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Cases keep Husch Blackwell’s Carr on his toes

Cases keep Husch Blackwell’s Carr on his toes

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David Carr (Staff photo by Kevin Harnack)
David Carr (Staff photo by Kevin Harnack)

No two days — or cases — are the same for David Carr.

A commercial litigator with Husch Blackwell’s office in Milwaukee, Carr handles a variety of cases ranging from contract disputes and product liability to insurance defense and liquidations of corporations.

“There’s never a dull moment. There’s always a dynamic cast of characters that you’re working with and the cases keep you on your toes,” he said.

The son of attorney, Carr initially planned to work in a front office for a sports team or be an agent. Those plans changed after watching his older sister’s career as a sports agent.

“It wasn’t as glamorous as I envisioned. It seemed like a lot of babysitting,” he said. “To me, litigation is a great challenge. You are always anticipating what your next two to three moves may be as well as what the other side may do.”

A partner with Husch Blackwell’s real estate, development and construction team, Carr said keeping clients informed about what is going on is vital. He said clients need to be educated about possible outcomes.

“As a litigator I like to play from the front instead of playing catch-up,” Carr said.

Very few of Carr’s cases make it to trial, with most settled via mediation.

“You need to go into mediation with an open mind,” he said. “My goal is to understand the mediator’s philosophy as much as possible since that allows me to do the best possible job for my clients.”

Carr stays busy outside of his legal practice by helping other attorneys through his work as a moderator for the American Bar Association Minority Council Programs, and also served as chair of the Milwaukee County Ethics Board from 2008 to 2014.

“I’ve been fortunate to have others help me and I want to do the same,” he said.

Wisconsin Law Journal: What makes your work important to you?
David Carr: It’s important to me that my clients are informed and kept up-to-date about what’s happening. I enjoy the collaboration and trust that is present in the work I do with my clients.

WLJ: Who is your hero in the legal field?
Carr: (Former Gonzalez Saggio & Harlan partner) Joseph Fasi. Joe was mentor for me from Day 1. He took the time to pass on the skills of a great lawyer to me and I cannot thank him enough. We still talk at least once a week about life and work even though we don’t work together anymore.

WLJ: What do you do outside of work to deal with stress from the office?
Carr: I work out, play basketball, spend time with my kids and friends. I try to do activities that don’t have me thinking about work. I’m also a huge Milwaukee Bucks fan, so I try to get to many of the games.

WLJ: What’s one thing many people get wrong about what you do?
Carr: I’m not in trial all the time. Another one is that you’re not always fighting against someone — it’s not that divisive or adversarial. You don’t hate the other attorney. You are often working with the same attorneys over and over again, so you don’t want to burn any bridges.

WLJ: What’s your favorite memory from law school?
Carr: The sense of accomplishment that I felt when I graduated law school.

WLJ: Is there a certain case that stands out to you?
Carr: I was part of a trial team for a month in Miami involving a tobacco company and the plaintiffs were demanding $50 million and jury didn’t give them a dime. What I remember about it is not the result, but rather the process. It was wonderful to spend time with so many other experienced attorneys and learning from them day-in and day-out. In a high-stakes litigation case like that, you are running on adrenaline; plus it was in Miami, a great city.

 

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