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Lasting relationships in the cards for personal injury lawyer Laufenberg

By: TONY ANDERSON//July 13, 2012//

Lasting relationships in the cards for personal injury lawyer Laufenberg

By: TONY ANDERSON//July 13, 2012//

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Lynn Laufenberg (Staff photo by Kevin Harnack)

When it comes to handling personal injury cases, veteran litigator Lynn Laufenberg makes it personal — from the moment he meets new clients and gets to know them until the cases are long over and he continues to stay in touch with them.

Laufenberg, who heads up Laufenberg, Stombaugh & Jassak S.C., said that approach has paid off in terms of his ability to handle cases thoroughly and when it comes to having cases referred in the future.

During the last 37 years, Laufenberg has built a practice handling catastrophic injury or accidental death cases, many related to collisions, worksite accidents, or product-related injuries. He said it is hard to pick out a particularly meaningful case “because they are all special in their own way.”

Contrary to some of the propaganda targeting personal injury victims, Laufenberg said the people he represents are not looking for “jackpot justice.”

“They are really in need of help due to circumstances that were not their fault,” he said. “They are just trying to get into a position to go on with their lives with some amount of dignity and self respect.”

Laufenberg’s relationship with clients does not end once the case is over, he said. He makes a point of staying in touch with them and he regularly sends out birthday and Christmas cards.

“I make a point of following up with them,” he said. “We get cards in return.”

Although he did not plan it that way, he said this practice has proven to be a great marketing tool. He has received many referrals from clients who have had family members or acquaintances who were injured.

“I think they are – unfortunately for many law firms – an overlooked source of business,” Laufenberg said. “We don’t expect or want them to have another catastrophic injury, but they know a lot of people.”

Wisconsin Law Journal: What is the best thing you can do to prepare for court?
Lynn Laufenberg:
Take myself back to the questions I had when the case first came into the office. And find answers to those questions that a jury can understand.

WLJ: What is the first thing you do when screening a client?
Laufenberg: Meet them. I want to know my client because you can’t properly represent somebody that you don’t really know.

WLJ: What is one thing attorneys should know that they won’t learn in law school?
Laufenberg: There are a lot of answers to that question. From a business owner’s standpoint – how to run a law office. You don’t learn that in law school.

WLJ: What is your favorite thing to do in Wisconsin?
Laufenberg: Bicycle riding – I’m a cycling fanatic.

WLJ: What is your most prized possession?
Laufenberg: My Super Six Cannondale – it’s a carbon fiber bike.

WLJ: What is your favorite book?
Laufenberg: I’m in the middle of a second book by Robert Harris. He wrote two novelized versions of the life of Cicero called “Imperium” and “Conspirata.” They are really, really well written. Cicero, of course, was a classic orator, philosopher, and he was a lawyer first and foremost.

WLJ: What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Laufenberg: Being satisfied that I’ve taken full advantage of the talents and opportunities that I’ve been given.

WLJ: Which living person do you most admire?
Laufenberg: My wife, Mary Jane.

WLJ: What do you miss most about your childhood?
Laufenberg: We have romanticized ideals about our childhood. I would say the sense of adventure that comes with realizing that there is so much out there to learn and take advantage of.

WLJ: If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Laufenberg: That’s a tough one; there are so many things it’s hard to pick one of them. I’m not struggling because I don’t think I have any flaws. I’m struggling because I can’t pick just one flaw to correct.

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