September. Halfmann is an associate at the Milwaukee office of Hupy and Abraham and focuses on nursing home abuse and neglect cases. She was recognized for her long and consistent career of guiding other women to achieve their fullest potential.

Tess Meuer, U.W. 1983, is the 2018 recipient of the Patricia J. Waschbisch Lifetime Achievement Award from the Governor’s Council on Domestic Abuse. Meuer recently retired as director of justice systems at End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin. Her achievements include assisting in the development of the Domestic Abuse Guidebook for Wisconsin Guardians ad Litem: Addressing Custody, Placement, and Safety Issues; authoring a domestic abuse chapter in the State Bar of Wisconsin’s Wisconsin Attorney’s Desk Reference; and being named the Warren H. Stolper Adjunct of the Year Award in 2016 by the U.W. Law School Alumni Association and Board of Visitors for her wide array of legal work pertaining to domestic violence.

In Memoriam

Robert W. Behl, Columbus, U.W. 1950, Jan. 24, 1920 – May 30, 2018.

Eric Sean Jackson, U.W. 1993, McLean, Va., Jan. 20, 1966 – June 22, 2018.

Kenneth W. Jost, U.W. 1968, Chetek, April 14, 1943 – April 9, 2018.

T.J. Lesperance, U.W. 1974, Sept. 6, 1944 – Oct. 4, 2018.

Hon. Nicholas F. Lucas Jr., Marquette 1954, New Berlin, Dec. 25, 1929 – Oct. 2, 2018.

John F. Maloney, Marquette 1972, Brookfield, Oct. 17, 1947 – June 30, 2018.

Gerald S. Wilcox, Harvard 1966, Madison, Sept. 15, 1940 – Sept. 18, 2018.

Melvin Wiviott, U.W. 1953, Dayton, Ohio, May 5, 1927 – June 30, 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.