Power 30 Personal Injury Attorneys – Bill Cannon

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One of Milwaukee’s most respected personal injury attorneys and well-known philanthropists, William (Bill) Cannon passed away from cancer at his Mequon home on Oct. 7 at age 75.

Bill Cannon’s brother, Tom Cannon, said he and his brother come from a long line of attorneys. The four-generation legal family has practiced more than a century in Wisconsin. Their father and grandfather were both attorneys and Bill Cannon’s two children are also attorneys, not to mention several other family members.

In addition to Bill Cannon’s track record for securing millions in settlement for his clients — more so than any other lawyer in Wisconsin — Cannon has earned a reputation in the Wisconsin legal community. To date, his firm has recovered more than $1 billion in client compensation through settlements and jury verdicts.

Godfrey & Kahn Shareholder Peter M. Sommerhauser said Bill Cannon was a legal and technological pioneer.

“It was incredible,” Sommerhauser said, noting how Cannon pioneered computer software to reduce paper consumption well before other Wisconsin firms utilized similar technology.
Sommerhauser noted how Cannon was also a legal pioneer.

“He was a pioneer in a lot of things, in his profession too. He was one of the top innovative personal injury lawyers in the country,” Sommerhauser said, taking note of Cannon’s intelligence and innovation.

“I think he (Bill Cannon) was one of the brightest people that I knew. He had the ability to communicate on everybody’s level and that’s a talent,” Sommerhauser added.

James M. Brennan, chair of the Wisconsin Public Defender Board, said he got to know Bill Cannon in Brennan’s capacity as previous director of the Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee.

“Bill was regarded as a top-flight personal injury trial lawyer. His clients got nothing but the best representation from Bill. Bill’s success rate at trials was exceptional,” Brennan said.