La Fave’s caseload keeps him constantly in motion

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Dan La Fave’s litigation practice definitely keeps him on the move.

A shareholder in the Milwaukee office of Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek SC, La Fave racks up plenty of frequent flyer points as he travels around the country inspecting equipment involved in cases, gathering testimony, and interviewing potential witnesses for his product liability cases.

“It’s definitely exciting to visit so many places and you learn that how we do things in Wisconsin isn’t necessarily how things are done in New Jersey,” he said. “I go where my clients’ products take me. I spent some time in Montana near Glacier National Park and it was so beautiful and I wouldn’t have gone there if it hadn’t been for work.”

La Fave‘s travels showed him that laws and practices differ from place to place. “What might be a rock-solid defense in Wisconsin doesn’t hold water in Pennsylvania because of the different laws,” he said. “You have to learn about the different laws and how they’re interpreted.”

La Fave also enjoys the stories behind the cases. “No two sets of injuries are identical and I’ve encountered so many fascinating issues,” he said. “I’m just personally interested working with real people who have been affected by accidents and hearing their poignant stories of what happened.”

As leader of Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek’s appellate team, La Fave draws on his experience of trying cases before different appellate courts, federal circuit courts of appeal, the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.

“It’s satisfying to work on these cases and feel like you’re making a difference,” he said.

A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, he said his experience in the Marine Corps taught him that being away from home for a few days for work is nothing compared to what the men and women of the Armed Forces go through.

“They can be gone for months and months to the other side of the world so that puts my trips into perspective,” he said. “I may travel a lot, but I am always connected. Thanks to technology, I take my office with me wherever I go whether it’s New York City or a small town in Iowa.”

Wisconsin Law Journal: What was your least-favorite class in law school?
Dan La Fave: Law & Economics — the professor who taught the course was dry as toast.

WLJ: What would you have done if you hadn’t become an attorney?
La Fave: Something involving writing and public speaking — I was an English major in college, active in theatre, and editor-in-chief of my high school newspaper.

WLJ: What song is getting heavy rotation on your iPod right now?
La Fave: I don’t use an iPod, but favor Pandora’s “Arcangelo Corelli Radio” on my smartphone, which supplies my tunes when I travel, which is frequently.

WLJ: Is there an app you can’t live without?
La Fave: Words With Friends

WLJ: What one person would you love to have drinks with?
La Fave: Mel Gibson

WLJ: Who do you admire?
La Fave: My wife Jo Ann, who has home schooled (or is still teaching) all 12 of our kids since Day 1. Teaching your own children is harder than teaching someone else’s, and to do it as well as she has done takes an exceptional person.

WLJ: What is your favorite thing to do in Wisconsin?
La Fave: I’d be hard pressed to single one out as we have so many great options here in southeastern Wisconsin. However, golfing at Shoop Park along Lake Michigan is hard to overlook. I never tire of the scenic views, especially of the lighthouse and lake, which help me to overlook my many shortcomings as a golfer.

WLJ: What activity could you spend hours doing outside of the office?
La Fave: Scuba diving

WLJ: What do you miss most about your childhood?
La Fave: Not being tethered to a clock.

WLJ: What is your most prized possession?
La Fave: My family’s home in Caledonia.