Safran, prominent Milwaukee civil rights attorney, dies of cancer

Jonathan Safran, a prominent Milwaukee civil rights attorney, has died after a five-and-a-half year battle with cancer.

An obituary posted by the funeral home Schmidt & Bartelt said Safran died on Monday at age 62.

Safran was a shareholder and founding member of Samster Konkel & Safran in Milwaukee, practicing personal injury and civil rights law for more than 35 years. He handled a number of lawsuits involving the Milwaukee Police Department, including the 2014 police shooting of Dontre Hamilton and the 2004 beating of Frank Jude Jr. by off-duty Milwaukee police officers.

Safran was born in New York and spent much of his childhood in Fort Wayne, Ind. He earned his juris doctor from Indian University Bloomington’s Maurer School of Law in 1983.

Outside work, Safran was active with the American Juvenile Arthritis Organization, YMCA Camp Mattawa, Mequon-Thiensville Chamber of Commerce, Mequon-Thiensville School District committees, the American Bar Foundation and Community Coalition for Quality Policing.

His family is holding a private memorial service. Instead of flowers, please consider giving donations to the Mequon-Thiensville Education Foundation.

Read more about Safran’s legal career:

• Milwaukee to pay $2M to family of man who died in squad car
• Tentative settlement reached over Milwaukee police shooting
• Civil rights lawsuit filed in Milwaukee police custody death
• Dontre Hamilton’s family sues city, police over 2014 death (UPDATE)
• Attorney: Inconsistencies in Milwaukee shooting (UPDATE)
• Parents of Milwaukee boy shot by neighbor win civil case
• Board to vote on settlement for man beaten in police custody
• Milwaukee aldermen approve beating settlement

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