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Siesennop started on the other side of the witness stand

By: Erika Strebel, [email protected]//February 18, 2016//

Siesennop started on the other side of the witness stand

By: Erika Strebel, [email protected]//February 18, 2016//

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Staff photo by Kevin Harnack
Staff photo by Kevin Harnack

Wayne Siesennop’s interest in the law started in an unlikely place – in the courtroom. Originally an engineer, he worked in the industry, taught engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and then began working as an expert witness.

“That’s how I got introduced to the law,” Siesennop said. “Then I decided that I would prefer to ask questions of a witness than be a witness and answer questions.”

The cases he now gets on can take a long time to see through. And sometimes they are not only complex, but also emotional.

He worked, for instance, on the recent O’Donnell Park case in which a precast-concrete panel fell off the side of a parking garage and killed a teenager and two others.

“That’s an emotionally difficult case, but you still have to defend your client very zealously,” he said.

One of Siesennop’s favorite things about being a construction-defense attorney is that, from time to time, he can go back to his old life and use his engineering knowledge.

“I’m fortunate to be able to keep my foot in both worlds, though I don’t practice engineering anymore,” he said.

One of the most significant achievements in Siesennop’s career has been getting results for his clients, who range from contractors to engineers and architects.

“I’ve been able to advance the law in certain appellate cases in which, on behalf of the design professional, I was able to establish legal precedent in their favor,” he said.

Siesennop once obtained from the Wisconsin Court of Appeals a precedent-setting ruling that granted government immunity to a private contractor. And another he got eliminated strict liability for architects.

But his work isn’t all about his clients.

“I’ve enjoyed mentoring young lawyers who have worked for us and who are now successful lawyers in the community,” he said. “It’s been a pleasure to work with those people.”

In his spare time, Siesennop enjoys traveling. The best place he ever went to on a vacation was Cuba, and the last place he visited was Turkey.

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