Judge Michael Skwierawski’s legacy lives on throughout Wisconsin judiciary

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Milwaukee may have lost of a legal legend, but Judge Michael Skwierawski‘s legacy will live on throughout Wisconsin’s legal community and beyond.

Skwierawski died on March 8, leaving behind a lasting impact on Wisconsin’s judicial system, including his wife, Gloria, of 60 years; and three children, two of whom are well-respected attorneys in the Badger State. He had 11 grandchildren and is also survived by his brother, Don.

“This is a man we are going to miss, but his legacy will be long-standing and infinite,” said Milwaukee County Circuit Court Chief Judge Carl Ashley during an interview with the Wisconsin Law Journal on Saturday.

“Mike laid a wonderful foundation for colleagues on the bench, lawyers and the community as a whole, Ashley added.

Wisconsin Appeals Court Judge Pedro Colón agreed during an interview with the Wisconsin Law Journal on Friday.

“I always respected and appreciated him,” said Colón.

Colón said he recalls when Skwierawski swore him in to be a member of the Wisconsin Assembly. “I was very grateful,” Colón noted.

Later as a judge, Colón said he tried to “learn some of his institutional knowledge about the courts.”

Ashley said he recalls when Skwierawski was chief judge in Milwaukee County and assigned Ashley to domestic violence court.

“I had only been a judge for 18 months,” said Ashley, noting how much he too learned from Skwierawski, as many did.

“He was the go-to person in the courthouse, ” Ashley said, noting, “He was someone I could go to anytime to ask questions or get advice.”

Both Colon and Ashley praised Skwierawski, noting his commitment to Milwaukee and beyond.

“It was just such a significant impact on all of us to do the right thing on that bench,” Ashley said, noting Skwierawski, “was a bigger-than-life figure in that courthouse.”

“He would always try to make sure we have the best outcomes for the people appearing in front of us,” Ashely added.

According to Ashley, Skwierawski valued and loved his family.

“Mike always had a smile on his face when he was talking about his family,” Ashley said.

Skwierawski’s children have chosen a career in law and public service, as well.

Audrey Skwierawski serves as the first female director of State Courts in Madison, and previously served as a Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge and district attorney.

Andy Skwierawski is an environmental litigator with Milwaukee-based Halling and Cayo S.C.

Michael Skwierawski grew up with a Catholic education, graduating from St. Aloysius Grade School, Marquette University High School, Marquette University and then Georgetown University Law School, where he earned his law degree in 1967.

After working in a thriving private law practice, and an assistant district attorney, Skwierawski worked for 25 years as a Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge.

According to his family, he presided over more than 515 jury trials, including the notorious case of a former Milwaukee Police officer who killed her husband and then fled to Thunder Bay, Ontario.  The Lawrencia Bembenek trial garnered national attention and was influential in shaping Audrey Skwierawski’s legal career.

Audrey Skwierawski also said her dad really looked forward to the annual Milwaukee Bar Association’s Judge’s Night.

“It’s really an uplifting social event. Every year he looked forward to going,” she said.

Audrey Skwierawski said she remembers her father would never talk about work at home, until the Bembenek trial.

“I remember the trial very well. I was in high school and my dad allowed me to skip school and watch the trial,” Skwierawski said.

“I watched the whole trial and it had a profound impact on me,” she said, noting she still remembers the closing arguments and what the attorneys were wearing that day.

“If you can remember that from when you’re 13 or 14 years old, it must make an impression on you,” she added, noting this is when her desire to become a lawyer really took off.

Now, “I feel like the courthouse and the courtroom is a second home,” she said.

Andy Skwierawski recalled one of his favorite memories of his father.

“One of my absolute favorite memories of my dad in the legal world was actually a bit tangential to the practice of law.  Or maybe it was central to the way he practiced.  For a long time, the Milwaukee County House of Correction would have an annual onsite basketball tournament, where the inmates would put together a team, as would the judges, the district attorney’s, the public defenders. (He always would laugh when the inmates would boo the DAs and cheer the Public Defenders). When I was old enough (and enough of a basketball player), my dad would take me along and eventually I started playing on the judges team if they needed an extra.  I remember once asking why he wanted to play these games and he told me about how important it is to remember that everyone who comes in contact with the law is someone who needs to be treated with respect and dignity.  It doesn’t matter what’s happened, they are people. And going to play basketball against someone who had been convicted was a great way to remind yourself of their humanity and to help to make judges more accessible and human to them as well,” he said.

“One day not long after I had been playing in one of these games, we were stopped on a street near Crown Hardware and Plumbing over on MLK drive and a young man ran up to the car saying ‘Judge Skwierawski Judge Skwierawski!’  Turns out he had been before my dad several years before and he sentenced him to some time in jail.  But he told us that he remembered that he thought my dad treated him fairly and with respect, so he came up and asked about a civil legal question.  And of course, my dad spent ten minutes talking to him through the window of our old van, explaining what he needed to do to file a small claims action,” Andy Skwierawski added, noting “Those types of interactions became a touchstone for me in how I practice law – treat everyone with respect and try to help whenever you can. ”

Audrey Skwierawski said her father was incredibly supportive and arranged for mentorship opportunities with a female judge, so she could understand what it was like to have a family as a mother and a lawyer.

Once in the district attorney’s office, she recalls giving a closing argument and seeing her dad in the back of the courtroom taking notes to give her guidance on the case.

“Who else is lucky enough to have their dad come in and give them notes, kindly?” asked Skwierawski.

One of Michael Skwierawski’s favorite places was his western Wisconsin cabin, which lacked electricity and running water, she noted.

Skwierawski built a gavel with his hands, she said, noting it was made out of an extra log from the cabin that is more than 200 years old.

Now Audrey Skwierawski has the gavel, which is inscribed with words such as “strength” and “integrity.”

“It’s one of my most prized possessions,” she said.

After his retirement in 2003, Skwierawski became a sought-after mediator in commercial disputes, overseeing more than 435 cases.

Skwierawski played an integral “role in the development of the Polish Center of Wisconsin, the Conservancy for Healing and Heritage, and his crowning achievement, the Milwaukee Justice Center, a collaborative project whose free legal clinics provide assistance to nearly 10,000 Milwaukeeans each year, many of them low-income,” the family wrote in his obituary.

Audrey Skwierawski said her legal career began in Washington, D.C., at a labor firm. After being robbed at gunpoint multiple times, she saw it as a sign to return to Milwaukee and advocate for victims in the district attorney’s office.

Skwierawski noted how she worked for Milwaukee County District Attorney E. Michael McCann several years after father worked in the very same office.

“It wasn’t conscious, like I will work here because my dad did. It had more to do with my experiences as a crime victim in Washington, D.C.,” she said, noting “that really spoke to her.”

Audrey Skwierawski has since worked for both Democrats and Republicans under Attorney General Brad Schimel (she was appointed by former Gov. Scott Walker) and also worked for Republican Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen. She also worked under Democrat and former Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett.

“I love working for the government. It doesn’t matter if someone is a Democrat or a Republican, as long as the person does their job with integrity,” she said.

Audrey Skwierawski said she has been grateful for outpouring of community support since her father’s passing last month.

“Dozens are sending messages with how grateful they are for my how my dad helped them,” Skwierawski said. “It has been so heartwarming and overwhelming with the number of lawyers and judges to see how my dad touched their lives.”

When asked what advice her father gave her, she replied, “My dad used to say live every day is as if everything you say and do will be on the front page of tomorrow’s newspaper.”